Why are we suspicious of Pietro? Theory

After the bombshell that dropped at the end of WandaVision’s episode 5, questions still remain about the recast Pietro Maximoff (Evan Peters). Many fans were hoping that the Pietro we were re-introduced to was the same that appeared in the X-Men movies, possibly starting the introduction of mutants into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although this still could be the case, the latest episode of WandaVision cast doubt over this theory and also cast doubt over if the Pietro we are seeing is the same that we saw die in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Episode 6 didn’t make it clear who Pietro is, instead his arrival made us suspicious of the speedster.

Introducing Pietro into WandaVision created the ‘cool’ uncle dynamic for the show. Being the cool uncle also meant that Pietro has formed a bond with his nephew’s, a bond that seems harmless but could be dangerous for the twins, Billy and Tommy. Episode 6 also introduced us to the comic powers of the twins, with Tommy gaining his super speed and Billy gaining powers simular to his mother’s (Elizabeth Olsen). Billy’s powers allow him to sense danger which we saw when he sensed Vision (Paul Bettany) dying in the episodes climax. Due to Billy’s powers we have to look at his interactions with everyone and what he senses. Throughout the episode it is Tommy that forms more of a bond with his uncle since they share the same powers. Billy doesn’t share this bond. We also know Billy was scared to wake up Pietro whereas Tommy wasn’t. What this tells us is that Billy could have sensed that something wasn’t right with Pietro which is why he didn’t want to wake him. This also explains why Tommy is the one that looks up to his uncle more than Billy, because Billy could sense something wrong with Pietro.

Pietro interacting with the twins also presents him as a bad influence. Stealing candy, destroying pumpkins and spraying silly string is not the only negative effect Pietro has with the twins. He calls the twins “demon spawn”, which isn’t quite the language you would expect a mother to be happy about being used around her children. From a fan perspective, we are not happy with the language being used by Pietro, because of how it links to the comics and to the prevailing theory fans have about the show.

In the comics Billy and Tommy were created by Wanda to be children to her and Vision. When creating the twins Wanda used shards Mephisto’s soul, Mephisto being the devil of the Marvel universe. Yes, I know it’s another Mephisto reference, but it cannot go unnoticed as Pietro calls the twins “demon spawn”, which is what they are in the comics. Therefore this statement from the speedster cannot be ignored. We don’t know for a fact that the twins follow their comic book origin but when it is referenced you have to pay attention and the reference coming from a shady character reiterates the fact that something doesn’t feel right about Pietro.

Everything we see from Pietro and the twins does lead us to believe that he is not the typical uncle. Billy seemingly senses something with Pietro which starts the suspicions. Then when Pietro uses comments like “demon spawn” we have to take notice. The line could just be a ‘throw a way’, but because we have already been made suspicious of Pietro the line could be a true statement. He could be referencing what the children truly are! This is not beyond possibility either because of how Pietro has an awareness of what is happening in Westview.

During the episode, Pietro and Wanda get to talk by themselves. While they talk Pietro simular to Agnes (Kathryn Hahn) in episode 5, has a sense of the reality he is in. On numerous occasions he implies he knows what is happening in Westview. The first occasion he does this is when he tells Wanda he is only trying to do his part. He then questions Wanda saying that’s what she wanted. Pietro shows he has an awareness of Westview as he knows he is playing the part that Wanda wants. What is still confusing is how he knows this.

Later in the episode this happens again. Pietro asks Wanda where she was hiding all the kids. Just as how fans were shocked, Wanda was equally as shocked that Pietro knew her secret. Pietro continues to confirm he has knowledge of what is happening when he says he is impressed at how Wanda’s powers have grown. What is also interesting is how he asks Wanda how she has done all of this. This implies although he has some knowledge of what is happening; he doesn’t know it all. When he asks Wanda this question, he also guilt trips her into answering it. Pietro using the fact that he is Wanda’s brother to get her to answer.

Now, we are not saying that Pietro is the villain like many fans are. Instead we are just looking at what Pietro is doing. We know Pietro has some level of knowledge about what is happening, but we also know he doesn’t know it all. Even though it could just be a brother talking with his sister, it is the way Pietro asks that makes him suspicious. What could be happening is that Pietro is trying to manipulate Wanda into giving him the full details of what is happening. This would explain the ‘recast’ as well because the Pietro we are seeing could just be a disguise for someone else. This also is backed up when Billy senses something wrong with him.

After episode 5 the main question fans had was about Pietro and which version he is. Obviously Evan Peters is not Aaron Taylor-Johnson which is why the questions were flying across the Marvel fan base. These questions were also on Wanda’s mind as well. Throughout the episode Wanda questions Pietro and his arrival. The memory of Pietro is even questioned by Wanda, which Pietro acknowledges but doesn’t answer. He also brings up the fact that he looks difference, which once again doesn’t get explained. In fact any question that Wanda asks her brother is dodged and not given a full answer, including the explanation on how Pietro arrived.

With Pietro avoiding answering questions the mystery around him remains. What it seems like is that he is not the same version of Pietro that died in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Despite having similarities Pietro doesn’t feel like the brother of Wanda and instead feels more like an imposter whom is trying to cover up his identity. This is still a theory but it has to be considered because of the suspicion that Pietro has mounted. There is definitely something wrong with him. What could be wrong with Pietro could also be the fact he is a corpse, a corpse that justified the Halloween special episode.

The dynamic in the Maximoff household has definitely changed since the arrival of Pietro and his arrival has also caused unease for viewers. The suspicions that we have other Pietro range from the obvious appearance change to the fact that he knows about what Wanda has been doing. The show has created mystery and a lot of unanswered questions, which is why when someone new is introduced we immediately question them. For what happened during episode 6 with the twins and the avoiding of questions from Pietro, something doesn’t seem right about him. On top of this when he laughs about Wanda’s dead husband not being able to die twice which causes Wanda to blast him, something clearly isn’t right with him.

With 3 episodes remaining we are expecting the questions we have to be answered, including the true nature of Pietro. Although we expect Pietro to have a major part to play in the final 3 episodes, what his motive is still remains unclear. Theories will suggest who he is, but what we learnt from him is that he doesn’t seem trustworthy and he creates tension every time he is on our screens, either way we are excited to find out.

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