One behind-the-scenes change to WandaVision ensured its secret Iron Man meaning was perfect. Although Tony Stark is already dead during the events of WandaVision, the post-Avengers: Endgame story for Scarlet Witch still includes several important connections to Iron Man. They range from SWORD utilizing old Stark technology to revisiting how Wanda Maximoff’s Marvel Cinematic Universe origin story started because of a bomb made by Stark’s company. By and large, WandaVision handled its Iron Man ties well, although one only truly worked after a change occurred during development.

Even before Marvel Studios confirmed plans for WandaVision in 2019, it was reported that Elizabeth Olsen would return for the Disney+ series and dive deeper into the past and present of Scarlet Witch’s story. Tony Stark and Wanda Maximoff share the screen in multiple MCU films, but they always had a strained relationship. This was largely due to a Stark Industries bomb killing Wanda’s parents when she was a child. WandaVision went as far as to show her memory of this event and insinuate that Scarlet Witch has forgiven Iron Man for creating the weapon that killed her parents. However, the series also included a secret subtle reference to this life-changing event and Tony Stark’s involvement.

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During WandaVision episode 1, a Stark Industries Toast-Mate 2000 is featured in a fake commercial created by Wanda’s memories. These commercials repeatedly brought up past trauma for Scarlet Witch as the series unfolded, and the toaster represented the bomb that killed her parents. Marvel teased this by having a blinking red light on the toaster that looked and sounded just like one of Stark Industries’ bombs. The WandaVision toaster was effective in reminding viewers about Iron Man’s role in the traumatic life Wanda has lived. However, WandaVision‘s prop master Russell Bobbitt revealed in Marvel’s The Art of WandaVision that the toaster was almost tied to Hank Pym as well, which could’ve ruined the Iron Man connection.

“We played around with Stark/Pym colors. The ones you’re seeing here are inspired by Iron Man’s helmet. We played around with a lot of storytelling like, ‘Should it be Tony Stark? Did Pym have a hand in this toaster?’ Now, these would have been complete manufactures, the expensive versions, until we then went to, ‘Hey. Let’s go to an antique store and buy a toaster that would have been there and modify it.’ But eventually, these all went by the wayside so we could finally get to the one we had.”

The possibility of Hank Pym being tied to WandaVision‘s poster is quite odd, as he has nothing to do with Scarlet Witch. In fact, Wanda and Hank have not even had a proper interaction in the MCU story. Scarlet Witch is almost entirely removed from the Ant-Man corner of the franchise, so it wouldn’t have made sense for him to play a part in Wanda’s memories and backstory. Furthermore, it would’ve been strange for Pym Technologies and Stark Industries to collaborate on this fake toaster since they are rivals and Pym’s hatred of the Starks is well established. It is for that reason that WandaVision‘s change to keep Pym out of the toaster design helped keep the perfect Iron Man meaning.

This change also allowed WandaVision to set up one of the biggest recurring elements of the show from the beginning. Fans quickly caught on that the toaster’s red light was meant to represent the Stark Industries bomb from Wanda’s past. This led to the observation that WandaVision‘s commercials tied directly to Wanda’s subconscious. Viewers became primed for the mystery box element of the MCU series as a result, but the mass speculation and theories might not have been so dominant from the beginning of WandaVision if the Stark connection confusingly included Hank Pym as well.

Key Release Dates
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  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)Release date: May 06, 2022
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Release date: Jul 08, 2022
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever/Black Panther 2 (2022)Release date: Nov 11, 2022
  • The Marvels/Captain Marvel 2 (2023)Release date: Feb 17, 2023
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)Release date: May 05, 2023
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)Release date: Jul 28, 2023
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About The Author


Cooper Hood
(5625 Articles Published)

Cooper Hood is a news and feature writer for Screen Rant. He joined Screen Rant in late 2016 following a year-long stint with MCU Exchange, which came after first developing an MCU blog of his own. He graduated college in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Media & Public Communication, with a minor in Media Production. Cooper’s love for movies began by watching Toy Story and Lion King on repeat as a child, but it wasn’t until The Avengers that he took an invested interest in movies and the filmmaking process, leading him to discover the world of film journalism. Every year Cooper looks forward to seeing the latest blockbusters from the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, but also loves the rush to catch up on Oscar films near the end of the year. When he isn’t writing about or watching new releases, Cooper is a fantasy football obsessive and looking to expand his Blu-Ray collection – because physical media is still king! Follow Cooper on Twitter @MovieCooper.

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