WandaVision, the first honest-to-goodness Marvel Studios television series, has just premiered on Disney+. And it is awesome, an inventive and oddly affecting series that takes two comic book icons and places them in the context of old school American sitcoms. If you’re expecting a tried-and-true superhero television show, which has sadly become its own tired format, you will be pleasantly surprised.

It’s also worth noting that WandaVision is the first bit of Marvel Cinematic Universe-y goodness we’ve had in over a year, featuring a main character that we haven’t seen on screen since 2018. If you want to get up to speed on who these characters are (and where they are in Marvel’s grand, interconnected galaxy), we’re here to help. Don’t worry, this will be largely spoiler-free (you won’t learn anything you haven’t already seen in the marketing materials) and we’ll keep updating this post as the season rolls along.

Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff

Last seen: In 2019’s Avengers: Endgame

Official dossier: Olsen has played the character of Wanda Maximoff since 2014, when she made her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut via a post-credits scene after Captain America: The Winter Soldier. She took center stage the following year in Avengers: Age of Ultron, as an orphan who volunteered for experimental Hydra procedures as a way to get back at Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) Ostensibly the first “mutant” in the MCU (although at the time they were legally prohibited to use the phrase), by the end of the movie she was truly Scarlet Witch, member of a new Avengers lineup that debuted at the end of the movie. (Her brother, Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Quicksilver, sadly didn’t live long enough to become a part of the team.) Her powers include physical and mental manipulation and telepathy; all sorts of vaguely witchy stuff that looks great on screen, especially when accompanied by a hazy red glow.

Age of Ultron also marked the first appearance of Vision (Paul Bettany), a sort of personification of Stark’s JARVIS butler system (more on him in a minute). As their evil-thwarting adventures together continued, their romantic relationship blossomed. In Captain America: Civil War, it was clearly beginning even though they found themselves on opposing sides of the Sakovia Accord debate. (Vision sided with Tony and wanted superhero registration, later acting as a sort of minder for Wanda; Wanda, whose actions during an Avengers mission helped spark the debate, sided with Captain America and fought against superhero oversight.) By the time 2016’s Avengers: Infinity War rolled around, Wanda and Vision were romantically involved and when the great conflict (the titular Infinity War, if you will) began, the two were on a romantic European getaway. By the end of the film, Vision was dead and Wanda had been snapped (or blipped) out of existence. She eventually showed up at the end of Avengers: Endgame, back from the great beyond after being gone for five years and extremely mad at Thanos (Josh Brolin), the mad titan who killed her love and turned her to ash.

CircaWandaVision: Wanda has moved into the quaint suburban town of Westview, where she constantly finds herself in scenarios ripped out of a 1950s sitcom (also, the aspect ratio is boxy and everything is black-and-white). Still, she understands that there’s something simmering underneath the idyllic town. Something sinister…

Paul Bettany as Vision

Last seen: 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War

Official dossier: Bettany has been a part of the MCU since the very beginning: he voiced JARVIS, Tony Stark’s virtual butler beginning with 2008’s Iron Man (the very start of this wild experiment) and he played the role in Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Iron Man 3 and part of Avengers: Age of Ultron, before his consciousness was used to give birth to Vision. Vision was part-physical manifestation of JARVIS and part-wholly new character, powered by the Mind Stone, one of the Infinity Stones that Thanos and his lot were after. At the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron he was, like Scarlet Witch, a proper member of the new Avengers team.

Bettany appeared as Vision in Captain America: Civil War where, again, his feelings for Wanda began to emerge and his understanding of what it means to be a superhero was truly tested. When he returned for Avengers: Infinity War, his bio-mechanical heart fully belonged to Wanda. But Vision became an intense source of scrutiny, as the thing that gave him life (that cursed Mind Stone) was also something that Thanos and his band of creepy space villains were after. During the climactic battle in Wakanda, Shuri (Letitia Wright) worked tirelessly to remove the stone while maintaining Vision’s essence. It didn’t work. Vision had a showdown with Thanos, where he implored Wanda to break the stone, thus destroying him but thwarting Thanos’ evil plot. She did it, was heartbroken, but Thanos used the Time Stone to reverse her actions and plucked the stone out of his forehead, killing Vision. Since then we haven’t seen him. Until now…

Circa WandaVision: Vision (and Bettany) are seemingly back, living the suburban dream with Wanda in Westview. He has a vaguely defined job at some kind of auditing firm and enjoys hanging out with the neighborhood watch down at the library (perhaps tipping its hat to his former life as an Avenger) and gets into wacky hijinks as he tries to conceal his robotic nature. But how is he back? And what, exactly, is going on with the TV sitcom premise?

Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau (“Geraldine”)

Last seen: 2019’s Captain Marvel (as a little kid)

Official dossier: Monica Rambeau is the daughter of Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch), an Air Force pilot and single mother who happens to be BFFs with Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) aka Captain Marvel. When last we saw Monica it was in Captain Marvel, during the halcyon days of the 1990s. She was just a little kid and helped Captain Marvel pick out the colors for her new costume (we would have gone with the glowing neon honestly). You could tell by her interactions with Carol that this was going to be a profound moment in her young life. And you’d be right.

Circa WandaVision: In WandaVision she is very much a full-grown adult, who also exists in the small, black-and-white sitcom town of Westview. But she seems to have more questions about where she is and why she’s there. And she keeps introducing herself as “Geraldine.” The end of Episode 3 (the last episode screened for critics) promises much more of “Geraldine” very soon.

Kathryn Hahn as Agnes

One of WandaVision’s new characters, Agnes is Vision and Wanda’s meddlesome neighbor, fulfilling a wonderful sitcom trope. She interrogates Wanda about her homelife, butts in during impromptu moments, and generally stirs the pot. And honestly, that’s about it so far.

Fred Melamed and Debra Jo Rupp as The Harts

In the first episode, Mr. Hart, Vision’s boss at his vague office job, brings his wife Mrs. Hart to a very unusual dinner.

The Other Residents of Westview

We don't know much about Wanda and Vision's other neighbors yet, but the supporting cast, including Emma Caulfield Ford, Asif Ali, David Lengel, Amos Glick, and David Payton, are playing characters who may know more about what's going on than we do.

Pre-Existing Characters Who Have Yet to Be Introduced

The following are characters confirmed by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Disney+ but have, as of yet, not shown up on WandaVision.

Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis

Last seen: 2013’s Thor: The Dark World

Official dossier: Another early member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Kat Dennings first appeared as Darcy Lewis in 2011’s Thor. She was a graduate student scientist who worked alongside Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, aka the love interest of Thor (Chris Hemsworth). Dennings returned for 2013’s Thor: The Dark World and was the highlight of the rather limp sequel (arguably the very worst film in Marvel Studios’ otherwise mighty portfolio). Who could forget Darcy awkwardly asking Thor how space was? It was great. Since the Thor sequel, Dennings has been absent from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which makes sense considering that Portman has also been MIA (although Portman set to return in Thor: Love and Thunder, due out in the summer of 2022). Quite frankly, we’ve missed Dennings.

Circa WandaVision: TBD.

Randall Park as Jimmy Woo

Last seen: 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp

Official dossier: The outstanding Randall Park first appeared as FBI Agent Jimmy Woo in 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp. One of the few non-SHIELD law enforcement officers, Woo acted as a kind of minder and parole officer for Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) aka Ant-Man, who was under house arrest following his involvement in the events of Captain America: Civil War. (Lang is an ex-con after all!) Woo is an affable straight arrow, easily duped but intelligent and inquisitive. He is also keenly interested in close-up magic. And as far as comic foils for Ant-Man go, it’s hard to beat Jimmy Woo.

Circa WandaVision: TBD

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