Could Ralph be the missing person in Westview or someone worse?

Jordan Croft
Feb 4, 2021
4 min read

One of the major talking points coming from episode 4 of WandaVision is that of whom Jimmy Woo’s (Randall Park) missing person is. We are no closer to knowing who this person is, and the fact that no other information has been given to us other than he was in witness protection, suggests that the person is going to be of large importance for the remainder of the series, potentially being the true villain inside Westview. Introducing a new character to the series could happen, but the missing person could also be someone we have already been introduced to, that being Ralph.

Star of the series, Paul Bettany (Vision) has teased the appearance of an incredible actor appearing in the show. Bettany has gone on record to say he gets to work with an actor he has always wanted to work with. What this suggests is that the missing person could be this actor.

Ralph has been introduced to us by his wife Agnes (Kathryn Hahn), whom is the nosy neighbour of Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision. Agnes has had a key role in the series so far and her role is likely to grow, which means more mentions of Ralph could also occur. If Ralph is the missing person then it would make sense for him not to appear on the Sitcoms. He would not want to give his identity away easily and would want to keep his appearance to himself.

As S.W.O.R.D and the FBI agents research the town of Westview it’s clear that everyone we meet isn’t the missing person. We know this because of the investigation board Jimmy Woo provides in episode 4. There were notable absences in Dottie (Emma Caulfield Ford) and Dr. Neilson (Randy Oglesby), but we know that Darcy (Kat Dennings) and Jimmy have been watching the sitcoms, so they would have known if they had been the missing person because they would have been identified. There exclusion from the investigation board does create confusion but we know they have been seen, so the missing person cannot be them. This again would suggest that it is Ralph that is the one Jimmy Woo was looking for. It makes sense as he has been talked about by Agnes but not seen. This means that viewers will have an understanding of him when the bombshell drops.

Something else of interest from the investigation board is the notable absence of identification with Agnes. Agnes is rumoured to be Agatha Harkness, whom is a witch that has influenced Wanda in good and bad ways the comics. Agatha, being a witch is actually an older lady, suggesting that if Agnes is Agatha then somehow she has made herself look young again.

Potentially it could be Agnes whom is the missing person because nobody can identify her due to her changed her appearance. However if this is to be true then the Ralph situation becomes more confusing. Instead, Agnes could be trying to help Ralph not be identified. But why would she do that? What would be her motive? This leads to a prominent theory regarding the show, that Mephisto will be the true villain of the series and that he has masked himself as Ralph. In the comics Agatha Harkness has been connected to Mephisto before, so it could stand to reason that Agnes and Ralph could be Agatha and Mephisto.

Mephisto is known to comic fans as the devil of the MCU and has had encounters with the Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff in the past. The theory that he will be the villain of the show is due to the Easter eggs that have been discovered about him. When Dottie says, “Devil in the details” and then Agnes’ responds by saying, “that’s not the only place he is”, in episode 2, provides the reference to the devil; and Agnes’ line back up the theory that her husband could be Mephisto.

More in depth Easter Eggs have also been found that links Ralph and Agnes to Mephisto. In episode 1, when Agnes says, “The only way Ralph would remember our anniversary is if there was a beer named June 2nd.” The key here is the date; June 2nd 1692 was when the Salem Witch Trials began and saw around 200 people accused and around 20 people executed for being a witch. This has relevance as the hunting of witches whom ‘worked’ for the devil would be a date that the devil would likely remember. Remembering that date links to the theory that Ralph could be the devil of the MCU.

It’s clear that there is links to Mephisto in the show especially from the mouth of Agnes. This is why the theory is prominent. However if Ralph is also the missing person then the question has to be how and why did he end up and then escape witness protection. The powers that Mephisto possess come from hell in the comics, which means the longer he is away from hell the weaker he gets. That would explain why he would want to escape witness protection while not using his powers. Moreover the comic book origin of Mephisto could further explain why he is in Westview. In the comics he is known for corrupting people’s minds and that is what seems to be happening to Wanda. Therefore, Mephisto could be masking his identity as Ralph in order to stop him being identified as the missing person, meaning he can continue corrupting Wanda with the help of Agnes.

Ralph being the missing person seems likely. We haven’t seen him yet, but we know of him. Nobody else has been introduced like this in Westview which does makes perfect sense for Ralph to be the missing person. The Easter eggs connecting the devil and Ralph together also give the theory Ralph is Mephisto potential. Moreover we know at least 1 new character will be introduced after what Paul Bettany has said and that is expected to be a major character. If we assume that there will be one more major character in the show, then Mephisto would be a perfect candidate, especially the way he has been set up in the series thus far. A generic missing person wouldn’t be enough, there would need to be context behind them. That context could result in the missing person being revealed as Mephisto who has masked himself as Ralph on Earth. Whatever happens in future episodes, we expect more details on Ralph and the missing person which will help us understand what the hell is going on inside Westview.