WandaVision timeline: How does the series fit into the Marvel universe?
Here’s how the new Disney+ series ties into Avengers Endgame and other upcoming Marvel releases.
New Disney+ series WandaVision looks set to be a real head-scratcher, with all sorts of strange goings-on and creepy mysteries set to be a part of Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany’s new Marvel project.
So far, we don’t know why Wanda and Vision are stuck in a weird sitcom world or what they’ll do when they get out – but what we can do is nail down exactly when this story takes place in the wider Marvel universe, despite the slightly decade-hopping style of its comedy pastiches. (For more on how to watch the original films, check out our Marvel movies in order page.)
Let's start with the simplest question of all.
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Is WandaVision set after Avengers: Endgame?
Let’s not beat around the bush here… yes, it is. Despite the presence of Paul Bettany’s android hero Vision (who was killed in 2018 film Avengers: Infinity War), WandavIsion has been confirmed to take place after 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.
In other words, the Wanda we’re seeing in WandaVision has already taken on Thanos twice and had to deal with her grief over Vision’s death, and was last seen comforting Clint (Jeremy Renner) at Tony Stark’s funeral.
What she’s been up to in the meantime is a mystery… as is Vision’s apparent resurrection.
When is WandaVision set?
This gets a little more confusing. WandaVision intentionally pastiches and riffs on classic sitcom tropes all the way through its run, beginning with 1950s series like I Love Lucy in episode one before moving on to the 1960s in episode two and the 1970s in episode three, and so on.
So while it may appear that WandaVision is set in the past, it’s actually not – whatever strange world Wanda and Vision have found themselves in isn’t real exactly, with many fans theorising that the pair are trapped inside some sort of illusion or simulation.
In fact, rather than being set in the past WandaVision is actually set in the near future – around 2023, to be exact, after a five-year time jump at the beginning of Avengers Endgame shifted the “present day” of the MCU by half a decade. Still, it’s unlikely this will impact the wider story.
How does WandaVision fit into the MCU timeline?
This may actually be up for debate thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. You see, originally WandaVision was set to debut amongst other Marvel releases, until the ripple effect of COVID-19 and the closure of cinemas led Disney to delay their upcoming Marvel movies for the foreseeable future.
While Black Widow is a prequel to Avengers: Infinity War so wouldn’t be an issue, offbeat alien drama Eternals would have originally been released before WandaVision, as would fellow Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
With that in mind, it’s unclear which of these releases is now canonically set earliest (presumably, Falcon and Winter Soldier would have originally been) though it could be that this won’t be a major story point so can be largely glossed over.
Want more WandaVision content? Check out our latest WandaVision review, our guide to the WandaVision cast, the WandaVision release schedule, Agatha Harkness and the creepy WandaVision commercials. Plus, we ask: is Wanda pregnant? When is WandaVision set and how did Vision survive?
WandaVision releases new episodes on Disney+ on Fridays. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £5.99 a month or £59.99 a year.
Want something else to watch? Check out our full TV Guide.
Authors
Huw Fullerton is a Commissioning Editor for Radio Times magazine, covering Entertainment, Comedy and Specialist Drama.
