Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #4
Mutant Romance Tales
At the Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum, the Scarlet Witch gets confirmation of what she already suspects: She is pregnant.[1] When Strange asks how this could be possible, Wanda details her experience in New Salem and how she channeled magic to wish for a pregnancy. Whatever the case, Doctor Strange believes Wanda will go through a normal birth and since he no longer regularly practices medicine, refers her to a doctor for pediatric care.[2]
Meanwhile, in the New Jersey town where Wanda and the Vision have made their home, some local men are meeting together to discuss the development of new condos. They expect to make a lot of money, but also want to use the opportunity to try and force the Scarlet Witch and Vision out of town since they do not want mutants or androids in their neighborhood.[3] They try to convince Norm Webster — the real estate agent who sold the couple their home — to go along with their plan but he flat out refuses to do so. Suspecting that these men might have been responsible for burning down Wanda’s last home, he warns them that their new house is outfitted by a state-of-the-art alarm system.[4] Despite these warnings, the local men decide to move along with their plan. Little do they know that they have been overheard by local couple who decides to watch the home of their new neighbor that evening.
Later that day, Wanda returns home to her husband and tells the Vision the good news. He is shocked and can’t understand how this is possible and she explains the magic involved again. Overjoyed to hear the news, Vision kisses his wife in full view of everyone and carries her into their home to celebrate.
The public display of affection does not sit well with the men who want to drive the couple out of town. Discussing it over a barbeque, they all agree that they need to protect the sanctity of the town for their own families and children. Their ring leader, a man named Spector, tells his friends that he has a plan as he has a friend at the electric company that can help them out. The mysterious couple — now wearing garish stage performer outfits — are also overhearing this. The man tells the his female companion to call the club as they will be occupied that night. Suddenly, the woman disappears in a flash of light.
Meanwhile, Wanda and the Vision are still excited about the coming baby and continue unpacking their home. Among their possessions, Wanda comes across the Idols of Zor that they obtained recently and they joke about not letting the baby teeth on them.[5] When Vision refers to the baby as a “him”, she asks him how sure he can be that it’ll be a boy. The Vision admits that he doesn’t have a preference and that he’d love their child no matter what if it is a boy, girl, or even a toaster. This reminds Vision to tells his family — Simon Williams and his mother — the good news, but Wanda asks him to wait so they can enjoy it in secret just for the day.[6]
That evening, at the electric company, Spector meets with his friend and bribes him with money to shut down the power in the neighborhood so he and his buddies can burn down Wanda and Vision’s home without having to deal with the security system. Little does he know the couple — stage magicians named Illusion and Glamor — are still tailing him. After canceling their nightly show at their New York magic club, they follow Spector to try and stop him from carrying out his plan.
Unaware of the impending danger, the Vision decides to go out for a walk around town so he can get, claiming that he wants to get some fresh air. In reality, the Vision is worried that the people who burned down their last home might try again and uses the walk to scout around town to find any sign of trouble. Moments after he is gone, Spector and his buddies — drunk on whiskey — arrive in the back yard, prepared to burn the house down. However, before they can get to work, they are suddenly attacked by the trees, blowing leaves, a swarm of owls, and vines. Thinking the Vision is somehow doing all this they decide to make a run for it. However, this is actually the work of Glamor and Illusion who have used their magical powers to drive the would-be arsonists away.
Meanwhile, Wanda has grown restless herself and has decided to go on a walk on her own. She does so as a sign of defiance to those in town who don’t want them around and to defend their right to be there, something that is more important now than ever now that the baby is coming.[7] Wanda decides that she has been letting her witchcraft skills slide and goes down to the public library to take out some books on the topic. It’s here that she is visited by the ghost of Agatha Harkness, who warns her that a great danger is coming on soon and to prepare for it.[8] Before Wanda can get any straight answers, Agatha’s spirit disappears. as if it was never there.
By this time, the Vision is returning home and catches Glamor and Illusion lurking in their back yard. Thinking they are attackers, the Vision swoops down to stop them leading to a short battle. The illusionists manage to restrain Vision long enough to explain why they were there, introducing themselves by their real names: Ilya and Glynis Zarkov. Pleased to know other super-humans live in the area and are willing to help defend their homes, the Vision is glad to make some new friends with something in common.
Not far away, Spector and his goon squad run into the Scarlet Witch and when they attempt to harass her, she uses her hex powers to knock them up into a tree. Learning that they are trying to terrorize her to protect their families, Wanda informs them that she is pregnant and is starting a family of her own. She empathizes with the men and their position but tells them that she has a right to live in Leona and raise her own family. The men agree to back off and leave her and the Vision alone and Wanda sends them on their way. That’s when Vision arrives and she tells her husband that everything is all right and they can now focus on the baby that’s coming, telling her husband that there is no turning back now.
Recurring Characters
Vision, Scarlet Witch, Illusion, Glamor, Doctor Strange, Agatha Harkness, Norm Webster, Holly LaDonna
Continuity Notes
Wanda used magic to get pregnant last issue. She will give birth in issue #12 of this series. It’s later revealed that she absorbed fragments of Mephisto’s soul in order to create her twin children. See Avengers West Coast #51-52.
As detailed in Strange Tales #115, Stephen Strange was a doctor (specifically a surgeon) before a car accident caused sufficient nerve damage that he could no longer practice. This led him on a quest to repair his damaged hands this was a catalyst that led to his becoming a sorcerer.
Wanda is referred to as a mutant because, at the time of this story, that’s what everyone thought she was. In reality, she is not a mutant at all, just a powerful sorceress. It’s explained in Uncanny Avengers (vol. 2) #4-5 that she was experimented upon by the High Evolutionary while still a baby. In order to cover up his work, he made it so future genetic tests would have Wanda register as a mutant.
Wanda and Vizh moved into their first home in Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1. It was later burned down in Avengers #252. They moved into their new home in Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #1.
Wanda and Vision came into possession of these mystical artifacts back in Power Man and Iron Fist #102.
The Vision considers Simon Williams his brother and by extension his family as his as well. This is a complicated set of circumstances behind this:
When Simon first got his power in Avengers #9 he was told the process would eventually kill him. He enlisted the aid of the Avengers to save his life, but they were unable to come up with a cure. However, they managed to make a recording of his brain patterns.
Later, when Ultron built the Vision, he used the brain patterns of Simon Williams to give him a personality all his own. See Avengers #57-58 and 134-135.
Subsequently, Simon Williams came back to life and resurfaced in Avengers #151. For years the pair tried to make sense of their situation. Ultimately, the two reconciled the situation and began considering each other brothers. See West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #2 and Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #2.
Here, Wanda refers to herself as a former evil mutant, an Avenger, and the daughter of Magneto:
Wanda’s costumed career began in X-Men #4 when she and her brother Quicksilver were forced into Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants after he saved their lives from an angry mob. They remained with the group until X-Men #11 until they felt they repaid their debt to Magneto.
Seeking to reform and make up for their terrorist activities, the twins convinced the Avengers to let them join their ranks. This happened in Avengers #16. Wanda had been a long standing member of the group. At the time of this story, she had taken a leave of absence from the group in Avengers #255.
Wanda believes she is the daughter of Magneto after the master of magnetism was tricked into thinking this, circa Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4. In reality, this turned out to be a lie. As revealed in Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #4 and 11, she is the daughter of Natalyia Maximoff and an unidentified Scarlet Warlock.
Agatha was burned at the stake in Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #3, however her death will prove only a minor inconvenience as she will have brought herself back to life in Avengers West Coast #50. As for this threat, it is the return of Samhain who Wanda and Vision previously fought in Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1. He will return next issue.
Topical References
The man at the electric company is bribed with $200 and then an increase of $500. Adjusting for inflation these amounts would be closer to $500 and $1200 in 2022 money.
Spector and his buddies are getting ripped on a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey. This should be considered a topical reference as JD is a real world product.
Agatha Harkness warns that the coming threat will be on Halloween. Writer Steven Englhart intended for this series to be happening in “real time” with a month passing in between each story. This causes some conflicts with the Sliding Timescale, which compresses time in the Modern Age to a 4:1 ratio, meaning that for every four years of publications, one year passes within the fiction. I’ll get into this in more detail in my summary for next issue, so put this issue in your cap for now.
