Did the ‘WandaVision’ Finale Intentionally Pay Homage to ‘Titanic’?
Marvel Studios’ WandaVision did a lot more than teach fans how to experience weekly television again. The Disney+ series took former Avenger Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) to some dark places. Of course, WandaVision was perhaps always destined to end in tragedy. But one scene in particular seemingly calls to mind a chilling moment from Titanic.
What happened at the end of ‘WandaVision’?
In the final episode of WandaVision, Wanda faces off against Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) and chooses to finally bring an end to her version of Westview. But in doing so, Wanda must say goodbye to the family she’s created in her alternate reality. Of course, that includes Vision (Paul Bettany), who she conjured herself based on her own memory and the Mind Stone.
But before the two title characters of WandaVision part ways, they put their twin sons Billy and Tommy (Julian Hilliard and Jett Klyne) to bed. The implication for Wanda, Vision, and the audience is that the boys — who don’t exist outside of Wanda’s alternate Westview — will disappear once the spell is lifted. Of all the moments on the show, this is perhaps the bleakest.
‘WandaVision’ might have included a direct homage to ‘Titanic’
Throughout its run, WandaVision fans have puzzled over the show’s many mysteries. And in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, head writer Jac Schaeffer addressed that final moment with Billy and Tommy.
As THR’s Brian Davids points out, it feels reminiscent of a brief yet unforgettable scene in Titanic, wherein an elderly couple embraces in bed during their final moments. As it turns out, the reference was not an intentional homage to the 1997 classic, Schaeffer revealed.
“Oh my God! No, [it wasn’t an homage to Titanic] but thank you for reminding me of that. That was not a conscious thing. But for me, personally, I find that to be an incredibly stirring part of that film. Oh my God, thank you for bringing that up. It was not conscious. But that lives somewhere in my subconscious and was part of what we were doing.”
As another tragic love story, Titanic does share some thematic DNA with WandaVision. And given the movie’s impact on cinematic storytelling, it makes sense Schaeffer might inadvertently take some inspiration from it. In both cases, the bedtime moment carries a sense of finality to it. Though WandaVision Season 2 could still happen, it’s unlikely to come anytime soon.
Can Doctor Strange beat Scarlet Witch?
Still, WandaVision’s final moments tease that Billy and Tommy might still exist elsewhere in the multiverse. That’s a pretty blatant set-up for Wanda’s arc in the rest of Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Olsen is already confirmed to appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But will Wanda be friend or foe to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch)?
The WandaVision finale teases a showdown between the two magical characters. In a key bit of dialogue, Agatha reveals that Wanda — at least as a fully powered Scarlet Witch — is more powerful than the Sorcerer Supreme. So MCU fans can probably expect Scarlet Witch and Doctor Strange to do battle, with the former either winning or at least putting up an epic fight.
