With less than a day to go for the WandaVision‘s season finale, Marvel fans are hunting down all possible Easter eggs, probable theories, and references that they would otherwise have missed. This is commonplace for a finale but with WandaVision, and all things MCU, things tend to get taken up a notch. No fan wants to miss out on any important plot point or reference that would take the fun away from major reveals that the episode might contain, which, let’s face it, it most probably will.
Today, on the eve of WandaVision‘s finale, we take a look at the importance of Lagos for the Scarlet Witch and how it could be weighing in on her already troubled mind.
Related: WandaVision Grief Quote “What is Grief But Love Persevering” Meaning Explained
Disclaimer: Spoilers ahead!!!
The Lagos Commercial in Episode 5
WandaVision’s faux commercials have been clueing viewers into Wanda’s state of mind from the very start. These seemingly innocuous commercials all have an eerie and disturbing undertone that have kept fans guessing about what they all mean. Ever since Episode 5 aired, there’s been quite the buzz about the Lagos Paper Towels commercial.
The commercial shows a housewife using Lagos paper towels to clean up spilled drinks. But what’s interesting is the color of the liquid – a dark red that uncannily looks like blood. The commercial’s tag line – “For when you make a mess you didn’t mean to” – is quite revealing of the state of Wanda’s psyche and how she might be processing her past trauma.
The paper towel commercial serves a reminder for Wanda fans that all’s not well in the placid town of Westview. It is also important to note the timing of the commercial, coming just after Wanda’s confrontation with S.W.O.R.D. So, what does Lagos represent for Wanda?
Related: The Scarlet Witch Myth: All You Need To Know
The Attack in Lagos
Lagos is a Nigerian city, the site of an Avenger mission that went completely south after Wanda, in a bid to save Steve Rogers from a bomb strapped to a vest, parried the bomb away to a nearby building and accidentally killed a number of civilians. The incident from Captain America: Civil War woke United Nations to the danger that enhanced superhumans pose, compelling the Avengers to sign the Sokovia Accords.
cw // #wandavision #wandavison new episode 5 spoilers
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WANDA STILL TRAUMATISED BY HER GUILT OVER LAGOS IN CIVIL WAR pic.twitter.com/Y3z13cfPLW— zach (@civiiswar) February 5, 2021
Though Captain America tried to take the blame for the collateral damage in Lagos, the whole world (rightly) blamed Wanda for her antics.
“What legal authority does an enhanced individual like Wanda Maximoff have to operate in Nigeria?” asked one reporter. A valid question, especially considering that Wanda still had a lot to learn about being an Avenger and – most importantly – keeping live bombs away from innocent bystanders and civilian-filled buildings.
Related: Where is Wanda Maximoff from?
Wanda’s Guilt
Even though Wanda has come a long way from the events in Lagos, the guilt of her actions hasn’t left her. There are a ton of other things that have slowly been unhinging her from reality – survivor’s guilt after the death of her loved ones (parents, brother, lover), taking arms against the Avengers in Age of Ultron, and quite possibly for taking over all of Westview and its inhabitants. Though some of the things may have been swept under the memory carpet or negotiated with, having the blood of the innocent on her hands is undoubtedly one that cannot so easily be buried and forgotten.
Related: What is Chaos Magic in WandaVision?
Now WandaVision is changing the way we look at the scarlet Avenger, not as an out-right superhero but as a deeply tormented soul whose remorse and grief has piled up over the years. We know that she’s the puppet master controlling all of Westview and, in that, she is treading a very fine line between a retired Avenger and an anti-hero. But by bringing in viewers to understand the state of her mind and her troubled past (as per the long list of her traumatic experiences that we saw in Episode 8, thanks to Agatha Harkness) the show allows us to empathize with the Scarlet Witch at a deeper level.
#Wandavision Spoiler
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It hurts even more when you think about how the trauma Agatha showed Wanda was only a part of them. There were so much more — Lagos, the Raft, whatever else happened in the Hydra facility, the media branding her as a monster, Nat and Steve 🥺 pic.twitter.com/Em9dSRHovd— Elizabeth Olsen Access (@LizzieContent) February 26, 2021
Given the unfortunate circumstances that she ends up in, it would be quite something to see how Wanda manages her control over a town full of innocent people. For, if she’s not careful, she might end up making yet another mess, one that could push her over the edge and unhinge her completely. That version of Scarlet Witch would be deeply troubling, but also exciting for the fans. Who doesn’t like superheroes going out of control!
Related: Is Wandavision All Black And White? Which Episodes are colored?
