WandaVision Episode 5 Ending Explained
Contains spoilers for WandaVision, through episode 5, "On a Very Special Episode..."
It's funny to think that only a few short weeks ago, WandaVision was slowly easing audiences back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Disney+. It took their collective hand through two episodes, clearly inspired by the television sitcoms of yesteryear, and showed off Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision's (Paul Bettany) new, tranquil, and even fun life. Of course, that all changed when WandaVision stopped coddling viewers and threw them into the deep end, flying off the rails and leaving them to put the pieces together.
The past two installments — episode 3, "Now in Color," and episode 4, "We Interrupt This Program" — have finally started to poke holes in the farce that is Westview, New Jersey. Fans have witnessed the organization S.W.O.R.D.'s rising interest in the town, and, more specifically, in its residents that Wanda has apparently taken hostage. In response, Wanda's attempts to keep prying eyes away from her home (and newborn twin sons) have been depicted from both an inside and outside perspective. With multiple viewpoints to follow the story from, new questions arrive just as quickly as we get answers to our previous ones.
WandaVision episode 5, "On a Very Special Episode...", proved no different than episodes 3 and 4 in this vein — adding to the mystery of Wanda's pocket reality, who's really pulling the strings, and why Wanda and Vision continue to live their lie. Here's the lay of the land by the time the credits roll on this 1980s-themed chapter of WandaVision.
They grow up so fast
Following their fast-tracked birth from WandaVision episode 3, both Billy and Tommy Maximoff can't seem to quit growing. Episode 5 opens with Wanda and Vision attempting to lull their newborns to sleep, to no avail. Try as their parents might, the boys keep crying inside their cribs...until Agnes (Katheryn Hahn) shows up and offers to take a shift rocking them. With their parents' backs turned, the twins go from mere infants to walking, talking kids, surprising their mom and dad alike.
This isn't the only time Billy and Tommy leap ahead in the aging process either, as it happens only a few moments later. Wanda begins to lecture them on the responsibilities of taking care of a pet (more on that soon), concluding with the condition that they can get a dog when they're ten years old. Adhering to their mother's demands, the twins once again age years in the blink of an eye so that they can keep their new pet — much to the amusement of Wanda and growing concern of Vision.
In one of their final scenes of this WandaVision episode, Billy and Tommy attempt to process the loss of their dog. To make the pain easier to handle, it's implied that they're about to age up yet again, but Wanda stops them from doing so just in time.
Strangely enough, in the Marvel comics, neither of the boys had the ability to alter their age at will, meaning they've either gained a new power for their live-action introduction, or something — or someone – is in control of them. Could it be Agnes, whom many have theorized is the MCU's version of the Marvel Comics witch Agatha Harkness, who mentored Wanda in the comics and knew about the nature of Billy and Tommy's creation before their mother did? Or could it be Mephisto, the demonic character whose soul Wanda inadvertently took fragments from in order to have children (given Vision can't pass on DNA)? We don't know if any of those tidbits that are canon in the comics will be true or even play some sort of role in WandaVision, but something tells us we'll find out for sure in the coming weeks.
The life (and death) of Sparky the dog
Shortly after Billy and Tommy's miraculous aging, they're shown in the kitchen, standing in front of the sink. Their mother then walks in, and the boys start acting suspicious, leading Wanda to take a look at what they're hiding from her. Soon enough, we find out that Billy and Tommy have taken a lost puppy that they found outside into their care, bringing him in for a bath. He has no collar and no discernible owner, so the family keeps him and names him Sparky (following a worrisome incident with a wall outlet).
Sparky the dog is actually a character from Marvel comics, created by Vision as a gift to his family (which here doesn't include Wanda, Billy, or Tommy, but rather his synthezoid wife and children, Virginia, Vin, and Viv). Though, given Vision's perplexed reaction to the canine in WandaVision, it's pretty unlikely he had anything to do with the origin story of this version of Sparky.
At any rate, such a detail isn't of major importance given that Sparky is apparently already dead. Thanks to S.W.O.R.D.'s attempts to contact Wanda, she and her sons leave the front door of their house open, giving Sparky the chance to escape and raid Agnes' azalea bush, a plant that's toxic to dogs. In the comics, Sparky initially dies because Virginia, Vision's wife in the storyline in question, beats him. Eventually, it's actually Scarlet Witch — Wanda Maxmioff herself — who brings Sparky back to the land of the living, with an assist from Tony Stark.
However, things go differently in WandaVision. Despite Billy and Tommy's pleas, Wanda refuses to bring their beloved pet back from the grave. It seems that Sparky's death serves as a metaphor and a turning point: Wanda's reality is quickly unfurling, she's losing control of the things living inside it, and she knows she must confront the universal truth that death is permanent. This applies not only to her husband Vision, who died in Avengers: Infinity War and whom she knows is dead, but also to her brother Pietro, who was killed in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Wanda tells the twins that "we can't reverse death, no matter how sad it makes us" — a pretty hypocritical sentiment coming from her at this point. It's interesting that immediately after one of the boys asks Wanda to "bring him back," Vision appears and asks, "Bring who back?" That statement comes after Vision starts to understand what's really going on in Westview.
It seems as though Wanda is beginning to realize that she can't keep up this act forever. She's still going to try, as the subsequent events of the episode show, but it's certainly feeling like Wanda understands she's going to have to accept Vision and Pietro's deaths and move on with her life sooner rather than later. Too bad a pup had to perish to get her there.
One final warning
As expected, S.W.O.R.D. continues to try and crack the code when it comes to Westview and Wanda's hold over it. At this point, Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) has made a full recovery after being launched from the town. Alongside Agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) and Dr. Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), she finds new ways to infiltrate the illusion. But Monica's efforts begin to create a rift between her and S.W.O.R.D's acting director Tyler Hayward (Josh Stamberg), who believes Wanda is a threat. He shows the footage of her breaking into one of their bases to retrieve Vision's corpse, then brands her a "terrorist," which Monica doesn't agree is an appropriate assessment.
This conflict rears its ugly head once again when Monica sends in an '80s-era drone to communicate with Wanda, since the decade-appropriate tech can pass through the "hex" field without being changed or rendered useless. Unbeknownst to either of them, Hayward had prepared one of his men to send a missile careening Wanda — a move he'd come to regret. Not only does his plan fail, but Wanda also destroys their surveillance drone and departs Westview for a moment to have a less-than-friendly chat with Hayward and his people.
Upon exiting her pocket reality, Wanda makes her desires very plain: She wants everyone to leave her alone, or there will be dire consequences. Something that seems important to note is that when Wanda appears outside Westview, she hasn't just reverted back to the way she usually looks in the MCU, sporting long red hair and wearing a burgundy leather coat and matching corset top. She's also reverted back to the way she used to speak — at least somewhat.
Viewers should be able to detect a hint of Wanda's Sokovian accent coming through when she speaks to Monica, Hayward, and the rest of the S.W.O.R.D. operatives standing by. It's not the first time her accent has slipped through in WandaVision — it happens in episode 3, just after the birth of Billy and Tommy, when Wanda is talking about her dead brother Pietro — and it could signal that the longer Wanda spends inside Westview, the more layers of protection she built up in the real world begin to slip. After all, Elizabeth Olsen has explained that the reason why Wanda doesn't have an accent in Infinity War is because stripping down her Sokovian lilt was meant to "show her acclimating and hiding." Sure, Wanda's accent isn't as heavy as it once was, but it's still there — as opposed to it being completely suppressed in Infinity War. This could be something, or could be nothing at all, but we all know that Marvel isn't one to make moves without thinking a dozen steps ahead, so Wanda's accent returning in this tense moment is an element to ponder.
Now, after Wanda tosses the busted drone at Hayward and Monica's feet, she turns all of the S.W.O.R.D. agents with guns on Hayward and reinforces the energy field before heading back in to Westview. It's unlikely S.W.O.R.D. and its director will acquiesce to her request, which begs an important question: How will Wanda retaliate if they push further? A good question, perhaps for a future episode.
Lagos: the quicker picker-upper
After a brief hiatus last week, WandaVision episode 5 features the return of the show's Easter-egg-filled advertisements that come with very dark connotations. This one's for the fictional "Lagos" brand of paper towels. Avid MCU fans will recognize this as a reference to the city of Lagos in Nigeria that figured heavily into the opening sequence of Captain America: Civil War. By association, this is also a callback to one of Wanda's most unpleasant moments as a rookie Avenger.
In Civil War, after a brief scuffle, HYDRA agent Brock Rumlow — also known as Crossbones (Frank Grillo) — leads Captain America into a trap. This sets off an explosive device on his chest, which detonates in the middle of a crowded area. In an attempt to save civilian lives, Wanda places an energy field around Crossbones as he explodes, lifting him into the air a safe distance from the people. However, Wanda doesn't take him high enough, and the explosion from Crossbones' vest annihilates a nearby building and kills a handful of individuals in it. This blunder leads directly to the implementation of the Sokovia Accords and the massive fracture in the Avengers team.
This context brings a whole new meaning to the paper towel brand's tagline: "For when you make a mess you didn't mean to."
Vision gets with the program
After weeks of hinting, the latest WandaVision episode takes Vision's budding paranoia over the nature of his reality to an all-time high. In past installments, he's taken issue with Wanda's sudden pregnancy, the neighbors' strange behavior, and the unexpected departure of "Geraldine" (Monica's Westview persona), but Vision finally stops ignoring the anomalies he's facing in episode 5.
It begins with Agnes' odd conversation with Wanda early in the episode, where Agnes asks Wanda if she wants to do another take of their conversation, as if she's aware they're in a television show. Vision later questions Wanda about whether she thought the exchange was odd, but Wanda just brushes it off and tells him not to worry.
Building off of this moment, once at work, Vision shows Norm (Asif Ali) how to use a computer and receives an email straight from S.W.O.R.D. He then wipes the monitor clean and accesses his co-worker's mind, freeing him from Wanda's spell. Norm immediately goes into hysterics, mentioning that he needs to speak to his family and that he doesn't know where he is before Vision places him back under Westview's trance. Evidently, this incident is the last straw for Vision, as he confronts his wife about it when he gets home.
Vision quickly loses his composure, begging Wanda to tell him what's happening, what's outside of Westview, and why he has no memories from before their time there. Wanda reassures him that she doesn't entirely know what's going on and that she's not in control of everyone there, attempting to put Vision's outcries to rest. Whether Wanda it's Wanda who's capable holding everyone in the town hostage, or if it's someone else, remains to be seen. But it stands to reason that Vision will have a few choice words for them when it's all said and done.
The return of Pietro Maximoff
Perhaps the biggest shock of WandaVision's fifth episode comes in its closing moments, just as Vision begins really pushing Wanda to explain what's going on in Westview. Their heated discussion is interrupted by a doorbell chime. Wanda opens the door and finds none other than her deceased twin brother, Pietro Maximoff (aka Quicksilver), waiting for her. However, Pietro doesn't look the same as he did when MCU fans first met him. This time around, he's portrayed by Evan Peters, not Avengers: Age of Ultron actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson. According to Darcy, Wanda has "recast Pietro," which invites a slew of questions that extend beyond WandaVision and into the entire MCU.
For those unfamiliar with Peters' connection to Quicksilver, he portrayed the lighting-fast hero for a time in 20th Century Studios' X-Men franchise. He made his debut in X-Men: Days of Future Past in 2014, then appeared in 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse, and finally in 2019's Dark Phoenix. As both a former Avenger and a member of the X-Men, Quicksilver is so far the only Marvel Comics character to be played by two different actors and appear in both the Marvel Studios franchise of movies, along with the 20th Century Fox franchise of X-Men pictures basically at the same time.
Given this Marvel continuity pretty much ended when Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and the characters under its purview, many thought they might've seen the last of this actor's take on Pietro — but that's apparently not the case. Does Peters' introduction as Pietro in WandaVision mean that the previously disconnected X-Universe will soon be MCU canon? Alternatively, is Peters really playing Quicksilver in the MCU moving forward, or is this just some kind of elaborate ploy beyond Wanda's control? At any rate, this marks the first time an X-Men franchise actor has stepped into the MCU as the character they've played before, so it's significant no matter what's truly going on inside the series' narrative.
All in all, this WandaVision episode supplied viewers with plenty to think on for the next week as they wait for the newest addition to hit Disney+. Hopefully, episode 6 will supply some necessary answers — but, then again, it'll likely only give everyone more to think about in the process.