Tag Archives: Walt Disney Co

Disney to debut ‘Black Widow,’ ‘Cruella’ in theaters and Disney+

Scarlett Johansson stars as Natasha Romanoff, AKA Black Widow, in Marvel’s “Black Widow.”

Disney | Marvel

Disney made some major changes to its summer film slate on Tuesday.

The studio announced that “Cruella” and “Black Widow” will be released in cinemas and on Disney+ with premier access and its Pixar film “Luca” will head straight to Disney+.

“Today’s announcement reflects our focus on providing consumer choice and serving the evolving preferences of audiences,” said Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney’s media and entertainment distribution.

“By leveraging a flexible distribution strategy in a dynamic marketplace that is beginning to recover from the global pandemic, we will continue to employ the best options to deliver The Walt Disney Company’s unparalleled storytelling to fans and families around the world,” he said.

In shifting its release strategy, “Cruella” will debut as planned on May 28 and “Black Widow,” originally set for May 7, is now debuting July 9. Both titles will also be available on Disney+ for an additional $30 rental fee.

“Luca,” which was initially slated for theatrical release will stream directly on Disney+ as part of the traditional subscription. In markets where Disney+ is not available, “Luca” will be released theatrically.

Other theatrical release date changes include:

  • “Free Guy” moves to August 13, 2021
  • “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” now dated September 3, 2021
  • “The King’s Man” arrives December 22, 2021
  • “Deep Water” pushed to January 14, 2022
  • “Death on the Nile” set for February 11, 2022

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Latest news on coronavirus cases and vaccines

U.S. will reach 100 million vaccine ‘shots in arms’ as early as Thursday

Tony Heaton of Falling Waters, wearing a West Virginia t-shirt with stars and stripes, receives a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine during a community vaccination event in Martinsburg, West Virginia, March 11, 2021.

Kevin Lemarque | Reuters

President Joe Biden is poised to meet his goal of delivering 100 million Covid-19 vaccine shots in his first 100 days in office as early as Thursday, a senior administration official told NBC News.

The president reached the goal ahead of schedule, the official said. Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Jan. 20, about 57 days ago.

Biden is scheduled to make an announcement on the “state of vaccinations” later Thursday where he may discuss the milestone.

Health experts say the president’s goal of 100 million shots in 100 days was an attainable benchmark. After a slower-than-expected rollout under former President Donald Trump, the pace of vaccinations in the U.S. has rapidly increased, averaging about 2 million to 3 million shots per day.

—Berkeley Lovelace Jr.

Delta CEO flags rising jet-fuel prices as demand increases

Delta Air Lines CEO says demand is on the rise and that the carrier aims to turn a profit in the third quarter of this year.

But the business faces several challenges.

“Fuel prices are up about 30% since the start of the year and we are incurring necessary costs to build back our business,” Ed Bastian said in a staff memo. “In addition, the recovery to date has been led by leisure travelers. We know that our core business customers will be slower to return, and international travel will likely be the last segment to fully recover.”

Bastian and other airline chiefs this week said bookings have climbed more in March after a difficult January and February and that demand for summer travel is strengthening sending stock prices to pre-pandemic highs.

—Leslie Josephs

What you need to know about getting the Covid vaccine

A healthcare worker administers a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to a staff member of the Clarendon School District at Manning High School in Manning, South Carolina, on Friday, March 12, 2021.

Micah Green | Bloomberg | Getty Images

In the U.S., 22% of the population has received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Come May, all adults will be eligible to receive the vaccine.

There are three vaccines for Covid approved by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use, from drugmakers Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Experts say you should take the vaccine that you can get.

The process of finding appointments to receive Covid vaccines varies depending upon your state. The CDC’s VaccineFinder tool is a good starting point to find providers and pharmacies near you that have the vaccines. President Joe Biden announced that there will be a federally-run vaccine appointment website ready to use by May.

Common side effects to the vaccines include pain near where the vaccine was injected, redness and soreness, as well as fatigue, headache, chills, fever and nausea, which can last up to a few days.

It takes a few weeks for the body to mount an immune response after getting the vaccine. A person is considered “fully vaccinated” for Covid two weeks after receiving the second dose of a two-dose vaccine (such as those developed by Moderna and Pfizer) or two weeks after getting the single-dose J&J vaccine, according to the CDC.

The CDC recently said people who are fully vaccinated can visit with other people who are also fully vaccinated, as well as some unvaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or social distancing, according to the guidelines.

Cory Stieg

Irish pub owner on the restaurant industry one year after the first shutdown

Lorcan Phelan, owner of the James Joyce Pub and the Irish Times Pub in Long Island, New York, joins CNBC’s “Worldwide Exchange” to discuss what the past year has been like for bars and restaurants, a year after the first shutdowns happened in the state.

Lyft continues to show signs of recovery

Lyft said Thursday it’s continuing to see recovery in its rideshare business and expects that to continue through the rest of the year.

The company announced that last week was its best week, in terms of rider volume, since lockdowns began last March. It also posted positive year-over-year growth in daily rideshare ride volume for the first time in a year on Wednesday.

Lyft now expects to post positive weekly rideshare growth on a year-over-year basis and every subsequent week through the end of the year (barring a significant worsening of coronavirus conditions). Additionally, starting next week, the company said it expects its rideshare ride volume to grow in excess of 100% year-over-year as it begins “to lap the significant impact of Covid-19 on our business a year ago.”

Lyft’s update comes about two weeks after it reported in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that improving trends will allow it to narrow losses in the current quarter by more than expected. The company said it expects to manage its adjusted EBITDA loss in the first quarter to $135 million, from the $145 million to $150 million it previously forecast.

—Jessica Bursztynsky

U.S. jobless claims total 770,000, slightly above estimate

First-time claims for unemployment benefits totaled 770,000 for the week ended March 13, compared with the 700,000 jobless claims expected by economists surveyed by Dow Jones, reports CNBC’s Jeff Cox.

The unexpected jump comes as the labor market tries to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw large swaths of the economy shut down and more than 22 million Americans join the unemployment line a year ago.

—Melodie Warner 

WHO always knew vaccine distribution would be a major problem, spokesperson says

Dr. Margaret Harris, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization, says the public health body always knew vaccine distribution would be a “major problem.”

UK vaccination rollout progress now threatened by supply disruptions

The U.K. government’s so-far successful immunization program is facing questions over whether it’s about to face a shortage in the supply of coronavirus vaccines.

“We have less supply than we might have hoped for the coming weeks but we expect it to increase again later,” Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick told the BBC on Thursday.

“The vaccine rollout will be slightly slower than we might have hoped but not slower than the target,” he said. “We have every reason to believe that supply will increase in the months of May, June and July.”

A flurry of reports in the British media has said the U.K.’s rollout could hit some turbulence. It’s been widely reported that delivery of millions of doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot being produced by the Serum Institute of India could be held up by four weeks.

Britain is also facing possible disruptions to supply if the EU goes through with a proposal to withhold exports of vaccines made in the bloc while its own program lags. Supplies of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, that the U.K. is also using in its vaccination program, come from Belgium.

Holly Ellyatt

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Netflix password-sharing crackdown being tested

Co-founder and director of Netflix Reed Hastings delivers a speech as he inaugurates the new offices of Netflix France, in Paris on January 17, 2020.

Christophe Archambault | AFP | Getty Images

Netflix has never made a big deal about password-sharing, but a new test suggests the company may be reconsidering.

Netflix is trying out a new policy with some customers, prompting certain people to sign up for a separate account if they aren’t watching with the subscriber.

The message reads: “If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching.” The Streamable first reported about the trial.

According to a spokesman, Netflix tries “hundreds” of tests a year with select customers. The trial may not lead to a larger crackdown around password sharing. The test could be applied for account security as well as sharing passwords.

“This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so,” Netflix said in a statement.

About 33% of all Netflix users share their password with at least one other person, according to research firm Magid. Netflix’s basic plan costs $8.99 per month. The company’s standard plan is $13.99 per month, which allows users to watch Netflix on two screens at the same time. Historically, Netflix hasn’t done much to stop password-sharing, as strong growth in subscriber numbers and its stock price offset any concerns about lost revenue.

Netflix announced earlier this year it topped 200 million global subscribers, but shares have underperformed the S&P 500 this year as investors have moved away from growth stocks. Netflix must also fend off a slew of new streamers — including Disney+, AT&T’s HBO Max, NBCUniversal’s Peacock and ViacomCBS’s Paramount+ — to ensure users aren’t moving to competitive services.

Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the parent company of CNBC

WATCH: Netflix leads in Hollywood but laps the S&P 500: Analysts on what’s next

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Lego sales soared in 2020, helped by e-commerce and China growth

A boy selects a boxed Lego A/S toy at an E-Mart Co. store, a subsidiary of Shinsegae Co., in Incheon, South Korea, on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2013.

Bloomberg | Getty Images

There’s no doubt that the Lego brand has benefited from people spending more time at home during the pandemic, but the company is winning new business in China as well.

Lego said Wednesday that its consumer sales jumped 21% last year, the result of a broader product range, e-commerce investments paying off and a surge of growth in China.

“It is really a result of a tremendous effort by the entire organization, especially with all the things we’ve had to cope with throughout the year,” CEO Niels Christiansen told CNBC.

Due to the pandemic, Lego was forced to close manufacturing sites in Mexico and China, temporarily shutter some retail locations and saw its distribution costs rise as shipping became more expensive.

Despite these headwinds, the privately held Danish toymaker reported revenue for the year that topped 43.7 billion Danish krone, or about US$6.99 billion, up 13% compared with 2019.

Top-sellers ranged from classic Lego sets to themed product from Nintendo’s Super Mario and Disney’s Star Wars, Christiansen said.

“Our research does show that more families are building together,” he said.

While the pandemic may have encouraged consumers to buy more Lego sets to pass the time in lockdown, Christiansen said, it’s not the only reason sales were so strong during the year. The company is reaping the benefits of investments in its e-commerce business and new markets.

The number of visits to Lego.com last year doubled from the year prior, as many of Lego’s physical stores were forced to temporarily close. Customers had already been gravitating more to online shopping, but the coronavirus outbreak has accelerated the trends and it likely won’t be reversed.

“I’m not sure it’s going to go back,” Christiansen said.

A unique play experience that combines the open creative play of LEGO building toys for kids with an augmented reality app.

LEGO

Lego is ramping up recruitment for its digital and tech teams, Christiansen said. The company ultimately wants to be able to develop products at a faster pace and create platforms to house Lego content and for integrated play.

Still, traditional stores remain a key part of the brand’s strategy. In recent years, the toymaker has made a push into the Chinese market, opening dozens of physical locations.

While Lego has been part of the culture in other regions like the U.K. and the United States, parents in China did not grow up with the iconic colored blocks. And so, having places where kids can go and get their hands on the bricks and see the sets that can be built has been a boon to sales.

“Kids get to see what Lego is and play with it,” Christiansen said. “It’s a brand built on the physical.”

In 2020, Lego opened 134 retail locations, 91 of which were in China. The company currently has 678 Lego branded stores globally and has plans to add another 120, including 80 in China. The aim is to have around 300 Lego stores in China by the end of 2021.

China is already one of the company’s best markets, boasting double-digit growth in the last year.

Christiansen noted that sustaining the strong growth of 2020 won’t be easy, but that the company is well-positioned to continue being a dominant force in the global toy industry.

“I wouldn’t bet on 21% again, but what I do think is if we continue our long-term investments, then I believe we have the chance to outperform the market and take share,” Christiansen said.

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Athene, Apollo Global, GE, AerCap & more

Take a look at some of the biggest movers in the premarket:

Apollo Global (APO), Athene (ATH) – The private-equity firm’s shares gained 8% in premarket trading following news that it will merge with retirement services company Athene in an all-stock transaction that values Athene at about $11 billion. Athene shares surged 19.6%.

McAfee (MCFE) – The cybersecurity company’s shares jumped 10.9% in premarket trading, following news that it sold its enterprise business to privately held Symphony Technology Group for $4 billion in cash.

Walt Disney (DIS) – Disney will be able to reopen Disneyland after more than a year. California officials cleared theme parks and stadiums to open at reduced capacity on April 1. Separately, Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon” topped the weekend box office with $8.6 million in ticket sales, though that opening was muted after movie theater chain Cinemark (CNK) declined to show the film. Disney rose 1.5% premarket.

General Electric (GE) – GE is near a $30 billion deal to merge its aircraft leasing business with Ireland’s AerCap (AER), according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Wall Street Journal. An announcement is expected as soon as today, in what would be the latest restructuring move by GE. Its stock jumped 2.3% in the premarket, while AerCap shares surged 12.3%.

Adaptive Biotechnologies (ADPT) – Adaptive Biotechnologies received emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for its “T-Detect” test which confirms a recent or prior Covid-19 infection in patients. Its shares soared 11.3% in premarket action.

AT&T (T) – AT&T said Securities and Exchange Commission accusations against three employees are meritless and vowed to challenge them. The SEC alleges that the employees selectively shared information about smartphone sales in 2016, which prompted those analysts to lower their revenue forecasts.

Bumble (BMBL) – The dating service operator received a number of positive analyst recommendations, with Cowen rating the stock “outperform” in new coverage and Stifel and Citi initiating coverage with a “buy” rating, and Bumble shares rose 3.4% Friday. Analysts feel that Bumble is poised for a post-pandemic jump in usage. Despite the positive recommendations, the stock fell 2.8% in premarket trading.

GameStop (GME) – The video game retailer’s stock continues its volatile trading amid more Reddit-related momentum, up 11.4% in the premarket after rising for three straight sessions at the end of last week.

Xpeng (XPEV) – The China-based electric vehicle maker’s shares gained 2.2% in premarket trading after it reported a loss of $120.7 million for its latest quarter, 42% smaller than it had been in the year-ago quarter. Xpeng competitor Nio (NIO) fell 3.1% in premarket action after Jeffries cut its price target on the stock to $38.80 from $60.

Facebook (FB) – A racial bias investigation of Facebook by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has been designated as “systemic,” according to attorneys for four plaintiffs who spoke to Reuters. The plaintiffs are accusing Facebook of bias in hiring and promotions, although the EEOC has not brought any allegations against the social media giant and the investigation may not result in any findings of wrongdoing. Facebook lost 1% in premarket trading.

Coherent (COHR) – Coherent said a revised takeover proposal from optical electronics maker II-VI (IIVI) is superior to its pending merger agreement with Lumentum (LITE). Coherent – a developer of laser-based technology – gave Lumentum until 11:59 p.m. PT on March 11 to submit a revised proposal, or it intends to accept II-VI’s proposal of $170 per share in cash and 1.0981 shares of II-VI common stock for each Coherent share. II-VI stock fell 2.2% in the premarket.

VF Corp (VFC) – VF was upgraded to “buy” from “hold” at Pivotal Research, which cited a variety of factors including relatively easy comparable sales comparisons for Vans and a positive outlook for North Face and Timberland.

Pearson (PSON) – Pearson shares jumped 5.9% in premarket action after the educational publishing company announced a strategy update that more directly targets consumers.

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Okta, Marvell Technology, Vroom & more

Take a look at some of the biggest movers in the premarket:

Okta (OKTA) – Okta tanked 10.5% in premarket trading after announcing it is buying customer management software provider Auth0 for $6.5 billion in stock. The provider of identity management software also reported quarterly earnings of 6 cents per share, compared to consensus forecasts of a 1 cent per share loss. Okta also gave a weaker-than-expected current-quarter earnings forecast.

Marvell Technology (MRVL) – Marvell shares fell 5.9% in the premarket after the chipmaker issued a disappointing outlook and said chip supplies could remain tight throughout the fiscal year. Marvell matched estimates with its latest quarterly earnings, with revenue coming in above analysts’ forecasts.

Vroom (VRM) – Vroom tumbled 14.9% in premarket action after it reported a wider-than-expected loss for its latest quarter, although the online used-car seller’s revenue came in above estimates.

BJ’s Wholesale (BJ) – The warehouse retailer earned 70 cents per share for its latest quarter, beating the 67 cents a share consensus estimate. Revenue topped forecasts as well, and an ex-fuel comparable-store sales increase of 15.9% beat the 15.5% increase anticipated by analysts polled by FactSet. BJ’s declined to provide guidance for 2021 due to pandemic-related uncertainty. Its shares lost 1.6% in premarket trading.

Burlington Stores (BURL) – The retailer of apparel and other merchandise reported quarterly earnings of $2.44 per share, 32 cents a share above estimates. Revenue also exceeded Wall Street forecasts. Comparable-store sales were flat for the quarter versus expectations of a 10% drop.

Ciena (CIEN) – The networking equipment maker beat estimates by 7 cents a share, with quarterly profit of 52 cents per share. Revenue also topped analysts’ projections. Ciena shares fell 3.1% in the premarket, despite beating forecasts.

Rocket Companies (RKT) – Rocket shares moved between gains and losses in premarket trading, following the wide swings of the past few days. The Quicken Loans parent’s stock plunged 33% Wednesday after surging 71% the day before, amid increased attention in online financial forums. The shares were up 1.8% in the premarket.

CureVac (CVAC) – The German drugmaker’s shares rose 4.1% in the premarket after Novartis (NVS) said it would help CureVac manufacture its Covid-19 vaccine once the drug is approved by regulators.

Walt Disney (DIS) – Disney plans to close about 60 of its brick-and-mortar Disney Store locations in North America by the end of the year, as it shifts its focus to its e-commerce operations. There are currently about 300 of the stores worldwide. Disney shares fell 1% in premarket action.

General Electric (GE) – GE shares gained 2.2% in the premarket after Morgan Stanley raised its price target on the stock to a Street-high of $17 per share from $13 a share, based in part on a possibly significant recovery in GE’s aviation segment.

Amazon.com (AMZN) – Amazon is in talks with the National Football League to carry a significant number of games exclusively on its Prime video service, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Wall Street Journal. The deal could see Amazon pay $1 billion for exclusive rights to most Thursday games.

Snowflake (SNOW) – Snowflake lost nearly $199 million in the fourth quarter, more than double the year-ago loss for the cloud database software company. Revenue more than doubled as well during the quarter, topping consensus forecasts. Following a record initial public offering for a software company last year, the lockup on the sale of insider shares will expire tomorrow.

American Eagle (AEO) – American Eagle beat estimates by 3 cents a share, with quarterly profit of 39 cents per share. The apparel retailer’s revenue came in slightly above Wall Street forecasts. American Eagle is also forecasting its best first-quarter sales in three years, driven by growth in its Aerie loungewear and lingerie brand. American Eagle rose 2.2% in the premarket.

Walmart (WMT) – Walmart’s Flipkart unit is exploring the idea of a U.S. listing, possibly through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) merger, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to Bloomberg. Walmart bought a majority stake in the India-based e-commerce company in 2018.

Splunk (SPLK) – The analytics software company reported quarterly profit of 38 cents per share, well above the consensus estimate of 4 cents a share. Splunk also delivered better-than-expected revenue. Its shares gained 3.4% in premarket trading.

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Dow futures up 180 points as stocks look to add to record levels

Pedestrians walk in snow past the Wall Street subway station near the New York Stock Exchange.

Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Futures contracts tied to the major U.S. stock indexes rose in extended trading Monday evening after finishing strong last week.

Dow futures rose 180 points, suggested an implied open of about the same magnitude, while S&P 500 contracts added 19.25 points, or 0.5%. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 67.5 points, or 0.5%.

The U.S. stock market was closed on Monday for Presidents Day.

The major averages finished last week with decent gains even as February’s rally appeared to cool off somewhat. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average posted two little changed days, while the S&P 500 swung within 0.2% for three days in a row.

Still, the S&P 500 finished the week with a gain of 1.2%, while the Dow added 1%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 1.7%. All three closed at record levels on Friday.

Stock strategists say the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine, economic reopening and expectations for more fiscal stimulus are key to the market’s buoyant February thus far.

“Covid is far from defeated, but the path toward economic normalization is clearer as more vaccines that reduce hospitalizations and eliminate fatalities are approved,” Dennis DeBusschere, strategist at Evercore ISI, said in an email.

“Treasury Secretary [Janet] Yellen’s forceful arguments for additional stimulus followed by Fed Chair [Jerome] Powell describing maximum employment as ‘our national goal’ helped lift bond yields, inflation expectations, and oil prices last week,” he added.

The Dow has gained 4.9% in February, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq have rallied 5.9% and 7.8%, respectively. The S&P 500 has raked in ten record closes in 2021.

Pedestrians walk past a snow covered bull sculpture during a late season nor’easter in New York.

Lucas Jackson | Reuters

Still, DeBusschere warned that rising interest rates and an uncertain policy outlook could keep trading from growing too frothy in the near term and recommended investors stick to cyclical stocks that could see the most upside as the U.S. economy recovers.

Those so-called cyclical sectors, those most sensitive to an economic rebound, have led the rally in February. Energy is up more than 13% month to date, with financials and materials also among the leading sectors.

Freezing weather in regions across the U.S. sparked another rally in energy futures on Monday and put West Texas Intermediate crude contracts above $60 a barrel for the first time since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

In corporate news, CVS Health, Occidental Petroleum, Palantir and others will report earnings on Tuesday.

Executives from Robinhood, Melvin Capital and Citadel are scheduled to testify before the House Financial Services Committee on Thursday. Lawmakers are likely to grill the group on the wild trading in GameStop and other heavily shorted equities.

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WandaVision brings back Pietro Maximoff played by Evan Peters

Elizabeth Olsen stars as Wanda Maximoff in “WandaVision” on Disney+.

Disney

Kevin Feige warned us that the Marvel series on Disney+ would have implications for the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe. And he’s kept that promise.

On Friday, the fifth episode of “WandaVision” arrived on the streaming service, bringing with it a major cameo that has left viewers with a lot to ponder before episode six arrives next week. The reveal not only has ramifications within the sitcom-based TV show, but for the entire Marvel universe… or should I say multiverse.

Now would be a good time to look away if you haven’t seen the most recent episode of “WandaVision.”

**Spoilers ahead**

The fifth episode, titled “On a Very Special Episode…,” our ragtag team of FBI Agent Jimmy Woo, Dr. Darcy Lewis and Captain Monica Rambeau inch closer to understanding the Westview anomaly. 

Meanwhile, Vision, still part of the simulation, but now set in the ’80s, grows more and more suspicious of the world around him. Neighbors have begun to act strangely, his twin sons age at their own will and his wife, Wanda, while attempting to dismiss his concerns, only causes them to grow.

Just as the newly minted husband and wife are set for a superpowered argument, the doorbell rings. Wanda, confused by this twist, answers. Standing on the front poor is Pietro Maximoff, just not that Pietro Maximoff.

Elizabeth Olsen stars as Wanda Maximoff in “WandaVision” on Disney+ with special guest Evan Peters as Pietro Maximoff.

Disney

It’s Peter Evans, not Aaron Taylor-Johnson that appears on the other side of the door. The actor portrayed the mutant Quicksilver in several X-Men films, which up until 2019 were owned by 20th Century Fox.

It’s hinted that Wanda had not planned to bring her brother into her sitcom simulation. After all, only a few scenes prior Wanda refuses to bring her sons’ deceased puppy back from the dead.

“You can fix anything mom, fix dead,” one son remarks. After declining, even nosy neighbor Agnes, who is theorized to be pulling at least some of the strings of Wanda’s simulation, asked if she actually could do that. 

“I am trying to tell you that there are rules in life,” Wanda explains to her two boys. “We can’t just rush aging because it’s convenient and we can’t reverse death no matter how sad it makes us. Some things are forever.”

This statement sparks two questions: Is Vision dead or has Wanda (or someone else) brought him back? And Did Wanda bring back a different Pietro accidentally or did someone else?

Both will likely be answered before the credits roll on the final episode in just a few weeks. 

Already, audiences have gotten glimpses of what happened prior to the Westview anomaly early in the episode when Wanda appeared on security camera footage stealing Vision’s body from a secret lab. And there are likely plenty of Easter eggs yet to be uncovered that provide more clues.

Welcome to the multiverse

So, what about this new Pietro?

Before Disney acquired Fox’s entertainment brands in a deal worth $71 billion, the two studios made an agreement. Disney could use Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, but could not make reference to them being mutants or being the children of Magneto. It’s why in “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” Wanda and Pietro derived their powers from an infinity stone and not genetically.

Keen viewers might have noticed during Friday’s episode that when Tyler Hayward, the director of S.W.O.R.D., asked if Wanda had a moniker like some of the other Avengers it was said that she did not. Wanda has never been called Scarlet Witch in any of the MCU movies.

As for Fox, the studio was permitted to utilize Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch in its films as long as it did not make any references to the Avengers. In fact, Peters’ Quicksilver goes by Peter and not Pietro.

Elizabeth Olsen stars as Wanda Maximoff in “WandaVision” on Disney+ alongside Paul Bettany as Vision.

Disney

In recent months, rumors have circulated as Marvel executives have hired some familiar faces to return in future MCU films.

Disney has already confirmed that Jamie Foxx will return as Electro, from “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” which featured Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man. And Alfred Molina, who portrayed Doctor Octopus during Tobey McGuire’s turn as the famed webslinger, is also confirmed as appearing in the film. 

Benedict Cumberbatch’s Dr. Strange is also set to appear.

There has been speculation that other characters from the MCU, or even from the previous iterations of Spider-Man, will join the cast, but Disney has not confirmed these rumors.

The return of Pietro in the form of Peters signals that Marvel is already on its way to exploring the multiverse. This was teased during San Diego Comic-Con in 2019 when Marvel announced that the Doctor Strange sequel would be called “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”

For those unfamiliar, the Marvel multiverse is just a fancy way of saying a collection of alternate universes. They are similar in nature to each other, but have slight variations. It’s a very popular concept in comic books, as it allows writers to reinvent characters and storylines for new generations.

With Wanda already confirmed as part of the Doctor Strange sequel and Doctor Strange part of “Spider-Man 3” it’s no surprise that Marvel is sprinkling bread crumbs early. After all, the seeds of the infinity stones show up in “Thor” and “Captain America: The First Avenger” long before they are named as such.

Marvel used the mind, power, reality, soul, space and time gems over the course of a decade, using them to weave in new characters and situations that ultimately led to “Avengers: Infinity War” and the highest-grossing film of all time “Avengers: Endgame.” 

Introducing the multiverse in “WandaVision” works on multiple levels for Disney. Not only are they setting a path for future MCU movies and shows, the company is also making its streaming content must-see television. Fans have to watch these shows if they don’t want to miss out on plotlines or character introductions that will be integrated into feature-length films.

“WandaVision” may have been the first Marvel project to debut since “Spider-Man: Far From Home” in July 2019, but it won’t be the last in 2021. On Disney+, it will be quickly followed by “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” in March, “Loki” in May and the animated series “What If…?” in the summer.

Theatrically, Marvel is set to debut “Black Widow” on May 7, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” on July 9, “Eternals” on Nov. 5 and its co-produced “Spider-Man 3” on Dec. 17.

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