Trust Issues in WandaVision Episode 3

This article is a reflection on the third episode of WandaVision, “Now in Color.” Spoilers up to that episode abound. You have been warned!

Instantly met with a technicolored intro reminiscent of The Brady Bunch, viewers find Wanda and Vision inhabiting the 70s. Picking up right where they left off, Wanda and Vision are reeling from Wanda’s sudden pregnancy and are having the local doctor check her over. Aside from some bad 70s-era sitcom jokes, Wanda and Vision don’t get any answers to their peculiar situation; in fact, Wanda’s pregnancy seems to be progressing faster and faster. Wanda and Vision, however, don’t skip a beat and begin setting up the baby’s room. That’s when things get even stranger. 

While setting up a butterfly mobile over the crib, Wanda accidentally turns them all into real butterflies. “Did I do that?” Wanda asks. “I didn’t mean to.” She inexplicably causes little bits of magic to happen all around her and she claims she can’t control or stop them. When Wanda feels a particularly strong kick, she causes a power outage that impacts the entire town. Afterwards, she worries to Vision that the neighbors might find out she is responsible and their secret will be out. Wanda’s powers, however, are not her only problem: this episode reveals her deep trust issues.

Wanda is determined to ensure that she and Vision be seen as an all a normal, all-American family, even favoring the baby name “Tommy” for that exact reason. But it’s when Vision responds to her worries that her trust issues erupt. Vision begins to reflect on all the strange things that have happened in previous episodes. He is much less worried about people discovering their powers than he is about this town, this life, this reality. Then BAM! Strange jump cut and now Vision only has worries about being a father. The jump cut happens so fast we really only notice it by how jarring it is, but what does this have to do with Wanda’s trust?

At the end of the previous episode, we saw a strange sight of a creepy beekeeper climbing from a manhole cover. Vision reacted with concern about what’s happening, Wanda reacted with a stern “No.” Then she somehow rewound reality back to their normal happy home. It is safe to assume that Wanda is also responsible for Vision’s jump cut. This makes Wanda the “editor” of this show, cutting out or changing scenes to her liking, with the common denominator in both of these scenes being Vision questioning this reality. Wanda is hiding the truth from Vision, and via the “edits,” the viewers as well.

Ask anyone what one of the most important parts of any relationship is and I imagine you’ll hear that trust is key. Trust allows us to confide in others and for them to confide in us. It allows us to lower our guard, ask others for help and, likewise, be dependable toward others who need us. A life without trust is a lonely one. One where you are closed off and afraid to be vulnerable. We see this later on in the episode.

When Wanda goes into labor with Geraldine at her side, Wanda has little choice but to trust Geraldine with the birth of her sons. (Surprise, it’s actually twins!) Afterwards, Wanda opens up to Geraldine more than she has in any episode, discussing her brother Pietro and singing a Sokovian lullaby. This is one of the most genuine moments we’ve seen yet from Wanda. We no longer see a comedic sitcom housewife, but Wanda Maximoff, the Avenger who has fought armies, saved worlds, and dealt with loss and heartbreak. Of course, what follows next also shows the risk we take in trusting others.

When Geraldine drops the name “Ultron,” the moment shifts from one of tenderness to one of heartbreak, as Wanda’s trust quickly erodes into a feeling of betrayal. In the short, tense scene, we don’t see what happens to Geraldine after Wanda confronts her. When Vision returns from chatting with neighbors outside, Geraldine is gone and Wanda is back in “sitcom” mode. It is as if Wanda has rebuked herself for allowing herself a moment of vulnerability.

Human nature makes relationships tricky. We will all have our trust betrayed at one point or another and probably more often than that. That’s why numerous times in the Bible, we see that we should only completely trust in God as He alone will not abandon or betray us (Proverbs 3:5-6; Psalm 118:8-9). But does that mean we can’t trust others? By no means!

It is my conviction that because we can trust God, we can also extend that trust to others. Galatians 6:2 says we are to bear each other’s burdens, and Proverbs that we should be trustworthy neighbors (3:29) and a friend at all times (17:17). If we want to trust others without fear, it needs to be a two-way street that starts with us. If we make the choice to be loving, truthful, and honest, the easier it is for others to respond with trust of their own. Let’s hope that Wanda realizes this and begins to trust Vision and her friends before it’s too late.