‘Wandavision’: All the references you missed while watching the premiere
Wandavision debuted last Friday on Disney+ with a two-episode premiere. The premiere saw the MCU getting experimental by recreating a 1950s sitcom atmosphere infused with a superhero atmosphere. Of course, like most content in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), it’s full of references that are either in your face or hard to find.
Whether you’re a Marvel fan and understood most of the references or if you’re more of a casual fan, it’s hard to catch everything. Here are all of the references you may have missed during the Wandavision premiere.
Stark Industries Toaster
In the first episode of Wandavision, there’s a fake commercial to truly add to the sitcom atmosphere. The commercial is for the Toast Mate 2000, a new toaster developed by Stark industries, an obvious reference to Tony Stark & his family’s business. The commercial seems normal until there is a long pause where the toaster makes a beeping noise that sounds like a bomb going off.
This could be a reference to Wanda’s origins story as she explains in Avengers: Age of Ultron that her parents were killed by bombs developed by Stark industries. This led to a hatred of Stark for both her & her brother, Pietro (Quicksilver).
Sokovia
In the dinner with Vision’s boss and his wife, Wanda tries to surprise his boss with a hands-over-the-eyes gimmick, confusing him for Vision. Vision explains this away by saying that it’s a way of greeting unique to Sokovia, Wanda’s home country. Sokovia is also the location of the climactic battle in Avengers: Age of Ultron. This is another reference to Wanda’s past & a location that MCU fanatics are familiar with.
S.W.O.R.D
S.W.O.R.D may not be an organization MCU fans are familiar with, but Marvel comics fans may know. At the end of the first episode, when we see that someone is monitoring Wanda & Vision, there’s a notebook with the logo for S.W.O.R.D. This organization stands for the Sentient Weapon Observation Response Division and keeps an eye on threats to Earth that may have extraterrestrial origins.
S.W.O.R.D could become a key player later in the series, especially since Monica Rambeau, a S.W.O.R.D agent, is rumored to be in the series. The actress who has been cast as Rambeau, Teyonah Parris, appears in the second episode, but her identity as of now is unknown.
Strucker watch
In the second episode, the commercial is for Strucker watch. The name “Strucker” will ring a bell as he has a presence in the MCU and in Wanda’s past. In the mid-credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, we see Baron Von Strucker using Loki’s scepter to experiment on Wanda & Pietro. It’s also the introduction of Wanda & her brother into the MCU.
Strucker has ties to Hydra, which is why the Hydra logo can be seen on the watch. We still don’t know why Stark & Strucker, two names of people associated with Wanda’s past trauma, are being mentioned so we can only wonder what’s happening right now.
Bova milk
Wandavision’s tribute to classic sitcoms is a nice trip down memory lane, including the Bewitched-style animated intro in the second episode. At one point during the intro, Wanda appears in a grocery store, which contains an ad for Bova milk in the background. In the comics, Bova is a sentient cow and the midwife that helped deliver Wanda and her brother when they were born.
The Beekeeper
The strangest moment in the first two episodes involves someone in a beekeeper outfit who’s surrounded by bees crawling out of the sewer. The identity of this person is unknown, but they’re bearing the S.W.O.R.D logo on their suit. Wanda appears to be aware of who or what this may be, which is why she reverses time.
However, while the S.W.O.R.D logo is there, this could be a reference to another organization in the comics called A.I.M (Advanced Idea Mechanics). In Marvel comics, A.I.M is a group of scientists who work to overthrow governments around the world. Their suits, in the comics, look like beekeeper outfits and the organization was founded by Baron Von Strucker.
There are still tons of questions that need to be answered from the first two episodes of Wandavision, but these could be clues to what exactly is going on. We just don’t know what to expect. What do you think will happen? Let us know in the comments!
