Fox’s X-Men starts crossover into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with WandaVision
Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda in WandaVision
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**SPOILERS AHEAD**
If you have not watched the latest episode of WandaVision, “On a Very Special Episode…,” aka episode 5, prepare yourself. We have a huge spoiler coming.
Ready?
That loud THUMP you heard? That’s the collective sound of jaws dropping from fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Fox’s X-Men franchise after they caught the latest fifth episode of WandaVision.
After an episode about family, resurrection, death and the Vision realising that there’s something weird happening in Westview, a knock on the door of our mutant/android couple brought about collective cheers as the visitor is none other than Wanda’s long dead brother, Pietro.
Yes, Pietro aka Quicksilver, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Avengers: Age of Ultron, returns for a visit.
But this isn’t the Pietro MCU fans know.
Instead, this Pietro, who calls Wanda sis and is identified in the episode by name by Wanda, is played by Evan Peters.
Yes, like Darcy Lewis indicated after seeing Pietro appear at the front door of the latest sitcom-based life conjured by Wanda: “She recast Pietro?”
And recast they did, but not with any actor because in some fitting way, Peters is the only choice to play Pietro as Peters previously portrayed Pietro aka Quicksilver in Fox’s X-Men franchise across three movies.
Is your mind blown yet? Ever since Disney acquired Fox in a landmark purchase a few years ago, fans have been clamouring for characters from Fox’s X-Men franchise to make their appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. By all indicators, Marvel Studios is looking to recast Fox’s Marvel movies, except for Deadpool, but having Peters reprise his role is the best possible outcome that satisfies almost everyone.
Marvel Comics originally licensed the X-Men series of characters to 20th Century Fox before Marvel Studios did its own run of more successful movies and Peters appearing as Pietro, Wanda’s twin brother (as in the comics) in both franchises is a sign of a meta crossover between the studios.
Is this the same Pietro/Peters as seen in the X-Men movies? Well, this Pietro sports the same white hair and the same cocky attitude but there are questions that haven’t been answered, at least, not yet.
For one thing, Wanda very clearly states in this episode that she cannot bring people back from the dead, as evidenced by the death of the family pet Sparky in this episode. Sure, she steals Vision’s lifeless body from SHIELD or SWORD or whoever had the husk after Thanos was done with it and while she somehow reanimated Vision, the appearance of Vision’s damaged head in the previous episode means the process isn’t perfect.
This episode also indicates that everyone in Westview is someone else that Wanda is mind controlling, but Pietro/Peters doesn’t seem to be the case, based on the shocked face Wanda has when she sees her brother. So does this make Pietro an actual person? And if he is Quicksilver, does he still have his mutant abilities?
Are we really expected to believe that this Pietro/Quicksilver is the same one from the X-Men movies? Is Jennifer Lawrence next where it’s revealed Mystique is shapeshifting as Pietro, but not MCU Pietro and is Fox’s Pietro instead? Oh, our heads hurts, but we’re too elated to complain.
So why the recast? Well, there’s a real world reason for this recast as well. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige said previously that Quicksilver’s death needed to mean something, which means there were never plans to bring Taylor-Johnson or Quicksilver back, and recasting, even in the meta sense of WandaVision, allows for Marvel Studios to remain true to their word, but still deliver on fan expectations.
Previous indicators also point to the MCU dealing with the multiverse, and WandaVision leads in to the upcoming Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness sequel, which deals with alternate realities and this casting and revelation fits nicely into that.
Whatever the case, WandaVision is getting better with each episode, and making the best of Disney+ to keep fans tuned in to the MCU.