WandaVision: What’s hidden in plain sight in Episode 4
By Mike McNulty
Who’s who is Westview?
Darcy and Woo’s binge-watching also allowed them to compile the true identities of Westview’s citizens, with “Mr. and Mrs Hart” being Todd Davis and Sharon Davis, both of which themselves Marvel related Easter Eggs (Todd Davis was the name of an actor in Iron Man 2, and Sharon Davis is WandaVision‘s art director). Or at least some of them.
Noticeably absent on their investigation board are “Dottie” (Emma Caulfield-Ford), “Doctor Nielsen” (Randy Oglesby), and “Dennis the Mailman” (Amos Glick). Then again, they started identifying “cast members” from the first episode, so it’s possible they didn’t yet get around to placing their real name to their faces just yet. Then again, they haven’t identified the “actors” in the commercials yet, or even paid any attention to them. Guess even in the MCU, people tune out TV ads.
But if look closely, there was one resident of Westview who remained unidentified and, unlike the rest of the “cast,” didn’t have a driver’s license: Wanda and Vision’s nosy neighbor Agnes (Kathryn Hahn). We’ve already seen in episode 3 that Agnes knows way more about what’s really happening in Westview than she’s letting on. As of now, the popular theory is that Agnes is, in reality, Agatha Harkness, a centuries-old witch from Salem, Massachusetts who, in the comics, taught Wanda how to control her “chaos magic.” She’s also the mother of one Fantastic Four villain and warlock, Nicolas Scratch; Agnes’ pet rabbit is named “Señor Scratchy.” And Agatha, in the comics, wears a distinctive broach, just like Agnes does.
Which brings us to Agnes’ mysteriously absent husband, Ralph. Could Ralph be the missing FBI witness Jimmy was sent to Westview to find? How about Eric Williams, a.k.a. the Grim Reaper, the super villain hinted at in episode 2 of WandaVision’s opening credits? Or, if Agnes is actually Agatha Harkness, could “Ralph” be the literal devil himself, Mephisto? After all, Agnes did say her wedding anniversary fell on June 2nd, which is also the anniversary for the start of the infamous Salem Witch Trials.