WandaVision doesn’t look like anything else in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Sure, the weekly series, which debuted on Disney+ on 15 January, focuses on Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany), two major players from the MCU.
But instead of an action-packed face-off against invading alien armies, the show appears to be a family sitcom that finds the duo living in domestic bliss through different eras of television history. The first episode was even shot in black and white and filmed in front of a studio audience. Yet it also nods to Marvel’s present, with a surprising number of Marvel characters slated to appear. (See below for the full rundown.)
Which is all to say: WandaVision is the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most unpredictable addition to date. If you need a refresher on how all these characters fold into the story, here are a few titles to catch up with, all available to stream with a Disney+ subscription.
Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame
Wanda Maximoff and her reality-bending powers play an integral role in Thanos’ downfall in Endgame. The apparent incongruity of WandaVision – MCU characters suddenly dropped into a classic sitcom world – could possibly be explained by Wanda’s considerable telekinetic powers, but we really have no idea.
Captain Marvel
Monica Rambeau was just a child in Captain Marvel, where she was introduced as the daughter of Carol Danvers’ best friend, Maria. But in WandaVision, Rambeau is all grown up (and played by Teyonah Parris).
Thor
The political science intern Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) first appeared as an assistant to Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) in the first Thor film way back in 2011. But how she ends up in this decidedly non-Asgardian corner of the MCU is a mystery.
Ant-Man and the Wasp
The straight-laced FBI agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) spends much of Ant-Man and the Wasp trying (and failing) to keep Paul Rudd’s tiny hero under control. His involvement in WandaVision is as mysterious as Darcy’s. How do all these seemingly disconnected strings converge on the set of a black-and-white sitcom? Tune in to find out!