Marvel’s Bait and Swith With Pietro Is Really Annoying

(Some spoilers forward for “WandaVision” by the collection finale episode)

One factor that Marvel is normally superb at is fan service. Despite being as leaky as a sinking ship by way of its plot, “Avengers: Endgame” labored for followers by delivering an ending that numerous people felt was very emotionally satisfying. But this complete factor with Pietro on “WandaVision” doesn’t really feel like it could possibly work on that stage.

Why? Because Evan Peters displaying up on “WandaVision” represented the potential realization of one thing that followers have lengthy been enthusiastic about: the incorporation of mutants — the X-Men — into the MCU. But it additionally put one thing larger in play. Since Evan Peters had performed Pietro within the “X-Men” films, we although that the studio may additionally by some means incorporate the forged of the Fox “X-Men” franchise into the MCU.

It made sense. We knew this part would incorporate the multiverse into the MCU in an enormous means. Evan Peters displaying up on “WandaVision” bought followers excited as a result of it appeared prefer it is likely to be the beginning of that potential crossover (made much more attainable since Disney acquired Fox in 2019).

But it wasn’t. It wasn’t something besides Marvel messing with us. It was Marvel dangling a carrot in entrance of us, after which lastly letting us take a chunk — after which we discover out the carrot was manufactured from wooden.

Instead of getting any actual significance in any respect, Evan Peters’ “WandaVision” character was just a few random man named Ralph Bohner who lived in Westview and bought roped into Agatha’s scheme to mess with Wanda and steal her powers. He’s no person.

And that’s very, very irritating.

This isn’t the primary time Marvel has trolled followers with a personality reveal like this. They did one thing related means again in “Iron Man 3.”

Back then, Tony Stark was nonetheless alive (albeit affected by some extreme PTSD), the film was exploring a fan-favorite comedian arc with Extremis and we had been going to satisfy The Mandarin, an iconic supervillain in Marvel lore. Only, because it turned out, he wasn’t really The Mandarin.

His actual title was Trevor Slattery, and he was an actor employed by Aldrich Killian to function a scapegoat for the Extremis misfires that everybody was mistaking for suicide bombings. Slattery was only a drunk, completely oblivious to what his “character” was taking credit score for.

To Marvel’s credit score, this was a chef’s kiss type of trolling. Slattery’s appearing was Oscar-worthy — unsurprising, contemplating he was actually performed by Oscar winner Ben Kingsley — and he totally bought the villain act. Then got here the reveal of his true identification, which was simply too humorous to be mad at.

But this factor with Pietro on “WandaVision” is totally different, and fewer amusing. Marvel teased one thing very, very massive for the way forward for the MCU by having Evan Peters present up as a faux Pietro. But then it pulled again the curtain and there was really nothing there. Just a little bit of stunt casting to get everybody’s hopes up.

This is one of some components of “WandaVision” that, now that we are able to think about the complete and completed product, is fairly disappointing. But this one in all probability hurts essentially the most.

At least we are able to relaxation simple realizing Marvel can’t maintain again the multiverse perpetually. The subsequent “Doctor Strange” film actually has that phrase within the title, and it’s anticipated that “Loki” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” may even delve into these waters.

But this Pietro factor wasn’t simply in regards to the multiverse. It was in regards to the arrival of Mutants within the MCU, and the return of a forged that everyone appreciated within the “X-Men” films even when the flicks themselves weren’t all the time so beloved.

It appeared to good to be true, and it turned out that it actually was. But it doesn’t really feel nice to have that prospected dangled in entrance of our faces only for the lulz.