WANDAVISION Showrunner Jac Schaeffer Reveals Alternate Ending And Explains The Scarlet Witch's Chaos Magic

WANDAVISION Showrunner Jac Schaeffer Reveals Alternate Ending And Explains The Scarlet Witch's Chaos Magic

In a new interview, WandaVision head writer Jac Schaeffer has revealed an alternate ending for the Disney+ series which was considered, while also shedding some light on what the deal with Chaos Magic is.

By JoshWilding - Mar 15, 2021 02:03 AM EST
Filed Under: WandaVision
Source: Vanity Fair

WandaVision wrapped up with Wanda Maximoff embracing her new identity as the Scarlet Witch, though what that actually means for her moving forward obviously remains to be seen. Agatha Harkness mentioned a prophecy in the Darkhold which revealed that she's expected to destroy the world, and it turns out the Disney+ series almost addressed that head on. 

In an interview with Vanity Fair, WandaVision showrunner Jac Schaeffer explained that the series finale very nearly found a way to explain, and get rid of, that prophecy about the former Avenger.

"The prophecy had to do with her destroying the world," she explains. "So she’s fighting her identity as the Scarlet Witch, because she doesn’t want to be the person who destroys the world. That was the thing that she was really, really afraid of."

The site goes on to explain that the writer told them it ultimately boiled down to destroying the Hex, thereby fulfilling the prophecy and saving Wanda from heading down a dark path. 

"[The prophecy] just got very restrictive,” Schaeffer continues. "One of the things that Marvel says is that with some of the mythology definitions, it is best to leave things a little bit loose. Because when you pass the ball forward, it gives the next team more to work with. We loved the idea that we would land her knowing some, but not all. That would be part of her trajectory and the next piece of her story."

Clearly, the door has been left open for the Scarlet Witch's potential to destroy the world to be explored in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, something that makes a lot of sense. After all, we're now left wondering what comes next for Wanda in that sense rather than being confident she won't break bad.

Schaeffer would also go on to tell the site that, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Chaos Magic is "creation magic." She adds: "In witch culture, there’s some sort of cosmic cost in some way, and there’s no cost for her."

That's something you have to believe the Sorcerer Supreme will want to address...


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WandaVision reveals since the finale landed!

10. Those Mephisto Teases Were Pure Coincidence

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Early episodes of WandaVision appeared to hint at Mephisto being somehow tied to what Wanda was going through, with plenty of references to the devil scattered here and there. 

Wanda, and her twins, have quite a storied history with the Marvel Universe's devil, but it wasn't a conscious move on Schaeffer's part.

"There was never any conscious intention on my part to create any Mephisto red herrings because I didn't know who Mephisto was until I started doing press," she admits in an interview with Mashable. "Why did we talk about the devil so much? That's a real coincidence."

"He wasn't ever part of our storytelling conversations. We were very clear that the big bad is grief. And then the external bad is Agatha. So as a viewer and as a lover of the show and the characters, I didn't want anything more than that." So, it seems there are no plans for Mephisto in the MCU moving forward from here.
 

9. Why Tommy And Billy Never Grew Up

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The prevailing theory, mostly thanks to some big rumors, was that WandaVision would end with Tommy and Billy (Speed and Wicca) aged up into teenagers and ready to join the Young Avengers.

It didn't happen, and they instead faded away into nothingness at 10-years-old when the Hex came down.

The two actors, Jett Klyne and Julian Hilliard, could naturally age into the roles now, but Shakman explains to ET why they remained so young in the series. "We wanted to keep them at that age. Wanda has obviously missed out on the first 10 years of their life [which] went by really fast, so we didn't want to deprive her of even more time with them."

"And once we got to know them, we had so little screen time with 10-year-old Billy and Tommy that we wanted to take advantage of what we did have to get to know them really well as people. There's so much innocence there," the director continues. "To have them [the twins] age up one more time, I think, would have been unfair to those actors and those characters."
 

8. Elizabeth Olsen Knew Nothing Of The Multiverse Shooting WandaVision

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Avengers: Endgame introduced the concept of the Marvel Multiverse, so it's no wonder fans started theorizing that Wanda and Vision might have found themselves in an alternate reality in this series. 

When Pietro showed up, it seemed like a given that Marvel Studios had started pulling characters and actors from Fox's X-Men Universe, but that wasn't the case, and Olsen didn't even learn of the Multiverse's significance until she started working on the Doctor Strange sequel.

"I didn’t know about the multiverse when we were filming this," she admitted to Variety"So I wouldn’t assume that that’s what was happening. I thought it was just a clever way to have a Pietro. I didn’t understand the larger plan of the multiverse until I started working on 'Multiverse,' or whatever our movie’s called, the 'Doctor Strange' sequel."

At least we know the Multiverse will factor into that
 

7. Señor Scratchy's Demonic Reveal

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Marvel fans were convinced that there was more to rabbit Señor Scratchy than met the eye, and while the series itself didn't address that, a deleted scene does. 

"We did have a whole sequence where Darcy, Monica, [and] Ralph all meet up with the kids, and they're in Agatha's house, and they think maybe they should steal the Darkhold," Shakman told Kevin Smith. "They go down there to get the book, and they're reaching for the book, and the rabbit hops up in front of the book."

"They reach over to pat him, and he hisses, and this whole American Werewolf in London transformation happens, and there's this big demon which is [Agatha's] familiar," he continued. "Goonies set pieces ensue as they try to escape from the rabbit." 

We can only hope this is eventually released, because it ending up on the cutting room floor robbed us of more Monica, Ralph, and a big pay off to all those teases. 
 

6. Is Vision...Vision? 

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WandaVision ends with Westview's Vision bidding a final farewell to Wanda, and the real deal - now white - blasting off into the sky after having his memories restored and declaring, "I am Vision."

Livanos chose her words carefully when TV Line asked what that means for the android, but noted: "I’m sure there will be plentiful opportunities in the future to answer that completely. We found it very compelling that he does get the data back."

"Whether or not that makes him a full and complete Vision is left unanswered, but it’s probably safe to say that he still has some growing to do," the co-executive producer teased. "We’ll see what the future holds." She also pointed out that just because he has his memories, that "doesn’t quite make him the same guy" he once was. 

Livanos concluded by pointing out that might explain why he didn't rush to help Wanda. 
 

5. More Of Agatha Harkness' Backstory Was Cut

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The series did a solid job of explaining what role Agatha Harkness played in Westview as "Agnes," though an interview with Jeff Goldsmith saw Schaeffer better explain her reasoning for coming to the town. 

"This is not the definition of her, this is just an artful term that I use, she is kind of like a succubus," the showrunner said. "She travels looking for powerful beings to take from. We had done a lot of ideating of where she's been and what she's been up to and what her journey has been and all that, and that didn't make it into the show because that was the right move."

"But it was helpful for us just to sort of have a bit of a biography for her. But yeah, she came [to Westview], she sniffed it out and had to show up and figure out what was going on."

Another scene or two detailing more of Agatha's past would have been welcomed, but as things stand, she remains a mysterious part of the MCU following WandaVision.
 

4. Doctor Strange's Absence From The Finale Explained

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The rumor mill promised a cameo from Benedict Cumberbatch's Sorcerer Supreme in the WandaVision finale, but it never came to pass (he was, however, mentioned by Agatha Harkness). 

Some have argued that perhaps COVID was to blame for Doctor Strange's absence, but it doesn't sound like it was ever the plan for him to appear. "I mean, that would've been fun I guess," Cumberbatch admitted to Jake's Take"It would've let into [Elizabeth Olsen's] involvement with [Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness] but, ah hell, you know. That's all to come."

Schaeffer reiterated these comments,telling Deadline: "I heart Doctor Strange just like anybody. Yeah, it’s one of those things, that’s how the chips fell, that’s how the cookie crumbled, is what I will say, but I look forward to seeing him on screen with Wanda in Doctor Strange 2."

It sounds like some effort may have been made to make this happen, but WandaVision certainly didn't suffer without Strange, and we may never know what the deal was here.
 

3. Why Dr. Darcy Lewis Just Vanished

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Kate Dennings' Dr. Darcy Lewis proved to be a vital part of WandaVision, but had only a blink and you'd miss it quip in the finale when she stopped Director Hayward in his tracks. 

We know she was once meant to be part of that sequence in Agatha's basement, but why did she leave Westview so quickly?

"I don’t think [Dennings’ absence] had to do with anything COVID-related," Livanos confirms in an interview with TV Line. "We love Darcy as this elusive, wacky character, and I find it particularly delightful that Darcy could pop up anywhere in the universe."

Dennings has already teased wrapping on another Marvel Studios project, so we'll likely see her again before too long.
 

2. Laying The Groundwork For Captain Marvel 2

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WandaVision has two post-credits scenes, and in an ET interview, Livanos talked more about what those mean for the MCU's future (while being careful not too give too many secrets away). 

"It's not Monica's first interaction with a Skrull. Just [Teyonah Parrris's]. It was so cool to see Teyonah interact with her Skrull counterpart, just knowing the crazy Captain Marvel universe that's in store," the co-executive producer teased. "There's just so much more zany that it's going to get, it's fun to think about."

As for the second scene, it sounds like it was about firmly established the Scarlet Witch being part of the MCU's mystic side.

"Lizzie is such a powerful presence that it was just so cool to see her step into that whole magic realm," Livanos adds. "To think about the potential and all that lies ahead for her, it's pretty staggering."
 

1. What About The Beekeeper?

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At the end of WandaVision's second episode, Wanda saw a beekeeper emerge from the sewers, and quickly realise it was a S.W.O.R.D. agent looking to interfere with the perfect reality she had created. 

After uttering an ominous "no," Wanda rewound time, and we never did learn what became of him. 

"It was so fantastic to see the world’s response to the beekeeper," Livanos admits with a laugh while catching up with TV Line. "You know, at the end of the show, Wanda takes down her Hex in order to save the people of Westview from the trauma she was projecting. So hopefully he’s OK. We all hope for the best for him."

So, there you have it, folks - he's safe (somewhere).
 

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dracula
dracula - 3/15/2021, 2:14 AM
Thinking about it.........what is Scarlet Witch's baseline mutant power?

Doctor Strange uses magic as well and he isn't a mutant, so there must be something different.

What makes her a mutant?
DesiSpiderman
DesiSpiderman - 3/15/2021, 2:16 AM
@dracula - I think they’ve established she isn’t a mutant in the MCU. Also I feel like she will be the big bad of doctor strange 2 , but then save the multiverse by the end of the film.
dracula
dracula - 3/15/2021, 2:35 AM
@DesiSpiderman - well its still the same deal in the comics isnt it, she uses magic
TheUnworthyThor
TheUnworthyThor - 3/15/2021, 2:57 AM
@dracula - She’s not a mutant in the comics, she’s not a mutant in the MCU. In the comics she was born with the ability to use witchcraft like other members of her family, including her mother the previous Scarlet Witch. As infants the High Evolutionary experimented on Wanda and Pietro which gave Pietro his speed and made Wanda more powerful than she would have otherwise be. This seems to be in somewhat in line with the MCU now with Agatha saying the Mind Stone unlocked what would have otherwise died on the vine.
regularmovieguy
regularmovieguy - 3/15/2021, 2:23 AM
“it is best to leave things a little bit loose.”

Don’t really care for that honestly. Feel like the better shows aren’t afraid to write themselves into a corner.
Fares
Fares - 3/15/2021, 2:39 AM
@regularmovieguy - Well to be fair, other shows have forseeable definitive endings, and a singular creative team. The MCU doesn't have that luxury. In a way that was the biggest mistake of the Star Wars sequels.
newhire13
newhire13 - 3/15/2021, 7:25 AM
@regularmovieguy - Naw, they have to think long term in the MCU because it’s an on going story with no foreseeable end. It’s way better if they don’t write themselves into a corner by limiting story options.
JFerguson
JFerguson - 3/15/2021, 2:32 AM
Part of the mind stone still exists in Wanda. This line will come to fruition one way or another. Unintentional, but AOU tends to be
Fares
Fares - 3/15/2021, 2:40 AM
I just hope that they actualy deliver on the prophecy, and in a serious way. Don't play it for laughs or fake tension. I want The Scaret Witch to be an Avengers-level threat someday.
MadThanos
MadThanos - 3/15/2021, 2:42 AM
So, if she doesn't know who Mephisto is she didn't read the comics...
Ahhh
Ahhh - 3/15/2021, 4:14 AM
@MadThanos - Or Mephisto isn't in, the most famous scarlet witch stories, you shrivled napkin.
CLTMAN29
CLTMAN29 - 3/15/2021, 2:44 AM
I would have liked a clear answer of Pietro’s powers. If Wanda always had ‘witch craft’ locked away in her for some reason that’s never actually explored - then as her twin, did he always have speed that was ‘unlocked?’ It was all very vague and the weakest part of the show.
DoctorDoom616
DoctorDoom616 - 3/15/2021, 2:54 AM
@CLTMAN29 - I thought the same thing, but I think they are simply leaving the door open for Wanda and Pietro to be mutants after the X-Men reboot.
OmegaDaGrodd
OmegaDaGrodd - 3/15/2021, 3:37 AM
I'm really hoping they keep Jac Schaeffer around. She knows the ecosystem and infrastructure of the MCU and her ability to leverage cohesion to her advantage while writing good stories is something this franchise will always need as it keeps getting bigger
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