Which sitcom is WandaVision episode 2 spoofing? How Bewitched inspires the new Marvel show

Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen in WandaVision

(Image credit: Disney)

It’s no secret that WandaVision is hugely inspired by vintage sitcoms. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has talked about how influential they were, and the first episode bore more than a passing resemblance to The Dick Van Dyke Show. For the next instalment in the reality-twisting series, WandaVision episode 2 transported us back to the ‘60s, with all the retro hairdos we could dream of – and a dash of magic.

This episode is again inspired by one sitcom in particular. Bewitched ran from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery as a witch named Samantha, and Dick York, then Dick Sargent, as her regular human husband Darrin. Sound familiar?

Housewitches

Wanda Maximoff is also known as her superhero alias Scarlet Witch. Her powers come from one of the Infinity Stones, but they might as well be magical – they can send objects flying across the room, blast red coloured energy, let her fly, and allow her to manipulate people’s minds. Basically, Scarlet Witch is a witch – just like Samantha. While Vision isn’t really an ordinary human, considering he’s an android, he does disguise himself as one pretty well.

In Bewitched, Darrin wants to live an ordinary life in suburbia – which Samantha goes along with, to the chagrin of her supernatural family. Of course, in WandaVision, it’s probably safe to assume that the couples’ blissful existence is all Wanda’s idea, as Vision has been dead since Avengers: Infinity War. Maybe we can consider the mysterious man on the radio to be somewhat like Samantha’s interfering family, though?

Plus, one of the main plot points throughout Bewitched is the risk that magic might be revealed to others – and Wanda seems to be worried about something similar, too. Samantha tries to conceal anything mystical from other normal people, just like Wanda hiding Vision's powers. And when Samantha does magic, her nose wrinkles: when Wanda tries to cover up for Vision using his real powers at the talent show, she does so with a flick of her fingers.

Cartoon characters

Bewitched intro — (Image credit: Sony Pictures Television/ABC)

WandaVision episode 2 has a charming little animated intro, with all kinds of shenanigans taking place – and potentially even a hidden, new MCU villain. Bewitched has a very similar intro, though without any mysterious cameos. It’s got cartoon versions of the two main characters, however, and Samantha magically transforms into a cat and back again, to Darrin’s surprise.

The third episode of WandaVision looks set to take us into the '70s, with a transition into full colour at the end of episode two. To make sure you don't miss any of the vintage action, check out our WandaVision release schedule.

I'm the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.