WARNING: The following contains spoilers for WandaVision Episode 9, "The Series Finale," now streaming on Disney+.
Much like any Marvel Cinematic Universe production, WandaVision came wrapped in so many layers of secrecy that those involved in the production guarded the knowledge they had with paranoia, even as fans clamored after every scrap of information they could gather. Rather than giving in to the paranoia, stars Paul Bettany and Elisabeth Olsen teased audiences with a promise of a major cameo in the finale that would be as big as Luke Skywalker's in The Mandalorian. However, after weeks of speculation, fans finally had the chance to see for themselves that the tease was a fake-out.
Although the actors teased fans with the possibility of a major cameo, it was ultimately a joke. Fans speculated as to the possibility of Patrick Stewart playing Professor X to reveal a buildup to the X-Men or Benedict Cumberbatch appearing as the Sorcerer Supreme to make a connection to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but the cameo was really Paul Bettany getting to act alongside himself for the first time.
With Hayward's plan revealed to be the recreation of Vision's body and the revitalization of it, fans first clued into the joke given the reveal of the new Vision's body at the end of the penultimate episode. Still, the possibility of a tease remained as the paranoia instilled in the Marvel fanbase fueled speculation that it was a red herring.
When the team behind WandaVision set up Evan Peters as Quicksilver, they had to have every expectation that fans would run rabid with the possibility of a crossover with the X-Men movies. Then, when they unveiled Agatha as Agnes, they had to realize fans would anticipate the "All Along" reveal. And throughout it all, the fans knew their anticipations were being anticipated, and so the speculation machine cycled through a dizzying number of layers trying to correctly predict the theories it manufactured.
Bettany's joke ultimately comes as good-natured humor at the absurdity of this process and well-embodies the production's overall approach to the game of crafting effective twists. Rather than trying to subvert expectations merely for the sake of subversion, WandaVision invested itself in the straightforward quality of telling an impactful story dressed up with many of the familiar bells and whistles of the MCU franchise. Speculation, teases and Easter eggs are as much a part of that process as the climactic battle that capped off the series, and though some may feel cheated out of a bloated promise, the joke cuts right past all those concerns and gets to the heart of simplistic fun.
With his role in the MCU growing larger since Iron Man first kicked off the franchise, there were some that were concerned WandaVision would be Bettany's last chance to play his best-known role. In a certain sense, his joke was a lighthearted fake-out that successfully trolled the fanbase that bought into it, but in another, it was completely legitimate. Ultimately, the reveal of his monochromatic counterpart really is an epic appearance in the way he built it up to be, mostly because it represents a way by which the actor can continue to be part of the MCU and evolve his character to new horizons.
Written by Jac Schaeffer and directed by Matt Shakman, WandaVision stars Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Paul Bettany as Vision, Randall Park as Agent Jimmy Woo, Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau and Kathryn Hahn as Agnes.
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