WandaVision Hints At The MCU’s Real Infinity Stone Replacements

WandaVision episode 7 started to set up the next embodiments of universal power — this time multiversal — in the form of people and places instead of Infinity Stones. The first 23 movies of the MCU centered on the search for the Infinity Stones and the catastrophic repercussions it entailed. To varying degrees, every conflict between heroes and villains led them to meet triumphant or tragic fates due to Thanos’ ambitious quest to use the Infinity Gauntlet to decimate the universe, and everything that comes after the end of Phase 3 will be a direct consequence of the Avengers’ tragic victory in Avengers: Endgame.

With the Infinity Stones either reduced to atoms or in a different timeline altogether, the universe is expected to go out of balance. The MCU’s timelines will likely merge and alternate realities will collide. Villains will seek other sources of power and heroes will need to find different ways to stop them. In the comics, there are several objects and entities that, similarly to the Infinity Stones, dictate whether the universe will remain in order or fall into utter chaos, and the MCU will likely adapt some of them in future movies and Disney+ shows.

So far, WandaVision has made a great job setting up many concepts that will become essential later down the line. But since the MCU needs to be less convoluted than the comics, some of them will likely be simplified or merged. Hence, the cosmic microwave background radiation, the multiverse, and Nexus beings will likely replace Quantum Realm science, intergalactic planets, and the Infinity Stones as the main points of interest of the MCU. This poses the questions: what is the Nexus and what role will it play in the MCU?

What Are Nexus Beings

Just like the Infinity Stones represented a key aspect of the universe, each Nexus being embodies a different aspect of the multiverse. This includes more magic-related concepts such as sorcery, necromancy, and geomancy. Since these entities are sentient (and often innately powerful), they’re able to use and abuse their abilities to either further their own goals or to protect the multiverse, making them arguably more dangerous than the Infinity Stones. Nexus beings also connect to the Nexus of All Realities, which signifies the point where all realities collide. As such, they can affect the probabilities of the multiverse and alter reality in one or more planes of existence.

The place where the Nexus manifests may be as important as the Nexus beings themselves. This means that a place like Westview could be the gateway for multiversal madness and an open door for other Nexus beings. However, at this point in the MCU, the most intriguing mystery is which character will be part of the Nexus. In the comics, Nexus beings include the time-traveling Kang The Conqueror and Franklin Richards, two direct descendants of the Fantastic Four; Jean Grey, known for possessing the Phoenix Force; Merlin, the legendary wizard from Arthurian times, and both Wanda and Vision, who connect to the Nexus due to their particular origins and abilities.

Why Wanda Is Probably A Nexus Being

Curiously, Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff is even more worthy of the title of Nexus Being than her comic book counterpart. While the comic book Scarlet Witch is a Nexus being mainly due to her mutant powers and her magical abilities, the MCU’s Wanda owes her powers to the Mind Stone and what are probably dormant mutant genes. Besides that, she has become the anchor point between the MCU and other universes, namely that of Fox’s X-Men franchise, which only recently has begun to tie in with the MCU. To top it off, Scarlet Witch’s fake world born of trauma has snowballed into an engine of magical power that may allow her to break the multiverse wide open.

When choosing which character to possess, the Nexus of All Realities has it easy. Wanda has a close connection to the Infinity Stones, as she not only drew her power from the Mind Stone (and has even destroyed it once) but also behaves like the Reality Stone. Wanda is also potentially the first-ever MCU mutant and may related by blood to Evan Peters’ Quicksilver, who comes from another universe. Most importantly, Wanda transformed Westview with magic, making it a place where different planes of reality could easily intersect.

Why Agatha Wants Wanda’s Powers

Agatha Harkness is much more experienced as a witch than Wanda Maximoff. Agatha must know how useful Westview is for other magical entities, as apparently no other similar place has been created in recorded history. In fact, Agatha may have pinpointed Wanda as soon as she got her powers from the Mind Stone or when Wanda almost defeated Thanos by herself. Wanda not only has made herself a target for world governments and powerful organizations but also for sorcerers, witches, and other mystical entities. While Agatha got to her first, other characters like Clea or Emma Frost could also be after Scarlet Witch.

As for how Agatha Harkness can use Wanda’s magic, the mystery is harder to crack with just a few clues. In the comics, Agatha Harkness is a witch who has lived through various historical eras. She lived to see the fall of Atlantis and played an important role in the Salem Witch Trials. It’s actually quite likely that WandaVision will shine a light on her history sooner rather than later, as this could expose her motivations for wanting Wanda’s help and power in the present. Perhaps Agatha’s “husband” Ralph, who may or may not be Mephisto in disguise, has been imprisoned since then. But if there’s something common tropes about witches have established, is that their pets are not always what they seem, so it wouldn’t be shocking if Agatha intends to break Ralph, Mephisto, or her son, Nicholas Scratch, out of her pet bunny Señor Scratch.

How Nexus Beings Can Replace The Infinity Stones

Aside from the essential elements of the universe, the Infinity Stones have affected many influential MCU characters. This is more evident in how the Mind Stone imbued Vision with life and how the Space Stone granted Captain Marvel superpowers, but also in the symbolic transformation of many heroes and villains. For instance, the Time Stone helped Doctor Strange go from novice to master in a short time and defeat Kaecilius and Dormammu, the latter of which lives in a different dimension. The Space Stone sent an evil Loki to a different timeline and will probably make him an antihero in a shorter period of time than his original self, and the Soul Stone transformed Red Skull from a mustache-twirling villain into the stoic guardian of the gate to the Soul World, a pocket of reality that represents the afterlife.

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Nexus beings and the Nexus of All Realities may behave similarly on a multiversal level. Wanda, as the full-powered Scarlet Witch, could represent Necromancy after resurrecting Vision and Quicksilver (and possibly her twins, given that they reincarnate in the comics), while Agatha Harkness embodies Sorcery. Westview, New Jersey could be the main point where all realities collide. As always, the MCU may tweak some details in order to fit all of these concepts within the established context and future plotlines. If what WandaVision has established so far is something one can rely on, it’s logical to assume that Wanda’s son, Billy, who is quite powerful in the comics, could be a Nexus being, and that’s why Agatha is after the twins. Spider-Man might be another Nexus being, and that would explain why he’s the focal point of the MCU’s seeming Spider-Verse.

The introduction of the Nexus streamlines the MCU because every conflict points toward one shared goal. It also allows new key characters like Wanda and Wiccan to become the faces of the MCU. WandaVision is only beginning to set up the Nexus, but everything else is also falling into place. For instance, the introduction of Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, the possible reveal of Franklin Richards in the upcoming Fantastic Four, and whatever mysteries Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Spider-Man: Homecoming 3 support the Nexus as the Holy Grail of the MCU’s next few phases.

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