Spoilers for the latest episode of WandaVision.
The commercials at the center of WandaVision have long been a source of great theory joy. But this week we got our most obvious comic book nod. Gone were the allusions to Wanda’s past. Instead, the creepy anti-depressant commercial looked to her future. But they also drew from two of the coolest parts of Marvel Comics lore. The drug is called Nexus and claims to help you confront your truth and seize your destiny. But in the comics, the term has much wider implications for the Marvel multiverse. So if you want to dig into what the Nexus really is, then you’re in the right place.
What is the Nexus?
Marvel Studios
Ah, what a time to be alive. Honestly, I am constantly grateful that Marvel is mining this extremely weird stuff for the MCU because it’s the best of what comics has to offer. Anyhoo, in the comics the Nexus of All Realities is “a cross-dimensional gateway which provides a pathway to any and all possible realities, this includes realities between realities. It is unknown whether it was created by some being or just if it’s the one place in the entire multiverse where all realities naturally intersect.” Yes, friends. It’s essentially the gateway to the multiple dimensions that make up the Marvel Universe. Isn’t that cool? Doesn’t that make you feel like a little kid on a Saturday morning watching cartoons?
Here’s a little potted comics history of the Nexus. It first appeared in Fear #11 (1972). It’s appeared in multiple Marvel Comics series including Doctor Strange, Fantastic Four, Guardians of the Galaxy, and even in the underrated Marvel’s Giant-Size Man-Thing. Actually, the weird creature lives there. But we’re getting distracted. This is essentially a shortcut to an already established door to the multiverse. The big question is what does it mean for the MCU and Wanda Maximoff?
How could the Nexus lead to the MCU Multiverse?
Marvel Comics, Tyler Crook
In the context of WandaVision, it seems pretty clear that someone is trying to manipulate Wanda. Whereas until this episode we weren’t sure who that was, for now we’ve got an answer. It looks like it’s the friendly neighborhood witch, Agatha Harkness. Now, she could still be working with someone else. But as that’s up in the air we’ll be blaming her for now. The Nexus commercial was very specifically encouraging Wanda to move on with her life. To embrace the Nexus and forget her past, which for most of the episode seemed to be working. Wanda abandoned her kids, forgot about Vision, and decided everything was “meaningless.” Giving up her agency to Agatha leaves her in a dangerous position as we leave her trapped in the witch’s creepy basement lair.
If someone is trying to open the Nexus or access it, the reality-warping power of the Scarlet Witch is a good way of doing it. The Hex might already represent the Nexus, or might be located above it. There’s also the chance that the Nexus doesn’t exist. But Agatha and her magical book—which was potentially written by Chthon as a dimensional gateway—could want to create one. If she’s working alongside a bigger bad like Chthon or Mephisto, they might be using Wanda to harness her magic and use the book to open the gateway to the multiverse. Basically, the mention of the Nexus is important here… but if you’re a comics reader you might know the word from somewhere else.
What is a Nexus Being?
Marvel Comics, Roy and Dann Thomas, Paul Ryan, Danny Buldanadi, Bill Oakley, and Bob Sharen
Introduced by the Watcher in What If #35 (Vol 2), Nexus Beings are described as thus: “Rare individual entities with the ability to affect probability and thus the future, thereby altering the flow of the Universal Time Stream. These beings, each referred to as a Nexus, act as the keystones of the Multiverse and are crucial to its ultimate coherence and stability.” That sounds important, doesn’t it? And yes, before you ask, Wanda Maximoff is one of these very powerful Nexus Beings.
It’s important to note that in the comics they claim that if Wanda had children they would “be powerful enough to stand among the Great Forces of their Universe and rock the cosmos itself.” So is that what Agatha wants? She has seemed very interested in Billy and Tommy. Does she want to use them for her own nefarious means? There’s also the fact that Nexus Beings can literally alter the future. Is there something that Agnes wants to change? Or is she simply trying to destabilize the MCU by taking away one of its keystones? Whatever the options, it’s not looking good for Wanda.
How does that connect WandaVision and Loki?
Marvel Studios
With WandaVision coming to an end, we’re thinking of the future. And that means thinking of new Disney+ shows that we know are headed our way. The introduction of the term Nexus and potentially Nexus Beings, gives us a direct link to Loki. This is because in the comics the Time Variance Authority monitors Nexus Beings. Who is the Time Variance Authority? Well, they’re the people we see imprison Loki in his upcoming new show. So while we haven’t seen them in WandaVision yet, it wouldn’t surprise us if the Nexus Beings come up in Loki. Perhaps Loki is even one himself? He is constantly changing the future and the past with the Tesseract/Space Stone, after all. Either way, the strange organization seems to be a likely connector between the series.
What does this all mean?
Marvel Studios
Well, WandaVision has had a lot of fun dangling red herrings so it could mean nothing. But the nature of the Nexus fits into what we know about the future of the MCU. And the power of the Nexus Beings and their offspring would give Agatha a solid motivation. Aside from all of that, there’s so much fun to be had in this cosmic part of the comics, so we’re hoping this is more than a tease.
Featured Image: Marvel Studios
