WandaVision Video Hints at Sparky the Dog in the MCU
A new WandaVision video featurette briefly hints at the MCU debut of Sparky the Dog. WandaVision sees Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany reprise their MCU roles as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch and Vision, now a domesticated couple inside their idyllic suburban neighborhood, Westview. Fans enormously anticipated the Disney+ series leading up to its January 15 debut, with the nearly two-year hype cycle reaching an apex when the show's first official trailer was watched a record 53 million times in 24 hours. WandaVision has been praised so far for its risk-taking sitcom approach and the delightful performances from Olsen and Bettany, not to mention the performances from new MCU players like Kathryn Hahn and Teyonah Parris.
Another iconic Marvel character set to make his entry into WandaVision's format-bending world is Sparky the dog. Vision's android pet was first introduced in the standalone Vision comic by writer Tom King and artist Gabriel Hernandez Walta. In the original comic, the green, synthezoid Sparky was created by Vision to unite his family after finding the Grim Reaper buried in their backyard. Kevin Feige hinted that Sparky might show up at some point, and now a new video features a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment that practically confirms the MCU mutt will make his entrance this season.
WandaVision's newly released "Story Featurette" video includes a brief sequence where viewers can spot a dog house beneath Vision's feet as he and Wanda float in their living room. If you look closely, the nameplate adorning the top of the house reads, "Sparky," a surefire indication that the android pet, who shares his creator's power of flight and ability to manipulate his body density, will soon debut on the show. Check out the Story Featurette below and watch for Sparky's dog house, which pops up near the 1:46 mark:
Sparky isn't the only character teased in the new WandaVision featurette, as the video also foreshadows the appearance of a huge marquee hero. In yet another blink-and-you'll-miss-it sequence near the 1:36 mark, you see an almost invisible barrier that begins to glitch. The transparent silhouette of a character who appears to be wearing a cape and cloak is briefly seen emerging from the barrier, an outfit unmistakably belonging to Doctor Strange.
While fans eagerly anticipate the entry of more marquee MCU characters into WandaVision, the introduction of obscure characters like Sparky and Kathryn Hahn's Agnes (rumored to be the villainous witch Agatha Harkness from the comics) can only broaden the potential of Marvel's TV plans. The same way 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy took the then-unknown comic and turned the characters into household names, WandaVision's efforts to include new characters into Wanda and Vision's perils could make them popular and possibly lead to spin-off series of their own. Fans will have to wait and see how popular quirky additions like Sparky become throughout the show's run.
Source: Marvel Entertainment/YouTube