WandaVision: What’s hidden in plain sight in Episodes 1 and 2

The Beekeeper

By far, the creepiest moment from the two-episode premiere is the appearance of a sinister-looking man in a beekeeper suit, who crawls out the sewers and is surrounded by a swarm of bees. Pretty easy to jump to the conclusion that this could be the Marvel villain, Swarm, a Nazi mad scientist whose consciousness became transferred into a swarm of killer bees. But this also could be a subtle reference to the shock troopers of the evil Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.) who are jokingly called “beekeepers.”

However, the back of the beekeepers’ suit has a very distinctive logo. It’s the logo of S.W.O.R.D. (Sentient World Observation and Response Department), an offshoot of S.H.I.E.L.D. created to deal with interstellar and extra-terrestrial threats. It’s also not the first time the S.W.O.R.D logo appears in episode 2, either, as the emblem is also on the toy helicopter. So maybe this beekeeper is actually a S.W.O.R.D agent attempting to break-in and investigate WandaVision’s sitcom-inspired fantasy world.

But there’s also another possible reference in Marvel Comics that may reveal the identity of this beekeeper. According to a friend of mine, it was also a disguise used by…

The Main Villain?

In a clear nod to such 1960s sitcoms like Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, and My Favorite Martian, WandaVision’s second episode opens with an animated credits sequence. But buried within the seemingly cute television nostalgia, there’s a mysterious helmet with four L-shaped protrusions. It just so happens to belong to a notable Avengers villain, The Grim Reaper. And he just so happens to have a real mad-on for the Vision, at least in the comics.

First appearing in Avengers #52, Eric Williams was the gangster brother of one Simon Williams, another Avenger known as Wonder Man. In a villainous twist on “Am I my brother’s keeper,” Eric blamed the Avengers for Simon’s supposed death, arming himself with a cybernetic “techno-scythe.” He became even more focused on getting revenge once he learned that the Vision’s original brain-patterns had been copied directly from Simon’s. Over the years, Grim Reaper had died and come back to life multiple times, and even gained magic powers, which included, but wasn’t limited to, animating zombies.

Considering how the MCU Vision has a different origin to the Marvel Comics’ Vision, it’s unclear why the MCU’s Grim Reaper – if he’s really involved – would be after Vision and Wanda. But we still have seven more episodes to figure this out. Guess we’ll have to tune in next time, won’t we?

Did you spot any other Easter Eggs in WandaVision? Let us know in the comments below!