Breaking Down All WANDAVISION’s Easter Eggs, Part 1

WandaVision has arrived. Marvel’s meta-MCU TV-show-about-TV-shows is an utter delight. And like any good MCU story it’s filled with Easter eggs. From references to classic comics, deep-cut Marvel lore, and hints about the multiverse, there’s a ton to pick apart. As usual, we’re here to break them down for you. So let’s dig into the extraordinary Easter eggs of WandaVision episodes one through three. (Read our Easter egg breakdowns for episodes four through six and then episodes seven through nine).

Episode One – “Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience”

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The debut episode feels like a tone setter. It leans into sitcom style storytelling, beginning with an I Love Lucy and Dick Van Dyke Show style credits sequence. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some awesome and important references.

A Respectful Nod

A huge inspiration for WandaVision is Steve Englehart and Richard Howell’s 1985 miniseries The Vision and the Scarlet Witch. That’s why when we met Vision’s boss, Mr. Hart, we knew it was a nice nod to a comic creator who shaped the show. Also keep an eye out for Englehart’s “special thanks” in the credits.

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Familiar Friends

When Wanda and Vision arrive in Westview they’re clearly the new kids in town. While the crew of characters are seemingly just normal neighbors, there are a couple of names that stand out. We’ve already pointed out that Agnes is likely Agatha Harkness. But Vision’s coworkers also have comics-relevant names. His new BFF Norm is probably named after Norman Webster, who sold Vision and Wanda a house during The Vision and the Scarlet Witch miniseries. Interestingly, Norman also had an affair with Wanda’s one-time sister-in-law, the Inhuman named Crystal. Could we see an unexpected crossover?

The big one to watch here is Phil Jones, who’s just been fired from Vision’s office when we meet him. In the comics, Phil’s married to the magical member of the Squadron Supreme known as Arcanna. Seeing as the Squadron Supreme are alt-universe heroes, they would fit into the multiverse of it all. So keep your eyes peeled around Phil.

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Stark Strikes Back

During the advert break, we see a commercial for the “Toast Mate 2000.” The high-tech (for the time) toaster is promised to help housewives toast the perfect piece of bread. But the big moment comes at the end when we learn it was made by Stark Industries. Now the question is whether Stark ever made a toaster or if it’s a manifestation of wherever Wanda might be.

Episode Two – “Don’t Touch That Dial”

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If you felt like episode one didn’t have enough obvious comic book Easter eggs, then we’ve got good news. WandaVision episode two is filled with them. It all starts with that gorgeous Bewitched inspired animated opening which is stacked with secrets.

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When the Moon Hits Your Eye like a Big Pizza Pie, That’s-a-Thanos

The credits open with a gorgeous illustration of the moon surrounded by six stars. The positioning of them and amount alludes to the Infinity Gems: Time, Space, Mind, Soul, Power, and Reality. Of course, Vision has the Mind Stone in his head in this reality. But we know that something’s up and that reality has warped… could the gems be part of that?

Whose Helmet is Buried Under a House Like This?

If you watch very carefully—and pause a lot of times—you’ll catch a four-pronged helmet under the floorboards. It’s the Marvel villain Grim Reaper’s classic helmet that we see here. This is a very cool and bleak nod to two previous Vision comics. During Vision and the Scarlet Witch #3 (1982), the duo fight him. And in the first issue of The Vision (2015), Vision’s new wife Virginia kills the Reaper, burying him in the garden. While WandaVision follows a different iteration of Vision’s happy family, Virginia’s brain was based on Wanda’s brain patterns. Plus, the Reaper is the crazed half-brother of Simon Williams, who Vision’s brain was based on in the comics. We get another nod to him in this credits sequence so don’t be surprised if you see Simon Williams pop up soon.

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The Secret of the Supermarket Signs

There are three big Easter eggs here, the first of which made me scream out loud in my home. So what does “BOVA MILK” mean? Well, in comic book canon Bova was the humanoid cow who delivered Wanda and Pietro on Mount Wundagore. It’s a totally weird part of their history, but seems to be playing a big part in the WandaVision series.

The sign on the right is for Auntie A’s kitty litter. Even without the witchy black cat, this is clearly an allusion to Auntie Agatha a.k.a. Agatha Harkness. We may already know this witch in Wanda’s world as Agnes (Kathryn Hahn). Finally, on the left is a sign that seems to say Wonder Mints instead of Wonder Man. Remember Simon Williams, the man who Vision’s brain was based on in the comics? Well, that’s his superhero moniker.

The Whizzer, Is That You?

As Wanda and Viz stand in their animated living room we can see a small statue on their side table. What is it? At first glance it could be mistaken for Thor. But we reckon it’s actually the Whizzer, and the lesser known Marvel character has a strange connection to Wanda’s past. A central figure in the 1982’s Vision and the Scarlet Witch #2, the Whizzer claims to be Wanda’s father but later proves to be mistaken.

It gets more complex, though. When Wanda and her brother Pietro were kids on the mythical Mount Wundagore, Whizzer and his wife were offered the chance to adopt them but declined. So this Easter egg once again points to Wanda’s past playing a big part in the future of WandaVision.

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The First Appearance of Vision

An early hint that things aren’t what they seem comes when Wanda heads outside to the garden. While there, she finds a colorful toy helicopter in their black and white world. The red and yellow helicopter is stamped with the number 57. The fact it’s so prominent means it’s hard to ignore. But what does it signify? Well, our favorite synthezoid first appeared in Avengers #57, so it’s a nice little nod to that. What are the bigger ramifications of the copter? We’re yet to find out.

Nothing Keeps Time Like a Strucker

During this week’s “advert break” we get a creepy watch commercial that harks back to the old MCU. The watch in the commercial is called “Strücker.” Baron von Strucker is the HYDRA agent who gave Pietro and Wanda their powers in the MCU, and in the comics is an Avengers big bad. In case that connection wasn’t enough, the watch even has the HYDRA logo on it. This could just be a nod to Wanda’s past, but the final moments of the show suggest it’s much more.

The High Evolutionary

Remember Bova, the humanoid cow we were so excited about? Well, we also meet a neighbor called Herb. In the comics, Herbert is the name of the High Evolutionary. The super-scientist runs Mount Wundagore, the safe haven where Bova delivers the twins. While we’re not saying that this is the exact same character, this is definitely not a coincidence. Perhaps this could be Wanda remembering her childhood? Or maybe HYDRA has captured the magical characters of the Marvel Universe and is holding them captive?

The High Evolutionary also has another connection to the main characters here, one that’s a bit more complex. In the comics, the High Evolutionary is notable for giving the Soul Gem to Adam Warlock. The intergalactic hero would go on to wear the gem on his forehead and draw powers from it. Sound familiar? In the MCU, Vision’s relationship with the Mind Stone closely mirrors that of Warlock and his own Infinity artifact. Speaking of which…

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Illusion and Glamour

Wanda and Vision take part in a slightly morbid talent show this episode. They perform under the names Illusion and Glamour. While there’s plenty of questions as to what repeated refrain “For the Children” means, the big Easter egg here is that the cabinet that the pair base their magic show around is adorned with the Mind Gem. Yep, the same gem in Vision’s head just happens to be on the doors of the “Cabinet of Mystery.” Also, their performance name is a really nice nod to The Vision and the Scarlet Witch #5 in which Vision goes to see his friends perform as the magic act Glamour and Illusion.

Who Was the Creepy Beekeeper?

Probably the biggest reveal dressed as an Easter egg this week was the beekeeper. He crawled from the manhole before Wanda rewound time. Not only did this give us a hint that Wanda was able to control the space they’re in, but also confirms HYDRA as a major potential antagonist. So who is the beekeeper? In Marvel Comics, beekeeper outfits are connected to A.I.M., a military science organization founded by Baron von Strucker. They’re colloquially known as such because their yellow uniforms make them look just like… beekeepers.

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This sets up another connection to Strucker in WandaVision. It gets even more interesting when we examine what A.I.M. is and what the group has done. In the comics, A.I.M. created the Cosmic Cube for the Red Skull. In the MCU, that’s known as the Tesseract, which was a containment vessel for the Space Stone. Though we’ve seen A.I.M. pop up in the MCU already in Iron Man 3, the organization was originally known as Them, a moniker they could use here. So basically, whether this is Wanda’s trauma resurfacing or an actual hint that HYDRA is back, you can expect to see more of A.I.M., HYDRA, and the beekeepers as the series goes on.

Episode Three – “Now in Color”

The third episode moves forward in time from the classic sitcoms of I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Bewitched. Now we’re in the era of The Brady Bunch, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and The Partridge Family. Like the other entries we begin with a credits sequence that showcases the television influences before diving into an episode full of deep-cut references.

The Honeycomb Conundrum

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Hexagons feature heavily in the credits sequence and have been a recurring theme in the show. Not only are they a key part of the opening but we also see Monica/Geraldine wearing earrings that look like the shapes later. It’s all very honeycomb-esque, which makes us think of the beekeeper we saw in episode two. So could the honeycombs and hexagons be more of a hint that Baron Strucker and his evil A.I.M. henchies are involved? We think it might be.

Making an Escape

We also see Herb—who we think is the High Evolutionary—doing his best to trim his hedges and the wall between his and Wanda’s home. That’s probably because he’s fully aware of the fact he’s trapped in a strange pocket dimension that may or may not have been created by the hero. It’s also worth pointing out that the wall he’s cutting is yellow which could be a nod to the Mind Stone.

The X-Dress

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Wanda is rocking a very ’70s look this week with a striped dress that features a huge red X across her chest. This could be a little tease about her X-Men background in the comics. But it could also represent the target that is clearly on our fave magic heroine.

Doing Some DIY

With a baby on the way, Wanda and Vision get into some classic home decorating shenanigans. And in a nice nod to Jeremy Simser, a storyboard artist who worked on WandaVision, the paint they use is called Simser paint! We love to see some good artistic credit Easter eggs.

The Baby Names

Like any normal married couple, Wanda and Viz have different ideas of what they want to call their little bundle of joy. This leads them to coming up with two potential names—how lucky—Tommy and Billy. If you’re a comic book fan you’ll likely recognize these names as the monikers for the twins that the pair have in the comics. Originally conceived via latent witch magic in New Salem, the pair were eventually revealed to be shards of Mephisto’s soul… all very tragic. As you can imagine, the birth of the children here will likely lead to more trouble.

Never Fear, the Young Avengers Are Here

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We don’t know if the sad events of the comics will come true here. But in those stories, after being erased from Wanda’s memory and essentially being written out of the comics, Billy and Tommy returned as the heroes Wiccan and Speed. They’re both part of the Young Avengers, who we’re expecting to see turn up in the MCU. Why? Well, with Cassie Lang, Kate Bishop in Hawkeye, Kamala Khan in Ms. Marvel, and America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and rumors swirling that Eli Bradley’s Patriot will show up in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, the Young Avengers are assembling. So we can expect to see Billy and Tommy somehow become teen heroes in the future.

Here’s the Story of a Lovely Lady (and a Creepy Doll)

In case you’re here for those good TV Easter eggs then look no further. When we see Vision practicing his diaper changing skills, he’s using a Kitty Karry-All doll. If you’re a fan of the The Brady Bunch you’ll recognize the doll as a favorite toy of Cindy’s.

Why Does WandaVision Want You to Care About Phil Jones?

We hear a lot about Phil Jones this episode; it’s almost like Marvel wants us to take note. We also learn that he’s married to Dottie. Those two things together led us to an interesting discovery. In the comics, Phil Jones is married to the magic user known as Arcanna, so we think that’s who Dottie actually is, even though that Mephisto theory was intriguing. This also leans into our theory that the neighbors in the town are actually other Marvel magic characters.

There are also a couple of other easter eggs in Phil Jones and Dottie’s house. Phil is reading a newspaper that says “Two Fire Hydr– added on Main Street” which once again hints at HYDRA. An ever darker nod is the lamp behind Phil, which has two children holding up the bulb. This could hint at the babies that we know are about to be born. But it could also reference the fact that in the comics Dottie and Phil had two kids who later died. We believe Westview might have been using their magic characters to create magic babies, but that Phil and Dottie failed. In other interesting lighting fixture news, they have an entire lamp covered in little Mind Stones.

Take a Relaxing Bath with Hydra Soak

The advert breaks in the episodes have all been very HYDRA themed and that doesn’t change this week. We get the relaxing HYDRA Soak commercial, which our very own Dan Casey noted is a reference to the famous 1978 Calgon “Take Me Away” commercial. While it’s another good old TV nod, it also works as a weird look into Wanda’s past. It’s all about a woman creating her own little reality. “Finding the goddess within” could relate to what happened when Wanda gained power via Strucker’s experiments, or it could have to do with Hecate—she’s a literal goddess with comic book connections to Agatha Harkness. That could connect to Agnes and her much theorized about brooch, which may feature Hecate and the three graces.

Coulson and the Blue Soap

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Another fun thing that the HYDRA Soak commercial could be referencing is Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. You see, there’s an episode where Coulson is inside a virtual reality system and he poses a wild theory. He says, “That blue soap everyone uses? Hydra loads it up with chemicals, it seeps into our bloodstream, and plants false memories into our brains. They want us to believe this is a magical place.”

Honestly sounds a lot like it’s relevant to WandaVision. While we don’t expect a crossover anytime soon, this seems like a knowing wink.

That’s a Nice Necklace

Geraldine is wearing a sword logo as a shiny necklace. It’s a cool accessory that we’ll likely see in Hot Topic soon. But it also plays into her downfall when Wanda recognizes it a little later.

Animal Magic

Last week we met the bunny known as Señor Scratchy—who may or may not have been a reference to Agatha Harkness’ son Nick Scratch—and this week we got a stork. While the stork mostly represents Wanda’s waning control over her power, it could also mean more. The internet has proposed the stork is actually Mephisto, which is why Wanda’s magic didn’t work…

A Tender Moment Goes Wrong

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In one of the episode’s most powerful moments, Geraldine and Wanda bond over the twins’ crib. Just after Billy and Tommy are born, Wanda shares an unexpected memory. “I’m a twin,” she reveals. It’s the first time she’s mentioned her brother Pietro since Age of Ultron. She begins to sing a Sokovian lullaby but Geraldine/Monica interrupts. The apparent S.W.O.R.D. agent pushes Wanda to remember that her brother was killed by Ultron, which tips Wanda over the edge. The biggest thing here is that Pietro is mentioned at all. Rumors have been rife since WandaVision was announced that he might return and this makes us think those rumors may be correct.

The Great Escape

Herb isn’t the only one trying to escape this week. Vision has an interesting exchange with Dr. Nielsen which doesn’t bode well. “Small towns, you know, so hard to escape,” the doctor shares ominously. Almost immediately after Vision finds Herb and Agnes at the wall. It seems like they want to tell him something but instead reveal that they don’t trust Geraldine. Something weird is going on in Westview and the neighbors know about it.

She Went Home

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After their little Pietro spat, Wanda apparently ejects Monica out of the pocket dimension. She lands in what seems to be the real Westview and is surrounded by S.W.O.R.D. agents with guns. This hints that we’ll likely see more of the real world next episode. But we’ll have to wait and see…