Spoilers for WandaVision episode 6 follow.
Ever since episode 1 of WandaVision, the Marvel Cinematic Universe TV show has been blurring horror into the series' mix of sitcom and superhero drama – whether it's in the strange behavior of the residents of Westview, the elements of reality breaking through the show's sitcom façade, or indeed Vision's dead body momentarily appearing to Wanda halfway through a conversation.
WandaVision episode 6, though, had a moment so horrific that we had to rewind it. And we're not referring to Quicksilver's bullet-ridden body briefly appearing to Wanda, as Vision's had previously – though that was pretty creepy too.
Nope, we're talking about this week's in-universe commercial. In previous episodes, these short videos have been used as fun references to elements of the MCU. This week's was slightly more abstract in its meaning – and also, nightmarish. Below, we'll talk you through it.
Commercial break
In the commercial, which has a stop-motion animated style, a young boy is stuck on a deserted island, and hungry. A shark swims up to him and offers him a treat – Yo-Magic, some kind of strawberry-based desert in a pot. Thanks, Shark!
Unfortunately, the boy can't get the lid off of the pot. Shaking with hunger he keeps pulling at the lid, but it won't give. As starvation sets in, he starts to rapidly emaciate as day turns to night, then back to day.
Finally, still fruitlessly pulling at the lid... he's just a skeleton. The boy is dead.
The shark returns with a voiceover. "Yo-Magic! The snack for survivors!" It's pretty bleak – and what it actually means is a little more ambiguous than what we've come to expect from WandaVision's commercials, which usually directly reference something that's key to Wanda's or Vision's past.
What does the commercial in WandaVision episode 6 mean?
Previously on WandaVision... Catch up with our recaps of WandaVision episode 1, WandaVision episode 2, WandaVision episode 3, WandaVision episode 4 and WandaVision episode 5.
Naturally, this is one of the main topics from WandaVision episode 6 that fans are discussing – and interpretations seem to vary, which is interesting.
One straightforward one: 'Yo-Magic' is the only thing that can keep the boy alive in this commercial. Without it, he dies. We know Vision and Pietro are dead in the MCU, and magic is what keeps them alive in Westview. The fact that the star of the commercial is a young boy, too, perhaps refers to the idea that Wanda's children, Billy and Tommy, also need magic in order to live.
Another theory suggests that the 'survivor' reference points to Wanda obtaining magic powers from HYDRA's experiments, but we're less sold on that.
The other, tastier hypothesis: the shark handing the boy 'Yo-Magic' is a reference to a running theory that Wanda has made a Faustian pact in this show – with the rumored unseen WandaVision villain Mephisto – and obtained more powerful magic at a price. What price did Wanda pay to avoid the loneliness she referenced in this episode?
Ultimately, the fact that fans are even arguing about this is kind of exciting – WandaVision has generated all manner of fan theories and interpretations, which is genuinely cool.
Who voiced the shark in the commercial in WandaVision episode 6?
Actor Adam Gold voiced the shark, and Tristen Chen voiced the boy, according to the credits.
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