Does WandaVision Reference Thanos’ Infinity War Snap?

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for WandaVision episodes 1 & 2.

The WandaVision premiere may have featured a reference to Thanos’ snap in Avengers: Infinity War. Marvel Studios took a big swing in launching MCU Phase 4 with arguably their most unique project yet. Aside from being their first small-screen endeavor for Disney+, the series mines storytelling inspiration from classic sitcoms of the past decades. Despite this, there are also subtle hints that it is still part of the bigger universe, including what could be an allusion to the Mad Titan’s decimation.

Marvel Studios culminated the Infinity Saga with Joe and Anthony Russo’s Infinity War which brought together all pockets of the MCU for the first time to stop Thanos’ nefarious plan of wiping half of life in the universe. Unfortunately, despite their gallant effort, it still wasn’t enough with the Mad Titan ultimately accomplishing his mission. While everyone suffered personal losses because of this, Wanda and Vision were among those who had the saddest fates; the former, in particular, had to personally kill her lover by destroying the Mind Stone to stop Thanos, only for the Mad Titan to reverse time and kill him again while she helplessly watched. The reverse snap in Avengers: Endgame brought back those who perished from the decimation itself, but since he was personally killed by the villain, Vision was never resurrected leaving Wanda alone.

With that, the snap is one of, if not the, biggest tragedy in the MCU, and it seemed to be too dreary of a topic to tackle in WandaVision‘s first two lighthearted episodes. But leave it to Marvel Studios to find a way to incorporate Thanos’ most evil act into their sitcom-inspired show through a throwaway line. At the height of the series’ premiere, Wanda tapped the help of her new friend, Agnes, for preparing a last-minute dinner with Vision’s boss and his wife. Agnes came through, delivering ingredients for a full meal, and while she offered to help Wanda also do the cooking, the witch was eager to get her out of the kitchen — either because she wanted to use her powers or she didn’t want their visitors to find out that she was unprepared for the event. Agnes made a couple of attempts to stay, and at one point, she says that the menu can be done in a snap before proceeding to run down all the dishes that need to be cooked. There’s no connection contextually, but considering how big of an impact Thanos’ snap has had in the MCU, the implication is clear — especially because Agnes even made a snapping gesture.

All that being said, just because WandaVision has been mostly humorous to mimic the feel of sitcoms from the ’50s/’60s, expect things to make a turn in the coming episodes. It’s clear that there’s something wrong in this suburban life that the couple is currently leading, as hinted a few times throughout the back-to-back premiere (such as the sudden existence of a bright red toy helicopter in the monochromatic setting and the arrival of the mysterious beekeeper whose identity Wanda opted to hide, among others). It’s also worth noting that WandaVision has yet to explain how exactly Vision is alive after Infinity War — one of the biggest mysteries of the sitcom that needs to be answered in its first season. This means that it will inevitably have to revisit the snap considering that it’s tied to his death.

While not everyone has bought into WandaVision, it’s definitely one of Marvel Studios’ most innovative titles thus far. After Avengers: Infinity Warand Endgame, this is exactly what Marvel Studios needs as it signals that it’s ready to break out of their tired mold. Using sitcoms to tackle Wanda’s grief and trauma is clever and if they deliver on the potential of the show, it could only embolden them to take bigger risks moving forward.

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