WandaVision’s magical finale features surprise link to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Runaways

That's all, folks! WandaVision wrapped up with its ninth episode ("The Series Finale") today and while a bunch of our rampant fan theories turned out to be wrong, the finale still gave us plenty of magical tidbits to chew on.

***WARNING! The following contains major plot spoilers for the season series finale of WandaVision!***

Take, for instance, the Darkhold — a notable grimoire of black magic from the comics, whose iteration within the Marvel Cinematic Universe foretells the end of the world at the hands of the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). It also states that the Scarlet Witch holds more power than the Sorcerer Supreme, a mantle currently held by Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). 

If the term "Darkhold" sounds familiar, that's because the artifact has already appeared and/or been mentioned in two previous Marvel series: Agents of S.H.I.E.LD. (where it served as a key plot point for an entire season, including Ghost Rider's arc) and Hulu's Runaways (where it was used by Morgan le Fey in the final season). Robbie Reyes' Ghost Rider took it to Hell, but it apparently found its way back and into the clutches of Agatha. 

Despite the fact that neither S.H.I.E.L.D. or Runaways are firmly rooted within the larger MCU, especially now that all TV content is under Kevin Feige's direct supervision, the inclusion of the Darkhold in WandaVision still represents a fun Easter egg and light connective tissue from those shows that doesn't come with a ton of baggage.  

Sure, the book looked a bit different on those other shows, but hey, that's what transmutative texts are wont to do, right? 

The only real problem here is that it's going to be a full year until we see Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) — now officially the Scarlet Witch — again in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which portals into theaters everywhere next March. During a Tonight Show appearance earlier this week, Olsen teased that WandaVision is "a complete tee-up for" Scarlet Witch's role in the Doctor Strange sequel, which is currently shooting in London with Sam Raimi at the helm. Since we know that A) Wanda is the Nexus of All Realities and B) is more powerful than Strange, it stands to reason that she isn't done causing trouble. 

Based on the finale's post-credits scene, it looks like Wanda is using her Bruce Banner-like exile to study the Darkhold and hone her abilities in an effort to bring back Tommy and Billy. Will she open up the multiverse to find them? Will we eventually learn that the two boys were actually two pieces of Mephisto, as they are in the comics? Will the Darkhold corrupt her like it has so many before?

Audience members are understandably eager for the next chapter of Wanda's storyline, and were not afraid to voice their impatience (and yes, theories) on Twitter after taking in the finale.

Let's not forget that before the COVID-19 pandemic, Multiverse of Madness was originally set to open this May. If only we had the Time Stone to speed things up...

All nine episodes of WandaVision are now streaming on Disney+. You can learn more about how the series was made next Friday (March 12) in the first episode of Marvel Studios' Assembled. The next MCU show — The Falcon and the Winter Soldier — premieres on Disney+ Friday, March 19.

*Additional reporting by Trent Moore.