Month: January 2021

WandaVision keeps getting weirder and creepier with HYDRA nods, SWORD shout-outs, and possibly demonic babies.

Things are getting weirder by the day in sunny Westview as WandaVision enters its third episode with ’70s style and flare. Come for the Brady Bunch and Mary Tyler Moore vibes, stay for the magically accelerated pregnancy and all the wacky (and incredibly ominous) hijinks that come with.

Episode 3 sees us in full color for the first time as Wanda and Vision try and figure out exactly what’s going on with the baby they have on the way–they’ve even called in a doctor, who is a remarkably good sport, all things considered. But things very rapidly take a turn for the weird as the story progresses–including some of the eeriest interactions with neighbors yet, another HYDRA nod in the “commercial break,” and a reveal for Geraldine you may or may not have seen coming.

We may still have far more questions than answers about this show, but one thing is certain: Wherever it’s going, the MCU is unlikely to ever be the same in its wake.

We’ve picked out 19 possible clues, Easter Eggs, comic book references, and off-the-wall moments you don’t want to miss in WandaVision Episode 3. Let us know your theories–and anything we may have missed–in the comments below.

1. New episode, new theme song

As with the previous two episodes, WandaVision’s third installment comes complete with a new theme song and opening sequence. This one, which is focused on Wanda and Vision building a family, is heavily inspired by ’70s sitcoms.

2. Another new house

Yet again, Wanda and Vision’s home is completely different–though no one seems to notice or care. While the address–2800–remains the same, the new house borrows design elements from shows like The Brady Bunch. That staircase and rock work, in particular, are reminiscent of that late ’60s/early ’70s series..

3. Wanda’s magical pregnancy

In the comics, when Wanda was magically made pregnant, things progressed just a bit more slowly–and her doctor was none other than Dr. Strange.

4. What’s wrong with Herb?

We’ve known something is a little off with the other residents of Westview for a while now, but this is the strangest “glitch” yet–Vision notices that neighbor Herb is attempting to saw through the brick fence rather than trim the hedges, and when he points this oud, Herb’s reaction is add to put it lightly. Unlike the other instances of eerie behavior, this one didn’t seem to be prompted by anything–no choking or weird radio signals to be found.

5. Simser Paint

The nursery gets decorated (magically, of course) using Simser brand paint, which is apparently a nod to a real person–Jeremy Simser–who just so happens to be a storyboard artist for Marvel Studios, specifically for Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.

6. Billy and Tommy

Though Wanda and Vis don’t know it yet, they’re both going to get their way with the baby names–because Wanda’s having twins. Comics fans will recognize this immediately as both names suggested are the names of their kids over in the books. Their stories are about as bizarre as you might expect.

7. Vision’s on to something

For the second time in as many episodes, we see reality literally rewind. The first was in Episode 2 when the Beekeeper broke through the sewer grate, and now we jump briefly back in time as Vision begins to note that “there’s something wrong here.” In Episode 2 it was obvious that Wanda had played some part in the reversal–but here that’s not as clear.

8. Synthezoid

Wanda wonders aloud whether the baby will be human or “synthezoid.” This isn’t a term we’ve heard much in the MCU, but it originates in the comics. Vision was never actually a “robot,” he was a synthetic human–something which does, technically, carry over to the MCU as well. Vision’s body was made in a lab, not out of metal or machinery, but by the bioengineering tech of Dr. Helen Cho.

9. Billy will be just like his mom

The joke here is that Billy, in the comics, is the twin who actually does end up with Wanda’s abilities–Tommy winds up with powers similar to those of Wanda’s own twin, Pietro (i.e. super speed).

10. Hydra Soak

This week’s commercial break feels both ominous and extremely on-the-nose. “Escape to a world all your own, where your problems float away,” the announcer says in voice over. “When you want to get away, but you don’t want to go anywhere: Hydra Soak.”

Of course, the Hydra Soak logo is just the HYDRA logo–making for our second HYDRA commercial in a row. The implications here are tough to figure out–is HYDRA somehow behind Westview? And what about not wanting to “go anywhere?” And finding “the goddess within?”

11. Small towns, so hard to escape

Like Herb, there’s something very, very wrong with the way the doctor behaves as Vision sets him on his way. “I don’t think we’ll get away after all. Small towns, you know, so hard to escape.”

12. Agnes and Herb know something

Agnes and Herb try to warn Vision about Geraldine by saying she’s “new to town, brand new.” She doesn’t have a husband or a home. Why are they in on it when no one else seems to be? They want to tell Vision something–“she came here because we’re all–” but they don’t get a chance to finish.

13. Agnes’s locket

As she’s speaking with Herb, Agnes can be seen wearing a cameo necklace–maybe a locket–with what looks like three distinct figures. One of them is pretty clearly holding what looks like a large traditional scythe. We’ve speculated a bit about the introduction of Wonder Man to the MCU–but is Agnes’s locket a nod to the possible inclusion of his brother, a super villain who, you guessed it, uses a scythe and calls himself Grim Reaper?

14. Pietro

It’s been a while since anyone has talked about Pietro in the MCU–he was shot and killed back in Age of Ultron. Geraldine knows this, somehow, too.

15 .”I think you should leave.”

As if the entire town keeping secrets from Wanda and Vision wasn’t bad enough, now they’re keeping secrets from each other too. Wanda somehow ejected Geraldine from Westview–but tells Vision that she had to rush home.

16. The Real Westview

As Geraldine gets thrown out of Westview–out of Wanda and Vision’s Westview, that is–we see the outskirts of what we can assume is the “real” version of the town. It has the sign, there are some buildings in the distance, but the road is blocked off by cement blockades and there’s apparently some sort of magical barrier surrounding it.

17. Cheer up, sleepy Jean

Geraldine is hurled out of Westview to the tune of Daydream Believer by the Monkees. The title of the song is appropriate, given that Westview might turn out to be someone’s daydream.

18. Aspect ratio changes

Following Wanda’s altercation with Geraldine, which ends with the latter being ejected from Westview rather forcefully, the aspect ratio of the series changes from traditional TV’s aspect ratio of 3:4 to the current widescreen standard of 16:9. While the sitcom aspects of WandaVision will surely continue this (temporary?) change is a clue to viewers that something epic is brewing on the scale of the MCU.

19. SWORD agent Monica

Geraldine is swarmed by vehicles after she lands on the grass. They’re emblazoned with the SWORD logo–the same logo on her necklace–meaning we can assume the whole town is being observed, defended, or otherwise tampered with by SWORD at large. Remember in Episode 1 when we saw that Wanda was being watched by a SWORD agent in what looked like a surveillance van? Apparently the operation is much, much larger and more involved than just one agent.

Also, it’s worth remembering “Geraldine” is played by Treyonah Parris, who was confirmed at SDCC 2019 to be the grown up version of Captain Marvel’s Monica Rambeau. The question now becomes was Monica sent to Westview on purpose to act in SWORD’s interest, or was there some other plan at play?

This review contains spoilers for Marvel’s WandaVision episodes 3, now available to view on Disney+. To remind yourself of where we left off, check out our WandaVision premiere review. For a spoiler-free look at these first three episodes, please take a look at our WandaVision preview, plus see when WandaVision takes place in the MCU timeline.

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Something is very, very wrong in Westview. Thankfully, this means that WandaVision is so very, very on the right path. While episode 3 remains in set-up mode like the chapters before it, this 1970s-set entry finally cracks the sitcom illusion just enough to make WandaVision’s two elements of TV comedy homage and MCU puzzle box feel cohesive rather than disparate. We may be only inches closer to learning more about the show’s mystery, but it’s a mile ahead in terms of making WandaVision feel like a genuine MCU installment.

Much like the two-part premiere, episode 3 delays most of its revelations until the credits are almost ready to roll. But this time they claim more than a fleeting minute of screen time, providing us with something really substantial to chew on until next week. Teyonah Parris’ “Geraldine” (whose real name can be found in previously released casting news, if you’d like to spoil upcoming reveals) being catapulted out of the sitcom reality and into the real world suggests there’s an almost Truman Show element to it all; that Westview is a physical place rather than an imaginary reality, albeit one that may not even be on our plane of existence. Perhaps, considering the confirmed link to Doctor Strange 2, it is a realm within the Multiverse of Madness?

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Within Westview itself, we discover that Geraldine is new in town and distrusted by Agnes and Herb. This raises more fun questions to debate; Geraldine is clearly a SWORD agent infiltrating this reality, but who are the neighbours? If not SWORD themselves, are they effectively Wanda’s jailors? Manifestations of her own subconsciousness? Or perhaps innocent bystanders in a sinister world? Additionally, Vision himself appears to have a moment of understanding, but reality seems to glitch out before he can complete the thought: is that Wanda’s doing, or an external force? The questions are certainly piling up rather than being cleared up, but episode 3 makes the right move of revealing just enough that it focuses those questions and elevates the mystery beyond just a general sense of unease.

One thing that is clear is that the weirdness of the meta storyline is bleeding into the sitcom. Unlike the premiere, which presented two pretty straight-laced comedy plots that could have been pulled from Bewitched or The Dick Van Dyke Show, episode 3 is really quite strange throughout. Rather than coming via punctuating moments of darkness, the reminders that this reality is wrong are constant, and – smartly – mostly played for laughs. From Herb happily carving through a brick wall with his hedge cutters, through the practical effects of the house decor spinning as Wanda goes into labour, to a genuine stork arriving to metaphorically deliver a baby, there is a surreal nature to episode 3 that’s undeniably joyful.

This surreal fun is the driving force of the episode, too. At its heart this is the classic “mom gives birth” episode of any family sitcom you can mention, complete with a flustered dad trying to cope. But Wanda’s hyper-speed pregnancy breaks reality at every stage, ensuring the sitcom feels less like an homage and more like a part of the MCU. A Marvel character having a baby would be big no matter what form it took, but the fact that twins Billy and Tommy are part of arguably Vision and Scarlet Witch’s most recognisable storyline in the comics makes this a landmark moment for the MCU. As such, I’ve found myself genuinely caring about this new family that Wanda and Vision have created. The sitcom itself now feels like a truly integral part of the story, rather than the wrapping paper around its darker heart.

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This is the episode that’s likely to convince skeptical fans of its “serious” MCU credentials, then. But for anyone who’s on this ride for the actual comedy, episode 3 still delivers, if not with the same gusto as its predecessor. The ever-changing house is now near enough a shrine to The Brady Bunch, complete with the staircase, while the bright title sequence is a pastiche of the thoroughly “modern” lifestyles of the era. Elizabeth Olsen channels the look of Susan Dey for this incarnation of Wanda, although there’s no sign of a Partridge Family-style musical number beyond the catchy theme tune. In fact, straight-up sitcom references and jokes without a strange edge are rare this time around. But Vision attempting to change a doll’s diaper is a great visual gag that helps maintain some balance of the show’s dual identities.

But while there is a balance, it’s undeniable that this episode is less interested in homage. It makes for a few minor drawbacks; a Brady Bunch-like stage feels underserved by a couple who are not yet surrounded by a classroom’s worth of children. This is obviously due to the linear exploration of US sitcom history, and so we can only hope that the relevant decades and shows will more neatly line up with episode concepts in the future. Already, though, it seems that the importance of the homage can take a backseat when the story demands it, which can only be a good thing for ensuring WandaVision’s continued narrative depth.

 

This week’s episode of WandaVision took us into the stunning technicolor of the 1970s for a very Brady Bunch-flavored turn of events: Wanda’s pregnancy, as revealed last week, was progressing along at a breakneck pace (just in case there was any doubt at all left in your head that there’s something seriously messed up with Westville and, you know, reality as a whole in this show).

Not only is Wanda’s pregnancy lasting a matter of days, she’s also having twins–which, if you’re familiar with Wanda and Vision’s comic book history, ought to come as no surprise. But the real story of these bouncing baby boys is a complicated one that may (or may not) be layered with clues about the rest of the show. Let’s take a closer look.

Both Wanda and Vision have what we’ll generously call “complicated” histories in the comics, full of inexplicable memory loss, death and resurrection, origin story “retcons” (though most were done in such a way as to re-examine or handwave old versions of events away, rather than ignoring them entirely) and updates to powers and abilities. For a considerable amount of time in her early years, Wanda’s “witch” moniker was completely literal–her abilities were magic based and, as such, needed to be honed with practice and mentoring by another, more experienced magic user. Enter Agatha Harkness, another witch who helped Wanda learn better magic and who also did some other things like mentor Franklin Richards, the erstwhile son of Sue Storm and Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. She’s a whole can of worms, don’t worry too much about that just yet.

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The Spider-man spin-off movie Morbius has been delayed until January 21, 2022. The film, which stars Jared Leto, was set to arrive on October 8 this year, having already been pushed twice, from releases in July 2020 and March 2021.

Morbius is one of several movies that Sony has delayed. The video game adaptation Uncharted will now arrive in February 2022, with Ghostbusters: Afterlife shifting to November 2021. The studio also pushed Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway and Cinderella to June and July 2021 respectively.

The movie is based on the Marvel comic book Morbius: The Living Vampire, and stars Leto as a biologist with a rare blood disease, who gains the powers of a vampire when he performs an experiment involving vampire bat DNA. It also stars Matt Smith (Doctor Who), Adria Arjona (Good Omens), Jared Harris (The Terror), and Tyrese Gibson (the Fast & Furious series). The film is directed by Daniel Espinosa (Life, Safe House).

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Ahead of the launch of The Medium, Bloober Team has released a brand-new trailer for the upcoming cinematic horror game. The trailer details nine uncanny facts about the game, including that The Medium may be set in the same universe as Bloober Team’s Observer: System Redux.

“[Protagonist] Marianne’s home, where the game starts, is located in a real apartment building in Krakow, Poland,” Bloober Team community team member Michal Napora says in the video. “Curiously, the same building–or rather, what it will look like in 2084–can also be found in Bloober Team’s previous release, Observer: System Redux.”

Admittedly, it’s not an actual confirmation that the two games exist in the same universe, especially since Napora goes on to say several facts later that The Medium hides secret Easter eggs and references to its previous games. That said, how the location looks in The Medium is eerily similar to how it appears in Observer–it certainly looks like the two games are simply separated by decades of time.

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A whole host of information about Resident Evil Village dropped during a recent livestream–a May release date, the reveal of a PS5 demo, and more details about the very tall, very hot vampire lady. But beyond that, one thing about the livestream that really stuck out to me was the description of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game as “next gen” and the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions as “current gen.”

It got me thinking about when we should stop referring to the PS5 and the Xbox Series X|S as “next gen.” Both consoles have been out for over two months now. They aren’t something that’s on the way anymore, they’re actually here in quite a few peoples’ homes. But folks–even me, sometimes–seemingly still think that the console generation hasn’t actually switched yet.

To be honest, I’m not sure when I’m going to start naturally referring to Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 as the “current gen,” despite the fact that I have both a Series X and PS5 and have been using them since November. At the very least, I’ve come to start referring to them as “new gen” instead of “next gen” whenever I’ve had to write about them, but my brain hasn’t made the subconscious switch to refer to Xbox One and PS4 as the old hardware. I still need to stop and remind myself of that.

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More changes to loot and rewards are coming to Destiny 2 with the start of its next content season on February 9. Bungie just announced that in addition to changes to certain activities and refreshed rewards on the Moon and in the Dreaming City, Season 13 will see the return of Umbral Engrams to the game, along with the ability to choose what kind of weapons and armors you can claim from them.

Bungie ran down the changes in its This Week at Bungie blog post, outlining some changes happening with the start of Destiny 2’s next content season. We last saw Umbral Engrams in the Season of Arrivals, where they were a major part of seasonal activities. Using a new item in the Tower called the Prismatic Recaster, players were able to determine which weapons and armor would drop from Umbral Engrams. The system also allowed you to choose which stats your loot would favor–essentially allowing you to more easily get guns and armor with the stats and perks you prefer for your loadout, rather than relying on random drops.

In Season 13, Umbral Engrams will return, as will the Prismatic Recaster. You’ll get Umbral Engrams most often from seasonal activities, Bungie writes, but they’ll also drop from random enemy kills and from other game activities. Here’s the complete list:

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Hitman 3 is a very big game–like its predecessors, its levels are intricate and sprawling, with a huge number of characters and locations within each one. In Hitman 3, the World of Assassination gains a few new details as well, like shortcuts that can give you permanent paths through levels that would otherwise be much more difficult to navigate. But if you’re new to the Hitman series or you bounced off in the past, finding your way through the game can be difficult. Hitman 3 seems like a standard stealth game, but it’s much more reliant on observation, planning, and patience. You won’t see everything a Hitman 3 level has to offer on your first playthrough, but the more you explore, the more opportunities for silent assassinations or brutal mayhem you’ll uncover.

We’ve compiled 10 tips that can help you get the most out of Hitman 3 and can send you down the path of mastering its levels and becoming an all-star assassin. While you’re at it, check out our other coverage of the game–you can read our Hitman 3 review and dive into a whole host of Hitman 3 guides and walkthroughs that will help you uncover every secret the game has to offer.

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