The Super Bowl was stacked full of surprises – and we're not just talking about Kansas City Chiefs' miraculous comeback. Midway through the final quarter, Marvel's Disney Plus trailer debuted, showcasing new footage from Falcon and the Winter Soldier, WandaVision, and Loki.
While 30 seconds may not seem like a long time to show off three separate shows, the trailer packed in so much we're still processing everything. There was Scarlet Witch in comic-book accurate costume, Sam Wilson using Captain America's shield, Bucky holding a gun to Baron Zemo's head, and Loki being locked in some sort of time prison. But there's more.
Look a little closer and there are some huge comic-book connections that could hint at the stories each series is going to tell. Was that Scarlet Witch with a baby bump? And who are the mysterious TVA keeping Loki imprisoned? Let's take a closer look at the comic-book references in Marvel's Disney Plus trailer.
WandaVision: Is Scarlet Witch pregnant?
The footage from WandaVision came fast – a montage of moments from the series in which both Scarlet Witch and The Vision look extremely different in each version. One of those versions sees the super-powered couple standing over two cribs.
Readers of The Vision comics will know that the pair end up having twins, called Speed and Wiccan. Speed has powers akin to Scarlett's brother, Quicksilver, while Wiccan has magical abilities more like his mother.
What's also interesting here is how similar the premise of the show aligns itself with Tom King's run of Vision comics. According to WandaVision's official synopses, the show has a "classic sitcom" vibe as the former Avengers live "their ideal suburban lives" before the "suspect that everything is not as it seems".
In the comic, Vision creates a family of synthetics rather than partnering with Wanda and having children. However, they do live in suburban America, there are four family members, and their minds all eventually crumble into madness as the family deteriorates. Could we see a similar deterioration in WandaVision? The multiverse will no doubt leave the Visions confused – and, before it all finally ends up on Disney Plus, we'll probably remain confused too.
Falcon and Winter Solder: U.S. Agent
Around the 20 second mark, a person in what's seemingly a Captain America suit runs out into a stadium. It's almost blink-and-you-miss-it, but the quick clip features a character who will be key to the Falcon and Winter Solder series: U.S. Agent.
Played by Wyatt Russell, the character is indeed related to Captain America. Real name John Walker, he started off as the supervillain Super-Patriot – basically a corporation-built superhero meant to replace Captain America – before taking on the name U.S. Agent in the comics. Before that, though, Walker also takes on the mantle of Captain America after Steve Rogers' death, only to try and return the shield to Rogers after his comeback.
How the character will fit into the Disney Plus series remains unknown, though his costume and arrival at the Super Bowl-like event implies he's doing the rounds as a patriotic Captain America stand-in. How that flies with the eponymous members of the Avengers remains to be seen.
Loki: TVA
Filming on Loki has barely begun, yet we've already had a quick glimpse of where the God of Mischief has found himself: locked up by a mysterious organisation whose initials are 'TVA'.
Comic-book fans will recognise those letters as standing for: Time Variance Authority, a group who monitor what people are doing on various timelines. They often take action to stop people from creating timelines that are too dangerous, or prevent people from going back and forth in time.
How they will play into Loki remains to be seen. All we know is the series takes place "after the events of Avengers: Endgame," according to the official synopses. And seeing as Loki died in Infinity War, but hoped into another timeline in Endgame, we can't wait to see how this time-tangling situation plays out.
Want to read more about all the new Marvel TV shows coming your way? Then check out our guide to Marvel Phase 4.
