Wrapping up on Friday, Disney+’s WandaVision officially ushered in both Marvel Studios’ television division and Phase Four of the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe. While Friday’s “Series Finale” mostly served to conclude the stories and character arcs at the center of The Westview Anomaly, two post-credits scenes provided a fleeting glance into Marvel’s future beyond of the Hex. The first of the two scenes focused on the future of S.W.O.R.D. agent turned superhuman Monica Rambeau, played by Teyonah Parris (Dear White People, If Beale Street Could Talk).
Throughout its nine-episode run on Disney+, WandaVision has proven week-to-week that Marvel fans feed on rabid speculation and theorizing. In fact, IndieWire ran a story leading up to the series finale claiming that “it’s nearly impossible for a fan theory-driven television series to satisfy all viewers,” after director Matt Shakman (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Good Wife) expressed concerns that the finale might disappoint fans deep in the thralls of speculation.
Despite being burned by certain fan theories in WandaVision, fans have re-concentrated a similar energy onto the finale’s mid and post credits scenes. In-depth analysis has been brought to both short scenes by Marvel comic readers and MCU fans online.
The following will explore the speculation surrounding the series mid-credits scene. However, unlike previous episodes, fans who stuck around to the very end of Friday’s episode also received a post-credits scene which evoked it’s own bevy of speculation.
Parris, one of WandaVision’s break-out stars, received her comic book powers in the show’s seventh episode but was sidelined a penultimate episode that focused solely on Wanda’s past. This made Parris’ Monica Rambeau one of the characters to watch in the finale, with many feeling as though she was not given as much screen time as she deserved. Nerdist bluntly stated that the show “wast[ed] Monica Rambeau in the final episode of WandaVision.”
However fans felt about Rambeau’s role in WandaVision’s “Series Finale”, they were assured, in the first mid-credits scene, that her role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe would continue to grow beyond the show. As an FBI agent escorted Rambeau into Westview’s Coronet theater, the newly-powered character has a brief exchange with Randall Park’s (Fresh Off the Boat, Always Be My Maybe) Agent Jimmy Woo which likewise alluded to an elevated role for the sidekick in the franchise’s future. This will come as welcomed news to WandaVision fans, who enjoyed Park’s role in the series so much that they practically demanded buddy-cop spin-off starring the actor and Kat Dennings (Two Broke Girls, Thor), who reprised her role as Darcy Lewis in the series.
As Woo took point coordinating the post-Hex aftermath on the streets of Westview, Rambeau and Josh Stamber’s (The Affair, Parenthood) Tyler Hayward were both escorted to opposing fates. While Hayward’s apprehension means that he may reemerge at a later point in the MCU, for the time being he will likely be held in S.W.O.R.D. custody for his villainous actions throughout WandaVision that culminated in him firing his weapon at Wanda’s twin sons, Tommy and Billy. Unlike Hayward, Rambeau’s future in the franchise is much less limited and has left room for plenty of speculation.
The FBI agent seeking an audience with Rambeau reveals herself to be a skrull once the two are alone. This makes WandaVision the second consecutive Marvel property to include the shape-shifting alien race in its end credits, as Captain Marvel characters Talos and Soren made an appearance in Spider-Man: Far From Home’s end credits. Nerdist mentions the possibility that the unnamed skrull from WandaVision’s finale may even be Talos and Soren’s daughter, which would mean she and Monica had once met as children in Captain Marvel.
Whether the skrull from WandaVision‘s finale is Talos and Soren’s daughter or not, she has an important request for Monica Rambeau in episode nine’s mid-credits scene. The skrull messenger reports that an old friend of Monica’s mother, late S.W.O.R.D. founder Maria Rambeau, needs her help. “While Nick Fury’s name isn’t specifically mentioned, it’s made crystal clear that is who the Skrull agent is referring to,” Comicbook extrapolated from the mid-credits conversation.
Though Nerdist agrees that Fury is the likely culprit, they’re compelled to mention the possibility that Talos or, conversely, an unfriendly faction of skrulls could be behind the request. While Secret Invasion, storyline involving the skrulls plot to take over Earth, is getting adapted at Disney+ as an instrumental part of Marvel’s Phase 4, Captain Marvel has distorted expectations of what that series may look like. “This series will likely play much differently than the comics,” Comicbook comments on Secret Invasion “seeing as how the Skrulls aren’t villains in the MCU, but they’ll definitely be involved.”
However, it’s possible that, while Talos’ faction of skrulls remain allies, a more villainous faction of skrulls still exist in Marvel’s vast universe. Nerdist suggests that WandaVision’s post-credits could be setting up this faction, meaning that the skrull who approached Rambeau in WandaVision‘s finale may be attempting to lure the hero off planet, leaving Earth more vulnerable.
At the moment, the initial theory that Fury is the one summoning Rambeau to the space station glimpsed at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, is the most prevailing. In fact, since the events of WandaVision occur prior to Spider-Man: Far from Home in the established MCU timeline, it’s possible that Fury had already begun working with Rambeau by the time that film’s end credit scene occurs, via Nerdist.
Nerdist mentions that “there’s comic book precedence for [Rambeau] having alien adventures,” making her journey to space an inevitable aspect of her character arc in the MCU. Placing Rambeau in space also sets her up to play a role in Captain Marvel 2, especially considering that her contentious relationship with the Brie Larson (Avengers: End Game, Room) played hero has been alluded to in WandaVision.
“Monica getting her powers and heading into Carol’s interstellar territory is a pretty good indication of a conflict between the two of them,” Comicbook says of Rambeau’s likely role in Captain Marvel 2. Though the site ultimately posits that Rambeau’s newfound powers will usher her into role as begrudging mentee and eventual ally, Nerdist speculates an entirely different role for Rambeau in the upcoming Phase 4 film.
Since recently cast Ms. Marvel star, Iman Vellani, has been slated to play her character Kamala Khan in the upcoming Captain Marvel sequel, Nerdist speculates that she and Rambeau may be called upon to stop an out-of-hand Carol Danvers. “Now that Monica has been set up as very powerful hero, she would be the logical pick for a rescue mission or if someone needed to take Captain Marvel down,” Nerdist concludes.
WandaVision’s mid-credits scene certainly welcomed speculation as to which projects fans can hope to see Monica Rambeau make an appearance in the franchise’s future. Only getting a glimpse of her powers in the show’s finale, Marvel fans are certainly hungry for more. At the very least, “we can assume she’s going to play a big part in Secret Invasion” (Nerdist).
Future appearances from Rambeau in the MCU may also quell one of WandaVision’s most prevailing mysteries: the identity of the aerospace engineer. After an off-hand comment from Rambeau about an aerospace engineer friend of hers stirred speculation that The Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards would soon make his debut in the MCU, fans were left in the lurch when Rambeau’s engineer was never seen. While it’s possible that this line, from episode six of WandaVision, was a red herring or completely innocuous, some fans still hold out hope that this character will be introduced later on in Marvel’s Phase 4.
Please stand by for deep dive into WandaVision’s post-credits scene.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat