WandaVision episode 9 recap: Is this the end?
Our WandaVision episode 9 recap breaks down the exciting conclusion
Of course, this WandaVision episode 9 recap will spoil all the events of the season (and possibly series) finale of the Disney Plus series, so just make sure you're ready.
Up front, it must be noted that this episode is going to be wildly divisive. It nailed the emotional storytelling for the end of the series, but it may disappoint fans had been expecting something more was coming (Paul Bettany, we blame you).
So, without further ado: here's our recap for "The Series Finale," aka WandaVision episode 9!
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The big showdown at the Westview gazebo
While WandaVision episode 9 is longer than most, this recap may be a bit shorter than any we've done so far. That's because this episode is very heavy on fighting, at least at first.
The episode starts by showing the power dynamic of Wanda attacking Agatha with her red magic and Agnes absorbing it. The story is simple: Agatha is jealous of Wanda's power, and wants it for herself. What Agatha didn't want, though, was the car that Wanda threw at her. That moment leads to a funny sight gag reminiscent of Wizard of Oz (Agatha's boots remain, her body is missing), but it doesn't do the deed.
Instead, White Vision shows up and this sight confuses Wanda long enough for him to put her head in a vise-grip ala Lenny from Of Mice and Men. The real Vision shows up to stop him, though, allowing Wanda to be freed up to duel magics with Agatha.
We learn Fietro's real name
Let's take a moment here to bury fake Pietro (aka Fietro) story, as Marvel gave the character a chuckle of a conclusion. Monica Rambeau is trapped in his bachelor pad-like attic, where she sees his headshot. And here, we learn that his real name is actually Ralph Bohner.
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This doesn't explain how he got there, or how he had Pietro Maximoff's super-speed (did Agatha give it to him?). But it does sort of nerf the idea that he's a direct result of the X-Men universe now being a part of the Disney MCU. Sure, his appearance implies what we all know — the Mutants are coming — but this sort of deflates his existence. He's just like all the other actors in Westview.
Monica soon realizes he's under a spell of Agatha's, as she sees a glowing shell-necklace on Pietro's neck. She rips it off, and he's back to being Ralph. More on Monica, below.
SWORD and the FBI entangle
Then, Jimmy Woo has been apprehended by S.W.O.R.D. and brought in to Hayward for both questioning, and to try and convince him to help Hayward out. Woo sneakily steals a cell phone off the desk and then tells the director that his friends at Quantico will be here to stop them all in the next hour.
Then, Woo frees himself by picking the lock on his cuffs (he's finally getting the hang of magic tricks!) and calls a friend named Cliff, asking for help. Within the hour, ideally. Woo had been bluffing, but managed to call in the feds anyway.
Westview gets angry
But back to the fights. Wanda, in what appears to be the modern Westview (it's no longer in black and white) tussles with Agatha, who says the Scarlet Witch's "power exceeds that of the Sorcerer Supreme. And that, as we know, is Doctor Strange.
Wanda insists that she’s not a witch, but before she can finish that thought, Westville's Dottie reveals that her real name is Sara. She begs for Wanda's help, saying she has a daughter who needs to be freed. Agatha then "frees" all of the townspeople from the retro Westview state of mind, and they're all walking up to Wanda, like an angry mob.
The townspeople up the guilt on Wanda, saying "We feel your pain," and that "your grief is poisoning us!" Wanda then falls to the ground screaming, and they all begin to choke. Wanda then decides she needs to do what's right for them, shooting a massive beam into the sky. This creates gaps in the hex, and she yells at them all to leave.
Mind game duels and bullet-time action
The Maximoffs are now reunited, as Vision crashes down to earth near Wanda, and the kids run onto the scene. But we realize that Wanda's decision to break the hex apart is dissolving her family into particles. Which forces Wanda to stop deteriorating the hex.
Agatha attacks again, but Wanda protects them all with a red magic forcefield. This looks like exactly what Agatha wants, as she pulls in more of the red magic. S.W.O.R.D. and Hayward pull onto the scene, and the dueling Visions fly off to the library where Vision met with the neighborhood watch.
This is where the true Vision proves his cunning, using the metaphor of the ship of Theseus to convince White Vision that its objective is flawed. The Vision Wanda created isn't real, and neither is this new form made by Hayward. Vision taps on the circuit in White Vision's head, which turns yellow and seemingly restores his pre-death memories. Then he just ... leaves.
After some fighting with S.W.O.R.D. agents, Wanda shows some compassion for the enemy, and stops some of the agents from meeting a fatal end. Hayward doesn't reciprocate that, and actually shoots at Billy and Tommy. Who shoots at children, really? Good thing that Monica Rambeau is now free of the attic and takes (or rather absorbs) the bullets. Of course, Billy actually stops one of the bullets in mid-air, since he has reality-bending powers like his mom.
And then lo-and-behold Darcy arrives in a truck to save the day and stop Hayward. “Have fun in prison!" she shouts.
And much like Vision, Wanda plays with Agatha's head to throw her back to her memory of being tied to the stake in Salem, MA. Unfortunately, all the witches now turn on Wanda, as they want her powers. Agatha and Wanda duel again, as Wanda’s powers form an outline around her face, looking like the top section of her mask.
The Scarlet Witch is here
Agatha and Wanda fall out of that flashback, and Wanda looks to level Agatha with a ton of her red magic, yelling “Take it, I don't want it!” and she starts to wither away. Agatha takes all the power in, and says "This world will forever be broken, just like you."
But while the family watches on, and Vision tries to cover his son's eyes, Agatha's hands run out of energy. Wanda heals herself, and two big runes appear on opposite hex walls. Wanda then reveals that she turned the witch rules around on Agatha, so she couldn't cast anything.
Wanda draws all of her energy back from Agatha, saying "I don't need you to tell me who I am," and her new costume appears. She is now, finally, The Scarlet Witch.
Agatha, warning of what's going to result from all of this says “Oh god you don’t know what you’ve done.” Wanda, ignoring potential the danger unlocked by her power, transforms Agatha back to Agnes, but not before she can yell “You have no idea what you unleashed, you’ll need me!”
Vision then says "I know you’ll set everything right, just not for us." Wanda replies with those last three words, and the family goes home.
The heart-breaking conclusion
Back at their house, which is still intact, in normal clothing, Wanda and Pietro put their kids to bed. Vision says, "Your mother and I … are very proud of you both," with that awkward pause that left us hanging for some surprise (a pattern of these final scenes).
Wanda notes "You know, a family is forever. We could never leave each other even if we tried," but the hex walls are closing in. Wanda then thanks the boys for choosing her to be their mom, and closes the door to their room.
Downstairs, Wanda then turns the lights off, as she doesn't want to see it all end. Vision, more at peace with impending doom, turns them on, so they can see each other. He then asks Wanda what he is.
Wanda replies, “You are the piece of the mind stone that lives in me … you are my sadness and my hope, but mostly my love.” This line was sponsored by Kleenex. Vision then gives us all hope for a reunion, saying “Who knows what I might be next. We have said goodbye before, so it stands to reason," before Wanda, poetically finishes his sentence by saying “we’ll say hello again.”
The hex comes in and disassembles Vision, who parts with a “so long, darling” and the house is back to the outline of the property Wanda bought.
A very emo Wanda walks away, with the townsfolk looking at her angrily. Monica tells her "They’ll never know what you sacrificed for them," before saying she would have done the same to bring her mother back.
Wanda declares her intent to understand her powers and flies off.
The future of the MCU in two hints
Our story on the WandaVision episode 9 mid-credits scene and post-credits scene explain the implications of the below in full detail, but we'll break down the straight facts here. First, we see Jimmy Woo back in control, and Monica is led to a theater to chat with a Skrull, who says that she's needed by a friend of her mother's ... in space.
Then, the series ends showing Wanda both simultaneously at peace and hard at work. At her mountain-side cabin, tea is ready and she goes to take it off the stove. A quick camera pan shows that Scarlet Witch is also in the house, diving into the big scary book of magic. And then we hear Billy and Tommy scream, which makes it clear Wanda's likely going to hunt them down.
Check out our guide to the potential WandaVision season 2 to see where Wanda may go next.
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Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.