Who is Pietro in Wandavision? We explore who Evan Peters could really be

So what’s going on? Is this Quicksilver a villain, a transplant from another universe or something else entirely? And what will his role be in WandaVision’s grand finale?

Well, while we don’t know who he is just yet, we do have a few theories...

Is he the real Pietro Maximoff?

OK, this is looking pretty unlikely – “that man is not your uncle,” Wanda tells her kids at one point, while Vision refers to him as “the imposter Pietro” – but we shouldn’t rule out the possibility that this speedster really is who he says he is.

After all, when Wanda looks at him for a moment he assumes his dead state just like Vision did in an earlier episode, and no-one’s suggesting Vision is anyone but who he says he is. Plus, he has the original Pietro’s super-speed abilities, and at least some of his memories.

Sure, he’s acting oddly, but that could be down to Agatha’s magical control. And if Agatha really wanted to convince Wanda that this was Pietro, why wouldn’t she just, you know… make him look like Pietro? Unless the plan was to make Wanda not quite sure and doubt herself.

Look, we’re not quite convincing ourselves of this either, but it’s worth a go.

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Is Pietro the X-Men movie Quicksilver?

This is probably by far the most popular theory online, positing that Evan Peters is actually reprising his role as Peter (not Pietro) Maximoff from the recent X-Men movies. The idea is that in trying to replace the dead Pietro, Wanda or Agatha may have instead drawn Peter through as a surrogate from his own universe, and then altered his mind to make him think he’s the “real” MCU Pietro.

This could seem a little far-fetched, but lest we forget Elizabeth Olsen’s next role is in upcoming sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which is confirmed to deal with parallel realities and what-if figures. Presumably, this means WandaVision needs to delve into the potential for “other” universes before it concludes, and perhaps the appearance of the X-Men Quicksilver is the first hint that the walls between realities are starting to break down.

Certainly, the fake commercial in WandaVision episode seven seemed to hint at such a possibility, marketing an anti-depressant that seemed to be named after Marvel’s “Nexus of All Realities.”

“Ask your Doctor about Nexus,” the voiceover said. “A unique anti-depressant that works to anchor you back to your reality. Or the reality of your choice.”

We’re just saying, something seems to be going down in the multiverse in this series…

Is Pietro Mephisto?

As a back-up theory, an awful lot of fans still think Peters could be playing longstanding Marvel hell-dimension dweller Mephisto, who has some key interactions with Wanda and her sons in the source comics and who they believe has been teased throughout the story.

Pros for this theory? His affection for Wanda’s kids, tempting language (he tries to egg Wanda on to more feats in Westview) and the fact he calls Billy and Tommy “demon spawn,” which the comic-book versions of the characters really were (they were formed from broken pieces of Mephisto’s soul).

The cons? Introducing an out-there concept like Mephisto so late in the game feels a little unlikely (we only have two episodes left!) and as it stands Pietro seems like more of a lackey for Agatha than a villain in his own right. Meaning that there are other possibilities like…

...or is he just some guy?

Most people in the Westview anomaly are just ordinary people brainwashed into acting like sitcom characters, so what if Pietro is one of them? Sure, to viewers at home he looks like the Fox Quicksilver, but in the MCU that Quicksilver doesn’t exist and Peters could just be playing someone normal who gets changed into a facsimile of Wanda’s brother.

In other words, it’s a wink for fans that doesn’t actually massively change anything in the MCU, which in some ways feels more likely than some Multiverse-cracking twist. And it could also explain why this Pietro looks so different – Agnes can’t “make” people but she can alter people who already exist, so she had to make do with someone who was around.

The only downside to this idea? Most of the other Westview residents have been identified as real people fairly easily, whereas the fake Pietro remains a mystery to Darcy (Kat Dennings) and the SWORD agents. Maybe he’s not local after all…

'Pietro' doesn’t exist

And finally, there’s the possibility that as the final moments of WandaVision episode seven implied, this Pietro wasn’t brought from anywhere or brainwashed – maybe he was made. Maybe Agatha Harkness’ magic brought him into the world, and that’s why he’s still hanging out near her house in episode seven’s post-credits scene.

In other words…perhaps it was Agatha All Along!

Again.

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: When is WandaVision set and how did Vision survive?

WandaVision releases new episodes on Disney Plus on Fridays. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year.

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