Doctor Strange showing up in the series finale of WandaVision seemed like a dead cert, but the Sorcerer Supreme was nowhere to be seen. We don't actually know whether he was ever set to appear, but Benedict Cumberbatch's busy schedule (most of his Avengers scenes were shot with a stand-in) and COVID-19 could have made a cameo impossible for Marvel Studios to pull off.
During a recent interview with Jake's Takes, Cumberbatch addressed not being part of WandaVision.
"Aww. I'm sorry to disappoint you. I don't know, yeah. I mean, that would've been fun I guess. It would've led into [Elizabeth Olsen's] involvement with [Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness] but, ah hell, you know. That's all to come," he explained. "We're in the middle of it now, we've been filming since before Christmas, and it's very exciting. I wasn't in WandaVision, I'd been quite busy."
Interestingly, in a separate chat with TV Line, WandaVision showrunner Jac Schaeffer was pushed for details on Strange's absence from the Disney+ series, admitting: "There were a lot of conversations. We had conversations with the team on Strange 2, and this is how it all happened."
The site pushed that point and asked whether the WandaVision team ever reached out to Cumberbatch's team to make a cameo happen. "I can’t talk about that kind of thing," she responded.
There could be something more to this, but whatever the case may be, we won't see Strange meet the Scarlet Witch until Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. That's not a bad thing, though it might have been fun for WandaVision to at least lay the groundwork for whatever that relationship is going to look like.
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ranking of every episode of WandaVision!
9. "Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience"
The first episode of WandaVision was a great sitcom, that's for sure, but it was also extremely short, with only the vaguest of hints about what was really going on.
The fact a S.W.O.R.D. agent (who we'd later learn was Darcy) was watching the action on an old-fashioned TV was a nice hook, though, and you can't fault Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany for how brilliantly they committed to their roles here. The dinner with the Harts was also a nice way to tease that not all was as it seemed in the town of Westview.
Ultimately, the impact of this opening episode may have been lost on anyone without an affinity for classic sitcoms like The Dick Van Dyke Show, but it was still a damn good piece of television.
8. "Breaking the Fourth Wall"
At this point in the season, it started to feel like Marvel Studios was just phoning in the sitcom side of things, and this take on Modern Family was underwhelming, to say the least.
Vision's journey with Darcy felt mostly unnecessary, and this was probably the closest we got to a "filler" episode from WandaVision as we neared the finale. It certainly wasn't bad, though, and when you take into account that it featured Monica Rambeau's superhero origin story and that big Agatha Harkness reveal, it certainly didn't disappoint in terms of big moments.
We just wish it had committed a little more to what the title promised. Still, it gave us "Agatha All Along," and for that, we're going to be eternally grateful.
7. "Now in Color"
Another episode that was almost all sitcom, your mileage may have varied with the story of Wanda Maximoff giving birth to Tommy and Billy. The weirdness with the Avenger's powers was certainly compelling, though some were disappointed by just how quickly this pregnancy played out.
However, it was also at this stage in proceedings we started getting some big hints about the weirdness in Westview, and that mention of Ultron (and Quicksilver) caught our attention immediately.
Throw in the reveal that Wanda was more in control than we realised, and "Geraldine" being thrown out of the energy field surrounding the town, and this episode nicely moved us into the next part of the season.
6. "Don't Touch That Dial"
We're definitely glad this episode premiered alongside the first, as Marvel Studios may have struggled to hook viewers had this been all they got after tuning in for a second week.
Yes, it was a great sitcom (how could you not enjoy the magic show?), but it didn't really do much to explain the premise of a series which was still extremely mysterious at this point. There were some fantastic teases - many of which led to those Mephisto theories - and the world becoming colourful in those final few minutes, along with that rewind, was seriously intriguing.
However, we'd still like to know what exactly became of that "beekeeper" at Wanda's hands...
5. "We Interrupt This Program"
Four episodes in, and WandaVision ditched the sitcoms to finally shed some light on events. Picking up with Monica Rambeau during "The Blip," we were quickly taken to S.W.O.R.D., and caught up with fan-favourites like Jimmy Woo and Darcy Lewis (who was now a doctor).
The Westview anomaly may have received a name in the "Hex," but this episode left us with more questions than answers, no bad thing at this still quite early stage in proceedings for the series.
Wanda leaving her idyllic home to threaten S.W.O.R.D. was definitely a big moment, and we should have realised then that it wasn't Nightmare or Mephisto who were in charge of those sitcoms. Throw in that horrific shot of a dead Vision, and if you weren't hooked by now, you'd never be.
4. "All-New Halloween Spooktacular!"
This was the one fans who'd spent years hoping to see Olsen don that comic accurate Scarlet Witch costume had been waiting for. Throw in the fact that we also got to see authentic takes on Vision and Quicksilver, not to mention some big Speed and Wiccan teases, and this was an absolute blast.
Taking inspiration from Malcolm in the Middle resulted in one of the best sitcom episodes to date, and while it was clear something wasn't quite right with "Pietro," it sure was fun getting to see the talented Evan Peters having a blast as the speedster.
Vision's investigation into what was really happening in the town was very intriguing, though, as we started learning more about how Wanda was managing to live out her dream sitcom reality.
3. "On a Very Special Episode..."
This was definitely a special episode of WandaVision. Introducing us to the child versions of Billy and Tommy, things started getting even stranger in Westview, especially as the twins could age themselves up (something that was never really explained by the time the series concluded).
Vision's suspicions about his surroundings continued to grow, and his confrontation with Wanda at the end of the episode really was Bettany at his best. Revealing that he had no memories of his life before arriving in the town, it was hard not to feel for the clearly terrified synthezoid as he argued with his wife.
That last-minute reveal with Evan Peters showing up at the door as Wanda's "stinkin' brother" was an absolute jaw-dropper of a moment that spawned a billion different fan theories.
2. "The Series Finale"
We know this wasn't to everyone's liking, and much of that probably boils down to the fact WandaVision didn't feature a huge cameo or really pay off any of the major fan theories we all had.
Look past that, though, and Wanda's transformation into the Scarlet Witch was incredible, as was Vision's battle with the real, now white, Vision. The farewell to Tommy and Billy was heartbreaking, as was Wanda and Vision's final moments together before the Hex came down and he vanished.
Throw in a couple of huge post-credits scenes, and this proved to be one helluva finale.
1. "Previously On"
This may have been something of a diversion for the Disney+ series, but exploring Wanda's past and learning more about who she really is means we now have the Scarlet Witch we've been waiting for.
The trip down memory lane answered a bunch of questions, including how the Hex was created, what brought Agatha to the town, and Vision's "creation." There was also a terrific post-credits scene with the white Vision that left our jaws on the floor and had us all counting down the seconds to the finale.
The storytelling here was excellent, and arguably showed WandaVision at its finest.