WandaVision Episode 3: Vision's Book Might Be A Nod To A Scarlet Witch Comic Storyline
Contains spoilers for WandaVision episode 3
For as long as WandaVision continues, it seems that fans will be destined to rewatch each new episode like latter-day appointees to the Warren Commission who've discovered a previously unseen half-hour addition to the Zapruder film. A community of enthusiasts, starved of fresh MCU storylines for over a year, claws desperately at each frame of the program, hoping for a glimpse at what's to come, a sliver of what came before, and — most importantly — a hidden clue as to how they can get this week's theme song out of their heads.
With the release of episode 3, WandaVision enters the world of glorious color TV, and not a moment too soon. Through the addition of warm, '70s palettes, the show inches closer to the present, and leaves some intriguing bread crumbs in its path. Take, for example, the opening title sequence. There, we get a shot of Vision and his low-tech approach to learning what to expect now that Wanda's expecting. The book, entitled simply "Pregnancy," seems innocent enough on the outside, but take a second look at it through tinfoil-hat-tinted glasses and you might notice a striking visual similarity to the comics — specifically, James Robinson's Scarlet Witch volume 2 and its unmistakable cover artwork.
Agatha Harkness: the witch to expect when you're expecting
Grainy as it is by design, the seconds-long shot of Vision with his nose in a book doesn't give us a great look at the tome's cover. It does, however, show off a distinctive red, black, and white design, with stark, bold colors that come together to form an image that's awfully similar in tone to the covers of Robinson's Scarlet Witch run.
Coincidence? Maybe. But also, maybe a callout to an influential story that might just hint at what's to come. Scarlet Witch volume 2 ran for 15 issues, starting in 2016 and wrapping up the following year. Of particular note is issue 13, the cover of which bears probably the most striking similarity to Vision's book. There, Wanda teams up with her old witch mentor, Agatha Harkness, and takes off on a journey through a dimension where time gets all wobbly.
Now, with the internet more-or-less in agreement that Kathryn Hahn's character, Agnes, is totally Agatha Harkness in disguise, this all may be the show's subtle way of teasing its audience with what's to come. Or it could just a subtle visual shout out to the series' comic book roots. Or is there a chance that maybe, just maybe, it's just happenstance that Vision is reading a book that looks sort of like another book?
If there's anything WandaVision's taught us over its first three episodes, it's that there are no coincidences in sitcom land.