WARNING: The following contains spoilers for WandaVision Episode 8, "Previously On," now streaming on Disney+.
The penultimate episode of WandaVision hit Wanda Maximoff and fans with several waves of earth-shattering exposition. Among them was the origin story behind the location of Westview. After all, why would a Sokovian-born Avenger want to seek sitcom haven in a random New Jersey town? The answer, it seems, is more tragic than fans could ever imagine.
In Episode 8, "Previously On," Agatha Harkness walked Wanda through several memories, trying to unlock the secret of her immense power that is illustrated in her creation of Westview. One memory included Wanda taking a trip to S.W.O.R.D. headquarters once she returned after the Blip. Her goal was to get Vision's body back, intending to give it a proper funeral after the synthezoid's death in Avengers: Infinity War.
Unfortunately, Wanda's request is denied by Director Hayward. He reasons that three billion dollars' worth of vibranium doesn't belong in the ground. The two of them watch Vision's body being taken apart, as S.W.O.R.D. intends to use it for its sentient weapons program. Filled with rage and anguish, Wanda charges into the lab and lords over the body, confirming to her that her soulmate is gone.
WandaVision then cuts to the S.W.O.R.D. parking lot, with Wanda sitting in her car. On the seat next to her is a mysterious envelope. Before long, she drive into the familiar town of Westview. But the Westview in this scene looks far different than the one seen through decades of sitcom parodies. It's quiet, sleepy, and frankly run-down, with the citizens keeping to themselves. Throughout her drive through Westview, Wanda and the audience pass by characters and landmarks that would soon become important parts of a new reality.
Finally, Wanda arrives at what looks to be the starting stages of a house, with only the foundation standing. Tears in her eyes, she opens up the envelope, revealing its contents. It's a deed to a plot of land, assumingly the one she's standing on. A note is written on the paper that reads, "To grow old in. - V."
In this moment, it all becomes clear. Prior to the events of Infinity War, Vision had purchased an empty lot in Westview, hoping to carve out a future with Wanda. The synthezoid intended to build a house where the unlikely couple could spend the rest of their lives, away from the pain and spotlight that has been shown on her over the course of Wanda's life.
This all turns out to be the breaking point for Wanda. Seeing the home that could have been, she unleashes a burst of magic. Suddenly, a house comes to life around her on the plot, forming what will become the central location of the WandaVision show-within-a-show. The rest of the town, meanwhile, gets transformed instantly to fit the style of its new environment. And most importantly, a facsimile of Vision is created, ready to start that life with Wanda he planned for long ago.
The audience now knows the answer to the question of "why Westview?" In one sense, it's merely coincidental, the location of what happened to be Wanda's series-defining moment. But in another sense, being based in Westview is completely understandable for the Scarlet Witch. This was where Vision intended them to go and settle down. In a world where Wanda is left without family, her fellow heroes, or her soulmate, it makes sense she wants to manufacture a future for herself in a place where she would have had one.
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. New episodes air Fridays on Disney+.