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WandaVision’s head writer discusses huge plot twist and recasting in latest episode

Article contains spoilers for WandaVision episode five

Annabel Nugent
Tuesday 09 February 2021 08:31 EST
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WandaVision audio description name-checks X-Men films

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*WandaVision spoilers ahead*

WandaVision’s head writer has described what a “thrill” it was bringing a surprise character into the series. 

The latest episode of the Disney Plus show concluded with a plot twist that shocked viewers, and one that may have vast consequences for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Episode five ended with Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) opening the door to find her brother Pietro Maximoff aka Quicksilver.

Quicksilver's appearance in the series is a major plot twist considering that the character had died during the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).

(Marvel Studios)

Jac Schaeffer, the show's head writer, discussed the character’s return in a recent interview with Marvel.com.

He said: “We loved the idea [of bringing him back]. And then we were like, ‘How in the world are we going to make this make logical sense? Like how do we justify this?’

“Because that’s the thing: You can hatch a million great ideas, but to make them land, to make them be grounded, to make them feel organic to the larger story [is more difficult].”

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Doubly surprising to viewers is the fact that WandaVision’s Quicksilver is portrayed by Evan Peters, who is reprising his role from 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past – and not by Aaron Taylor-Johnson who most recently played the superhero in Age of Ultron.  

Schaeffer explained: “This show is such a mind scramble and because it’s working on so many levels, and there’s so many notions of what’s real and what’s not [...] we just thought it would be the biggest thrill to bring Evan [Peters] over to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.” 

“We were rooting for it for so long and didn’t know if it was possible,” he added. “It was complicated to make it happen. Evan was always up for it, like always, always, always. 

RELATED: WandaVision fan spots 'amazing' detail about how each episode ends

“He is a comic book fan, and a Marvel fan. He is always up for the absolute weirdest option. And he’s a pleasure – truly a pleasure to work with.” 

The writer added that the Marvel team had wanted to give Peters a “crazy” entrance and so decided to play on the sitcom trope of when “the brother, or the relative, or whoever comes to town and like, stirs things up with the family".

Quicksilver’s return may, in fact, be the MCU establishing a multiverse concept but the reasons and repercussions for his surprise reintroduction remain to be seen. 

Last month, Paul Bettany – who stars opposite Olsen as Vision on the hit series – teased a secret cast addition who would “surprise everybody”. It is likely that Peters may be who Bettany was referring to. 

WandaVision airs new episodes on Fridays on Disney Plus.

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