Episode 8 of WandaVision revealed the truth about “Fake Pietro”, giving it a suitable nickname and a logical, though disappointing, explanation.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for WandaVision Episode 8, “Previously On,” streaming now on Disney +.
WandaVision caught the public off guard when he introduced Fox X-Men actor Evan Peters as “Pietro Maximoff”, leading many to wonder if this was a sign of a merger of universes that would bring Fox mutants roaring into the Marvel Cinematic Universe . Others speculated that he was secretly Mephisto in disguise, having come to Westview to incite Wanda in search of information about how she created the reality of the Westview sitcom. Last week, however, WandaVision revealed that “Pietro” is actually being controlled by Agatha Harkness, a witch who is masquerading as Wanda’s nosy neighbor, Agnes.
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Episode 8 of WandaVision, “Previously On” expanded that, with Agatha giving Peters’ “Fake Pietro” a simple but appropriate nickname – “Fietro, if you want” – and confirming that he was his ears and eyes, so he was asking Wanda all those questions about the reality of the sitcom. Agatha also revealed that she was controlling this imposter through “crystalline possession”, before continuing to explain why she did not resurrect Pietro from the MCU. “The necromancy didn’t work, since his real brother’s body is on another continent – not to mention, full of holes,” as Agatha (coldly, but honestly) told Wanda. “But you are so crippled with all your doubts that you believed it.”
While this can be a disappointing explanation for those waiting for confirmation, Peter is reprising his role as Mercury in Fox’s X-Men universe in WandaVision, is a more logical answer to the “Fietro” puzzle. It is also in line with the program’s postmodern approach so far. As it is increasingly clear, WandaVision it has everything to do with trolling your audience and subverting your expectations, deconstructing everything that came in the MCU before, just as the characters in the series are constantly questioning what they perceive as reality. In that sense, Peters’ metacampus as “Fietro” did exactly what it was supposed to do: confuse viewers and make it more difficult for them to find out whether he really is Mercury from another universe or not.
At the same time, this may be only a partial answer to the question of who is really “Fietro” WandaVision. Agatha seems to indicate that she cannot use her magic to create people out of nothing, suggesting that “Fietro” existed before she brought him to Westview. Its super speed is also not explained, although it can be assumed that it is a superpower that Agatha temporarily granted him. Still, given the way WandaVision likes to joke with his audience, it’s hard not to wonder if the series is reserving another twist for its ending and will soon reveal that “Fietro” is actually a version of Quicksilver that Agatha brought to the MCU from another universe – be it from Fox X-Men Movies or not.
Alternatively, “Fietro” could end up being Agatha’s son, Nicholas Scratch. Created by George Perez and Len Wein in 1977 The fantastic four # 185, Nicholas is a skilled user of magic in his own right and has formed alliances with Dormammu and Mephisto in the Marvel Comics universe. With WandaVision having opened the door to more black magic in the MCU, now can be as good a time as any to bring a character like Nicholas into the fold. It would also be a smart carpet pull for longtime Marvel readers, in light of how radically different “Fietro” is from Agatha’s son in the comics.
Whether he’s Nicholas, Quicksilver from the alternate universe, or just some unsuspecting MCU citizen who was pulled into Agatha’s schemes, “Fietro” remains a partially solved puzzle that needs to be completed towards WandaVision Final.
Written by Jac Schaeffer and directed by Matt Shakman, WandaVision stars Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch, Paul Bettany as Vision, Randall Park as agent Jimmy Woo, Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau and Kathryn Hahn like Agnes. New episodes air on Fridays at Disney +.
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