Spoilers for the latest episode of WandaVision - “All-New Halloween Spooktacular!” - lie ahead.
WandaVision is currently delighting Marvel Cinematic Universe fans and general viewers alike with its sitcom-esque charm and its superhero vibes. However, the show has also divided fans when it comes to theories regarding its larger mystery. Many have gone into the series with a number of ideas and, based on social media reactions from fans, some of those theories have been dashed. Writer, director and pop culture fanatic Kevin Smith is one of the many fans trying to figure WandaVision out but, most recently, he changed his tune when it comes to one running theory.
The speculation surrounding WandaVision’s plot has led to a variety of different theories, but one that’s been gaining quite a bit of traction as of late is the belief that the Big Bad is Marvel Comics villain Mephisto. In the comics, Wanda Maximoff used life fragments from the villain to create her two boys, Tommy and Billy. In terms of WandaVision, fans believe Maximoff is actually being controlled by the demonic entity and that he’s responsible for creating her sons within the MCU.
When the fifth episode aired, Kevin Smith was strongly against theories of Mephisto’s involvement, especially when fans began to assume that Evan Peters’ Pietro was a result of the villain. Now, after seeing the sixth episode, a late ‘90s/early 2000s-inspired Halloween installment, Smith revealed on the Fatman Beyond podcast that he now believes the villain is involved, and it was the creepy yogurt commercial that shifted his thinking:
What I took out of it was the little kid is her, like she's starving for, you know, whatever companionship, fucking people not to die in her fucking life. And the shark could represent somebody who offered her a seemingly good thing, which we now see isn't very nourishing at all. And so last week or the week before, I was just like, 'There's no way it could be Mephisto' why would they just suddenly, Mephisto, people don't know about Mephisto. That commercial and then also the conversation she had with Pietro, where Pietro gave full-throated support for what she's doing, knew exactly what she was doing and controlling the town and gave support to the point where she's like 'You don't think this is bad' and he's like 'No, I think it's amazing' and stuff.’ But the way he was talking to her, I'm not gonna say like it didn't sound like Pietro, but it sounded like the devil. So I'm gonna amend my 'I don't think it's Mephisto' and be like, ‘Maybe it is Mephisto.’
Kevin Smith does bring up some good points, especially in regard to the commercial. The claymation advertisement was quite creepy, but the symbolism Smith mentions does match up. Plus, Pietro’s sentiments about Wanda’s apparent control of Westview do seem devilish. The character also makes some backhanded comments, such as referring to Tommy and Billy as “hellspawn.”
Some fans also believe Mephisto, if he is indeed involved, could have ties to Kathryn Hahn’s Agnes, who some believe to actually be witch Agatha Harkness. Agnes has an unseen husband named Ralph, who fans believe could actually be the demon. This is based on her mysterious nature and a few other tidbits. For instance, in the third episode, after Westview resident Bev says, “The devil’s in the details,” Agnes cheekily replies, “That’s not the only place he is.”
Needless to say, WandaVision has been keeping just about all of us on our toes, including superfans like Kevin Smith. When the show was reported to have a massive cameo on the level of The Mandalorian’s Luke Skywalker reveal, Smith theorized it would be Thanos. However, the cameo turned out to be Evan Peters’ Pietro -- at least, we think that was the cameo that was reported. There are only three episodes of WandaVision left, and anything can still happen. We’ll be watching intently to see how things pan out for the two titular Avengers.
New episodes of WandaVision premiere Fridays on Disney+.
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