Many were left somewhat baffled by the trailer for WandaVision, the first new of a group of new television shows coming to Disney Plus in late 2020 that focuses on specific characters from the Marvel roster.
The trailer has left more questions than answers, no less why these two staples of Marvel’s Avengers are living in what appears to be an alternate reality.
Paul Bettany’s Vision was tragically defeated at the end of Avengers: Infinity War when Thanos ripped the Soul stone from his head; and whilst all those heroes who were blipped returned in Avengers: Endgame, the cyborg first introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron was absent.
Whilst watching the trailer, another question that came to mind is who will WandaVision’s main ‘villain’ be.
In an alternative theory, I’d like to put it to you that the person behind this new series is Mojo.
A large, disgusting creature from a planet named after himself, Mojo is based off media theorists who in the 1980s were commenting on the negative effects television would have.
The character will be familiar from the 90s X-Men cartoon, during which he appeared in two episodes wherein the X-Men were captured and forced to participate in his television show.
From there, he also appeared in Wolverine and the X-Men and in Avengers Assemble.
But why this green villain?
In this article, we’re going to present five reasons why Mojo could be the villain behind WandaVision.
1. The television frame fits with Mojo’s character
Credit: Marvel Studios
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For starters, the character is obsessed with TV ratings and his power grows the more viewers that tune in – hence WandaVision’s apparent premise and frame, that the two exist in a cliched sitcom, would fit within Mojo’s impetus to put on good television shows.
The latest trailer suggests the show not only begins as a pastiche of 1950s suburban sitcoms but also that it will move through into later generations and styles of television (we see a hint of 1980s leg-warmers).
Who better to be the mastermind behind all these visual changes?
The character’s hyperbolic nature would need to be toned down a little bit for a live show, but whilst these environmental changes can be presented as Wanda’s own power it would make an amazing twist is someone else was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
2. The character has been presented as a ‘normal’ person before
Credit: Marvel Comics
Read more: WandaVision Could Be Extended Beyond Six Episodes On Disney Plus
With the above point in mind, frankly, Mojo need not even appear in his ‘true’ form.
During Brian K. Vaughan’s run as writer of the Ultimate X-Men series, the character was presented as an obese albino television producer named Mojo Adams.
If it’s too soon for Mojo to be presented in his comic-book form, then this history of adapting the character for the real world provides a model for how the figure might appear.
3. If these characters exist in Mojo’s world, then it would explain their amnesia and their separation from the rest of the MCU
Credit: Marvel Studios
It seems that the majority of people are expecting that WandaVision in some form is anticipating the ‘House of M’ storyline in which Wanda experiences a nervous breakdown.
Because of this, she utters the phrase ‘no more mutants’, which decimated the X-Men character roster.
But, of course, the X-Men are not yet in the MCU and such a wide-spread move would seem at odds with the smaller scale of the TV show.
It also, to me, would seem a bit much to have another cataclysmic event following so closely on the heels of Thanos’ snap.
Therefore, what if Wanda and Vision’s inability to remember their past, in the dinner table scene in the trailer is the result of Mojo’s capturing the former and creating this world for her to exist in?
It would also explain both why other Avengers are not immediately present and why SWORD (the replacement for SHIELD), who would be looking for Wanda, are seen in the trailer.
4. Other characters in the trailer might help build Mojo’s world
Credit: Marvel Studios
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Other characters might give a hint that this could be Mojo’s world.
Kathryn Hand’s Nosy Neighbour is thought to be Agatha Harkness, a somewhat mentor to Wanda during the comics who was responsible in part of the catastrophic ‘House of M’ storyline.
Yet, an alternative character Hand might aptly play during the show is Spiral, Mojo’s lieutenant.
Spiral has mystical powers that are broadly in-keeping with the aesthetic of Wanda’s powers.
There’s an uncanny sense in the trailer that Hahn’s character knows what’s happening, and who better than Spiral to know and be a part of her master’s plan.
If Hahn is Spiral, then Wanda and Vision’s enemy is hiding in plain sight – doubtless, the show overall will reward repeat viewings to see how the writers have set up each narrative turn.
As another brief aside, also in the trailer is Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, who was first seen in Captain Marvel (2019) as a younger girl played by Akira Akbar.
The violence with which Rambeau is pulled through the non-descript portal implies something inter-dimensional is happening in WandaVision – and who better to be inserting characters into this bizarre timeline than the corpulent producer?
5. It could set up Wanda’s next appearance in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness
Credit: Marvel
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Finally, Wanda will be joining the Dr Strange in the sequel to the first Doctor Strange film from 2016.
Whilst Mojo is now a long-term X-Men villain, he was supposed to be an enemy of the Sorcerer Supreme: Ann Nocentri created him in the 1980s and set him up against Strange during her Longshot miniseries.
When Nocentri began work on New Mutants, however, Mojo was included as an enemy of the X-Men.
Including Mojo in WandaVision, then, would offer a surprising but apt connection to the forthcoming Strange movie that would also pay homage to the origins of the character.
Is Mojo the villain of WandaVision? Will it all tie in?
Tune in next week (or, y’know, when the show is available on Disney Plus) to find out more!
What did you make of our WandaVision villain theory?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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