We learn in WandaVision Episode 4 how Monica Rambeau, Jimmy Woo, and Darcy Lewis came into the situation…
This week’s episode of WandaVision was certainly… different. We see Monica return after she was snapped away meaning she was a victim of Thanos’ snap. However her mother, Maria was not and we learn three years prior to her return, she [Maria] had died of cancer.
Maria’s death wasn’t too surprising as there wasn’t much more story for her outside of her appearance in Captain Marvel. Monica was was the first female Captain Marvel in the comics, long before Carol Danvers – who is her godmother in the MCU – was.
We even get Darcy Lewis and Jimmy Woo making proper appearances. There have been hints of them appearing with Darcy’s arm being seen at the end of the first episode and Woo’s voice been heard in the second. Monica appears in the sophomore ep as well but going under the name ‘Geraldine’.
While this episode might not be the strongest of WandaVision thus far, it does give us insight into how the FBI and S.W.O.R.D. became aware of the situation.
What We Learned About Monica
In the first few minutes of the episode, we learn what Monica was doing prior to her being a victim of Thanos’ snap. She had been sitting in her mother’s hospital room waiting for the discharge papers when she got snapped away.
We learn that she is ‘Captain’ Monica Rambeau when working with S.W.O.R.D. Just a side note on this. This might be a nod to her being the first female Captain Marvel in the comics. It is also the rank Maria held when she was a pilot, serving alongside Carol.
When Acting Director Tyler Hayward was talking to Monica, he told her that she was grounded, which surprised her. When she questioned this, he explained that Maria put in place protocols to… protect her which means she could only have access to certain missions.
Maria Left Behind A Legacy That Isn’t Just Her Daughter
We learn very quickly that Maria left behind a legacy that wasn’t just her daughter. She was the founder of S.W.O.R.D. which was teased in the post-credit scene of Spider-Man Far From Home. However, it appears it was the elder Rambeau that found the successor to S.H.I.E.L.D and not Nick Fury.
This hasn’t been bought up and whether it will is unclear. We think it won’t be due to the story within WandaVision only giving so much wriggle room to how S.W.O.R.D. came to be
Acting Director Hayward shared with Monica that Maria knew she would come back. Unfortunately, she didn’t live to see it.
Westview Is Actually… Not A Real Place?
One of the most baffling questions we’ve had is whether the town of Westview is an actual place in the MCU. We got two answer to this in this week’s episode. When Monica journeys out to New Jersey, she meets FBI agent Jimmy Woo. He confirms to her that they do in fact have a missing person but when was told the local residents had never heard of this individual.
It’s also established by the sheriff of a neighbouring town Woo speaks to that Westview is actually not real. It just appears and no one can explain how. When Monica is thrown out the reality Wanda has created, she tells the FBI agent and Darcy that it’s Maximoff creating the world and not an outside force.
Speaking of forces, we learn how Monica got trapped in Wanda’s fake reality. She touched the force field and it pulled her in. This is why Darcy was bought in given she is an astrophysicist which is a massive upgrade from majoring in political science.
Darcy And Woo Bond… Over Sitcoms
In their quest to find Monica, Darcy and Woo find themselves bonding over the sitcom reality Wanda has created with her dead android boyfriend. As adorable as this was to watch, they came to the realise that someone was censoring the broadcast. Various parts were either removed or fast-forwarded.
We know that this person is Wanda because Monica says that the Avenger was controlling the reality. It also surprises Darcy and Woo when Maria Rambeau’s daughter references Ultron after the birth of Tommy and Billy.
Before this happens, Woo makes reference to the fact that Wanda and Vision were both Avengers. To add to this, Darcy says that the Synthezoid is meant to be dead, a reference to his death at the hands of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War.
Wanda’s Happiness Begins To Shift Into Darkness
We don’t see much new footage of Wanda and Vision this time around but we get a look at moments that weren’t viewed during the last two episodes. We’re going to break some of these down and explain what we think it means going forward.
Wanda Questions Monica/Geraldine
We see Wanda further question Monica about how she knows about Ultron. While Pietro wasn’t mentioned in this episode, the questioning is a continuation of that scene from last time.
A moment we also see that we didn’t last time was what Wanda actually did to Monica prior to Vision re-entering the house. She threw her through two walls and a fence before she ended up through the force field in which she got sucked into.
The “Beekeeper”
One figure that Wanda tries to erase in the second episode after finding out she’s pregnant is the man in the beekeeper suit. Well, this was given a bit of an expansion this time and we discover he’s nothing more than a man in a hazmat suit. So much for thinking he might have something to do with A.I.M.
Wanda’s Powers Return To Their Red Glow
After Wanda throw Monica out of her created reality, she repairs the house with her powers. The familiar glow is back to what it was. It appears she is beginning to snap back to real life for a few moments during this. She didn’t want to alarm Vision of the massive hole in their wall.
Dead Vision
We’ve known for a while – since the end of Avengers Infinity War – that Vision died twice. Once by Wanda’s hand (his consensual death) and then again at Thanos’ (non-consensual).
After Wanda expels Monica, she turns to see her husband walk in looking like he did when Thanos ripped the Mind Stone from his forehead. This horrifies her but when she turns back to him, he’s back to looking normal. This has to be something that is telling her that her sitcom fantasy isn’t real and the love of her life is dead in reality.
Monica And Her Journey Going Forward
There’s a lot Marvel Studios could do with Monica after WandaVision. We know she has a future in the MCU because she will be appearing in Captain Marvel 2 alongside Carol. Another character she will join is Kamala Khan who has her own series coming soon as Ms Marvel.
Given what her appearance in WandaVision has shown thus far, Monica could become the new director of S.W.O.R.D. After all, her mother is the founder. There might even be a bonding moment between her and Carol as they grieve Maria.
