WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Marvel's WandaVision Episode 3, "Now in Color," now streaming on Disney+.
WandaVision continues to deepen its many mysteries with its third episode, "Now in Color." The episode gave more hints about Wanda's control over the idyllic town of Westview, the plight of the town's apparently imprisoned residents and the dark reality behind Westview's decade-jumping sitcom visage. The episode's closing moments, which feature the first look at Westview from outside the town's borders, may also reveal a link to a 2016 Avengers comic storyline.
Many have theorized that WandaVision is a Marvel Cinematic Universe adaptation of House of M. However, the revelation that Westview is sealed behind some form of forcefield, heavily guarded by presumably S.W.O.R.D., suggests the possibility of a different influence, with Westview being the MCU's version of Pleasant Hill from Avengers: Standoff.
Much like WandaVision, Avengers: Standoff is centered on a seemingly normal, happy suburban town, which hides a dark secret. In the comics, the town is Pleasant Hill rather than Westview, and it is monitored by S.H.I.E.L.D. rather than S.W.O.R.D. Meanwhile, the mysterious character warping Pleasant Hill's reality is a girl named Kobik, not Wanda Maximoff.
Beyond these differences, the two stories seem to be following a similar path. The reality behind the all-too-perfect Pleasant Hill, as revealed in Avengers Standoff: Welcome to Pleasant Hill #1, written by Nick Spencer with art by Mark Bagley, is that the town is really a S.H.I.E.L.D. prison for supervillains. The inmates -- Graviton and Baron Zemo amongst them -- are transformed into easygoing, regular citizens, with no memory of their villainous identities, and this is thanks to the sentient Cosmic Cube, Kobik. Following the latest episode of WandaVision, it's not hard to see how the MCU may be exploring a similar story.
As well as revealing that Westview is trapped within a heavily guarded forcefield, Episode 3 hinted -- through a few nervous interactions between Vision and the neighbors -- that the town's residents are indeed prisoners. Dr. Nielson abandons his vacation plans, telling Vision small towns like Westview are hard to escape. Herb also comes close to revealing a sinister truth about the town's inhabitants, but he can't get it out before Agnes cuts him off. Then there's "Geraldine," who's surrounded by armed guards upon being ejected from Westview. While it's likely Geraldine and the military presence outside Westview are employees of S.W.O.R.D., the fact so many guards are immediately dispatched as soon as someone makes it out of Westview lends credence to the idea the town is a high security prison.
With a recent merchandise image seemingly confirming S.W.O.R.D.'s full MCU name, it appears the organization will have less of an extraterrestrial focus than in the comics, acting more as a S.H.I.E.L.D. replacement with a focus on superhumans -- or "sentient weapons." It's feasible that Wanda is the first of these "weapons" to be examined by S.W.O.R.D. in the mind-altering, reality-warping world of Westview.
This still leaves plenty of questions unanswered, like whether or not Wanda is complicit with S.W.O.R.D. or if she's an unwitting prisoner herself. She seems to realize she has some level of control over the world around her and is frequently using her powers to keep anyone, including Vision, from questioning her idyllic reality. However, at other moments, particularly in Episode 1, Wanda is confused about her life prior to Westview.
The latest episode's interactions between Vision and the neighbors also suggest others living in Westview have some awareness of the reality of their situation, but how far that awareness goes is yet to be seen. While this could explain what Westview is, it doesn't explain what this could mean for Wanda's children or Vision; however, if this is a prison, then the outlook doesn't seem bright.
Written by Jac Schaeffer and directed by Matt Shakman, WandaVision stars Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Paul Bettany as Vision, Randall Park as Agent Jimmy Woo, Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, and Kathryn Hahn as Agnes.