Warning: This post contains spoilers for WandaVision episode 4.
WandaVision episode four has finally confirmed exactly how Scarlet Witch has brought Vision back to life, and it's not pretty. The episode's ending twist revealed that - for now - it is Wanda who is in control of the fake reality within Westview and when she let the self-deception slip for a moment to protect that reality, she revealed the harrowing truth of Vision's return when his corpse appeared.
Wanda's trajectory in the MCU has been beset by stunning trauma from the death of her parents in war-torn Sokovia through accidental mass murder and finally seeing her beloved Vision killed (after killing him herself) and her chance of happiness being ripped from her. WandaVision episode four confirmed that Wanda's return from Hulk's snap in Avengers: Endgame was instantaneous (as if she'd "fallen asleep") and after her return she was thrust into a battle for her life. With the Disney+ show immediately following Endgame, Wanda is very much still in the immediate mourning period for Vision, so her trauma is still very fresh, which appears to be why she's built a fake reality around her to hide from the truth.
WandaVision episode four's end explains how Wanda expelled Geraldine (now revealed to be Monica Rambeau) from Westview after she unwittingly joined the "cast" of Scarlet Witch's sitcom projection. It also revealed the extent of Wanda's control of her environment, suggesting that she is able to snap out of the fake reality to deal with threats to its sanctity. When Monica mentions Ultron and Pietro's death, she recognizes that threat, reveals she can turn back to her usual self - though perhaps a darker, more twisted version - and kicks Monica out of the bubble with a threat. And before she's able to pull the magical mask back up, Vision returns home and she sees him as a reanimated corpse, hinting that he is in fact dead and Wanda is using his body as a puppet.
That revelation is immediately jarring, as it's the first confirmation that Vision is not really a projection and Wanda is effectively piloting his dead body to fulfill the fantasy that he is not dead. And the episode cleverly uses the aspect ratio change to confirm that what she sees in that moment is the reality she's created. By sticking to the wide aspect and not pulling in to the windowed view of the sitcom, WandaVision offers the clue to the audience of what they're watching. And in that moment, it becomes horribly clear that Wanda is never going to be able to give up her idealized Westview. She stands to lose too much again, which is why she's so easily able to slip back into the fantasy.
As for how it's possible: as her very first appearance in the Captain America: The Winter Soldier post-credits scene confirmed, Wanda's powers extend to telekinesis. She can manipulate matter, which will be allowing her to puppet Vision's corpse. The grim puppet was obviously retrieved from where Vision fell in Wakanda, and a scrapped Endgame post-credits scene would have shown Scarlet Witch opening Vision's body bag to add to the idea. Obviously, that would have spoiled the central mystery of WandaVision, as well as blunting the impact of Endgame's sorrowful credits, so it was a wise cut.
On top of that, the very fact that Wanda hasn't been able to use her powers to fill the hole in Vision's head suggests that even she has limits - perhaps when the magic requires her to face the truth too much? Wanda may claim that she is in control, but her emotions are clearly guiding her and her grief is clouding her judgment. And as Monica found out, any threat to peeling back that fake reality permanently will result in the same violent response. There wasn't even confirmation of what happened to the SWORD "beekeeper" but things don't exactly look good for him or for anyone seeking to pull down WandaVision's clever magical walls.
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January 30, 2021 at 06:24AM
