A Nexus for the rest of us!

4 min readFeb 22, 2021

What is the Nexus?

In WandaVision, almost every episode has included a cryptic message in the form of an advertisement. These ads match the time and style of the episode and playoff some trauma that Wanda has experienced.

WandaVision Episode 1 — “ToastMate 2000”

ToastMate 2000 is an obvious reference to Wanda and her brother’s trauma as children when missiles attacked their home. An attack that killed their parents, and the twins (Wanda and Pietro) were left with one unexploded missile, wondering if that would explode, killing them as well.

WandaVision Episode 2 — “Strucker Watch”

Strucker Watch is a reference to the experiments performed on Wand and Pietro. The experiments giving them each their powers.

WandaVision Episode 3 — “Hydra Soak”

Hydra Soak is a reference to the criminal organization Hydra, which Baron Strucker worked. Hydra is known for its ability to control other’s minds and have little regard for the life of someone they may find powerful and will use them for their benefit, even if that means destroying them in the process.

“When you want to get away, but you don’t want to go anywhere — Hydra Soak, find the goddess within.”

All of this makes you wonder whether or not some sleeper cell of Hydra has returned.

WandaVision Episode 5 — “Lagos”

Lagos is a very blatant call out to an event from Captain America: Civil War. While on a mission in Lagos, Nigeria, Wanda accidentally killed several people when she diverted an explosion to save Captain America’s, played by Chris Evans, life. This explosion leads to the creation of the Sokovia Accords’. The creation of the accords prompted a severe divide between Captain America and Iron Man.

WandaVision Episode 6 — “Yo-Magic”

Yo Magic seems to take a different turn and appears to speak to Wanda’s current trauma. You know, the one that began with being put in a position to kill Vision to save the world. Then watching as Thanos rewound time, having to watch Vision be killed again by the Mad Titan. Then, she experienced the aftermath of defeating Thanos and discovering that the counterintelligence organization SWORD had Visions body taken apart in a lab to study.

This ad takes a darker and twisted turn contrasting with the idyllic world Wanda has created. There is one theory about this one that may introduce a new big bad:

“On Reddit, some fans are speculating that the commercial is hinting at the introduction of a villain to the series — particularly, the Marvel demon Mephisto. Throughout the series, several jokes about the devil are made, but especially in episode 6 when Pietro (Evan Peters) appears and tells Wanda’s sons to “unleash hell, demon spawn.” Some are predicting that Pietro is “the devil” Mephisto in disguise, and the shark is symbolic of how the villain will seek to use his magic against Wanda or her family.” ―Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping

The most recent commercial to date is from Episode 7:

WandaVision Episode 7 — “Nexus”

The Nexus could be about the place Tony Stark goes to stop Ultron from retrieving the nuclear codes during Avengers: Age of Ultron. But it is more likely in reference to the Marvel comics’ multi-dimensional structure, and now the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This concept is most often referred to as the multiverse.

“The Nexus is a cross-dimensional gateway which provides a pathway to any and all possible realities, this includes realities between realities. It is unknown whether it was created by some being or just if it’s the one place in the entire multiverse where all realities naturally intersect.” ―https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Nexus_of_All_Realities

The commercial parodies ads for medication like Zoloft or Prozac. The slogan for the antidepressant is telling:

“Nexus: because the world doesn’t revolve around you. Or does it?” ―WandaVision Episode 7, “Nexus” Commercial

In addition to referencing the Nexus, or sometimes referred to as The Nexus of all Realities, this commercial maybe referencing Wanda, known in Marvel Comics as one of several Nexus Beings.

“Nexus Beings are rare individual entities with the ability to affect probability and thus the future, thereby altering the flow of the Universal Time Stream… One nexus being alone supposedly exists on each of the parallel worlds of the Multiverse and personify the character of their respective realms and serve as the focal point or anchor of that reality.” ―https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Nexus_Beings

With Quicksilver’s introduction, played by Even Peters (Marvel Fox universe) instead of Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Marvel Cinematic Universe), some element of the Multiverse has already seemed to appear. Of course, that is if this new version of Pietro Maximoff is who he says he is.

Just one more thought, in the Nexus commercial, the ad warns that:

“you should not take Nexus until your doctor clears you to move on with your life.” ―WandaVision Episode 7, “Nexus” Commercial

It makes me think about the title for the upcoming sequel to another Marvel Cinematic Universe feature film. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was announced in 2019 and featured none other than Elizabeth Oleson as Wanda Maximoff. At the announcement, Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios and primary creator and producer of the MCU, introduced Elizabeth Olsen. They talked about how WandaVision would tie directly into the new Doctor Strange movie slated for release in 2021 but has been pushed to 2022.

By Andrew J. Mair