'WandaVision': Why the Commercials Hold the Key to What's Going On

WandaVision on Disney+ is giving us a history of American TV sitcoms, with Wanda (played by Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) moving their way through comedies throughout the decades. And, of course, no 30-minute sitcom would be complete without a commercial break. In the three episodes so far, we have had three "messages from our sponsors" so far—the first for a toaster, the second for a watch and the third for a luxury bath powder.

At first glimpse, these just seem like part of the show's throwback TV vibe, but a closer look at the WandaVision commercials show they are full of clues as to what the Disney+ show is all about—and as the real world keeps infringing on the reality more and more, the ads too are becoming more revealing.

For one, the word "Hydra" has been mentioned in the two most recent ads—that bath powder is called Hydra Soak, while the "Strucker" watch features the Hydra logo.

Speaking to Deadline earlier in January, Marvel boss Kevin Feige teased: "In regards to how other truths of the show are leaking out, commercials were an idea of how we could do that. It's just a strange version of the 1960s commercials that you have to keep watching. If you've watched all the movies, you'll be able to connect what they mean."

Commercial #1: ToastMate 2000

Of the three ads so far, the Episode 1 toaster commercial seems the most conventional. In it, a man (Ithamar Enriquez) says, "Is your husband tired of you burning his toast? Try our new and improved ToastMate 2000. It's the go-to for clever housewives...Set the dial and get the taste back into your toast."

However, there is at least one Marvel reference, the ToastMate 2000 is made by Stark Industries, the company previously owned by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) that is also behind the Avengers initiative.

Then there's the toaster itself. With its two dials and crumb tray at the bottom, it looks very much like a face—and with the light flashing at its center, it looks like a representation of Vision's robot face.

A theory then emerges. If the toaster represents Vision (who himself was partly made by Stark Industries), then the wife "burning his toast" is Wanda. What exactly "burning his toast" means in this context is unclear—it could mean Wanda has been trying to bring him back to life after he was killed in Infinity War, or a reference to the fact that in one timeline, it is Wanda who killed Vision.

Either way, "forget the past, this is your future" is the tagline for the ad which seems to confirm one thing: That WandaVision is set after Avengers: Endgame, and sees Wanda wanting to forget her past after the death of Vision.

Commercial #2: Strucker watch

The name Strucker, combined with the Hydra logo, is sure to ring a bell with Marvel fans.

Wolfgang von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann) was a one-time leader of Hydra, first introduced in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. So when the ad ends with the tagline, "Strucker. He'll make time for you," this seems to suggest that whatever is happening to Wanda has to do with Strucker.

Of course, fans will remember that Strucker was killed by Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron, which raises a lot of questions about why he is being mentioned now. Though WandaVision does not have any answers for fans yet, it does seem that Hydra may have a hand in whatever's happening to Wanda—perhaps explaining why SWORD agents keep trying to make contact with her.

Commercial #3: Hydra Soak

The third commercial seems most relevant to what's happening to Wanda—no surprise, as that episode sees the world around her break down more than in the previous episodes.

In this one, the voiceover says, "Do you need a break?...Come with me. Escape to a world all your own where your problems float away. When you want to get away, but you don't want to go anywhere."

This, after all, seems to be exactly what Wanda has done: escaped to a sitcom world where there are no real problems, to get away from her grief at having lost Vision. The fact that it seems to have been aided by, Hydra, however, may give fans some cause for concern.

The woman in the advert (Victoria Blade) says in the ad "you read my mind," which might be another clue as to what is going on.

WandaVision streams Fridays on Disney+.