So…Ralph Bohner. Simply uttering that gets some people mad, assuming they aren’t silently giggling. But even ignoring the name, I think the twist doesn’t get enough respect. This is a character who, through no fault of the show, was thought to be someone he wasn’t. The show turned him into a non-reveal, angering many and confusing some. And it’s brilliant.
Anyway, some backstory:
Back in the 80’s and 90’s, Marvel auctioned off film rights for their IPs in hopes of staving off bankruptcy. One of their most-famous, X-Men, eventually made its way to 20th Century Fox. Despite this, there was a catch: two of the X-Men characters, Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch, doubled as Avengers in the comics, allowing them to still be used by Marvel and Disney once The MCU became a juggernaut. Desperate to capitalize on this, Fox used Quicksilver in X-Men: Days of Future Past in 2014, while The MCU had both Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch debut in 2015’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron. To keep the licensing even-keel, Fox agreed to focus on Quicksilver, while The MCU focused on Scarlett Witch. Sounds simple, right?
Here’s where it gets complicated. While The MCU’s Quicksilver was killed off on-screen, for the longest time the two studios never mentioned their character’s dual-identity as a mutant and an Avenger. In The MCU’s case, Quicksilver’s death was never mentioned in future movies, instead focusing one the romance between Scarlett Witch (aka Wanda Maximoff) and Vision. To add to that, a few years ago Disney solidified its acquisition of 20th Century Fox, absorbing everything it owned from Marvel, including Fantastic Four and all of the X-Men, into it. This remedied the Fox/Disney dispute over Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch by making it a non-issue.
Enter WandaVision. Having been in production following the merger, the show had an interesting opportunity to work with this. And they did…initially…by having Evan Peters, who played Quicksilver in the X-Men films, return as a “recast” version of Wanda’s brother Pietro in Episode 5. That it happened right after Wanda and Vision’s argument, highlighting that Wanda’s hold on Westview was falling apart, helped; after all, like the episode’s opening suggested, they were making it up as they went along!
So yes, there was a new version of Pietro Maximoff, or Quicksilver, to throw shade at, opening the possibility of a “multiverse”. The possibilities were endless, right? Well, no. While The MCU has been guilty of franchise maintenance before, it generally prefers telling good stories. And nowhere was this more-apparent than the show’s finale, where Pietro was revealed to be an actor named Ralph Bohner under Agatha Harkness’s control.
While this annoyed many people, I thought it was funny and brilliant. Funny because I’m secretly 12 years-old, but brilliant because it advances the themes of grief and accepting loss that WandaVision excels at. I don’t say this lightly, either: considering the last time The MCU pulled a fake-out was with The Mandarin in Iron Man 3, and that I wasn’t a fan of it, that I think this is brilliant says something. Especially when I’m not a fan of wasted characters.
So yes, there was a new version of Pietro Maximoff, or Quicksilver, to throw shade at, opening the possibility of a “multiverse”. The possibilities were endless, right? Well, no. While The MCU has been guilty of franchise maintenance before, it generally prefers telling good stories. And nowhere was this more-apparent than the show’s finale, where Pietro was revealed to be an actor named Ralph Bohner under Agatha Harkness’s control.
While this annoyed many people, I thought it was funny and brilliant. Funny because I’m secretly 12 years-old, but brilliant because it advances the themes of grief and accepting loss that WandaVision excels at. I don’t say this lightly, either: considering the last time The MCU pulled a fake-out was with The Mandarin in Iron Man 3, and that I wasn’t a fan of it, that I think this is brilliant says something. Especially when I’m not a fan of wasted characters.
Let’s look at this reveal through my litmus test for good plot-twists. I have a theory that a good plot-twist fulfills two criteria: it has to make sense in the context of what came before it, and it has to progress the story in a logical direction. Fake-outs are no exception, as they’re also plot-twists. To that end, Pietro Maximoff being Ralph Bohner qualifies.
For the first one, it’s obvious. Aside from Pietro’s death having an effect on Wanda’s manipulation of Westview, it also makes sense: Wanda’s so unwilling to confront her trauma, so desperate to maintain the illusion, that falling for a fake version of her dead brother is in-line with that. It doesn’t matter that he’s dead, or that his “revival” gets poked fun at, because that’s a red herring. Essentially, she’s so grief-stricken that she’s willing to an accept an imposter version of her brother.
For the second, it’s trickier, but still works. Going off of Wanda wanting to see Pietro again, him being a dead end emphasizes the need for Wanda to move on. Remember, WandaVision’s about denying grief. Wanda created her sitcom reality to cope with the deaths of her parents, her brother and, more-recently, Vision. She also created twin sons for that same reason. Wanda wants all of this, but it’s not what she needs. She needs to move on.
For the first one, it’s obvious. Aside from Pietro’s death having an effect on Wanda’s manipulation of Westview, it also makes sense: Wanda’s so unwilling to confront her trauma, so desperate to maintain the illusion, that falling for a fake version of her dead brother is in-line with that. It doesn’t matter that he’s dead, or that his “revival” gets poked fun at, because that’s a red herring. Essentially, she’s so grief-stricken that she’s willing to an accept an imposter version of her brother.
For the second, it’s trickier, but still works. Going off of Wanda wanting to see Pietro again, him being a dead end emphasizes the need for Wanda to move on. Remember, WandaVision’s about denying grief. Wanda created her sitcom reality to cope with the deaths of her parents, her brother and, more-recently, Vision. She also created twin sons for that same reason. Wanda wants all of this, but it’s not what she needs. She needs to move on.
In that context, Pietro being an actor is brilliant. Is it disappointing to all those who wanted an MCU/X-Men crossover? I suppose, though that was never the intention. Will it be walked back? Maybe, but I hope it’s walked back without ruining the thematic depth. But is it worth the vitriol? No.
It’s worth noting that unlike The Mandarin twist, it doesn’t actually drag down the story. I liked Iron Man 3 and thought the twist was funny, especially since The Mandarin in the comics is racist, but it felt like everything built-up prior had gone nowhere. Not to mention, the “real” villain was another generic baddie who shot lasers from his mouth. It may have fulfilled criteria #1, especially since said baddie was foreshadowed, but not criteria #2!
Essentially, Ralph Bohner’s The Mandarin fake-out done right. I love it, especially since it was surprising. Considering how “predictable” and “safe” The MCU has gotten since 2008, we could use more surprises. And no, HYDRA secretly being SHIELD doesn’t count, though that was also a brilliant decision. This is brilliant on its own, not because of any previous lore.
It’s worth noting that unlike The Mandarin twist, it doesn’t actually drag down the story. I liked Iron Man 3 and thought the twist was funny, especially since The Mandarin in the comics is racist, but it felt like everything built-up prior had gone nowhere. Not to mention, the “real” villain was another generic baddie who shot lasers from his mouth. It may have fulfilled criteria #1, especially since said baddie was foreshadowed, but not criteria #2!
Essentially, Ralph Bohner’s The Mandarin fake-out done right. I love it, especially since it was surprising. Considering how “predictable” and “safe” The MCU has gotten since 2008, we could use more surprises. And no, HYDRA secretly being SHIELD doesn’t count, though that was also a brilliant decision. This is brilliant on its own, not because of any previous lore.
As a side-note, Ralph Bohner’s clever for other reasons. For one, despite the name, WandaVision’s show-runners clearly had Joey Tribbiani from Friends and Nick Moore from Family Ties in mind with him. Two, his first name, Ralph, is frequently dropped by Agnes throughout the show, indicating that there was foreshadowing. And thirdly, and this is personal, Ralph’s last name being “Bohner” is a tongue-and-cheek riff on how Quicksilver’s always been, and pardon the pun, a bit of a dick.
I get feeling cheated. You never want to cheat your audience. But too many people are making a fuss for the wrong reasons. The MCU gets enough undeserved criticism for flaws it doesn’t have. Having its fanbase act entitled over a well-written twist only gives detractors more fuel for their pyre. We don’t need that, especially not when we’re still trying to convince Martin Scorsese that The MCU is “high art”.
Now then, about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier…
I get feeling cheated. You never want to cheat your audience. But too many people are making a fuss for the wrong reasons. The MCU gets enough undeserved criticism for flaws it doesn’t have. Having its fanbase act entitled over a well-written twist only gives detractors more fuel for their pyre. We don’t need that, especially not when we’re still trying to convince Martin Scorsese that The MCU is “high art”.
Now then, about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier…
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