As soon as Evan Peters’ Pietro magically appeared on Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen)’s doorstep at the end of WandaVision Episode 5, viewers immediately tried to figure out what his presence could possibly mean. Peters played the role in 20th Century Fox’s X-Men franchise, and since Disney now owns Fox, fans wondered if a cinematic universe crossover was in the works. When this wasn't the case, many were left wondering what the significance of Peters' role in the show was. It couldn't all be leading up to that “Boehner” joke, right? Finally, show creator Jac Schaeffer has shared the real reason Peters was chosen to play Pietro/Quicksilver.

While the MCU’s Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) faced an untimely end in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Peters’ Quicksilver is decked out in ’90s garb and equipped with snappy catchphrases. Even though he doesn’t resemble Taylor-Johnson that much, Wanda still immediately recognizes him as her kin. In a recent episode of Empire Magazine’s film podcast, Schaeffer shared that this creative decision was made to clue us in on how Wanda is dealing with her grief.

“We had a grief counselor come to the [writers] room, and we did some research on grief, and there’s a lot about how people remember faces,” explained Schaeffer. “The anxiety of not remembering the faces of your loved ones, misremembering, or actively misremembering things as a self-preservation tactic—all of that became fascinating to us, and we thought that by casting Evan [Peters] in the role, it would not only have that effect on Wanda, but it would have this meta layer for the audience, as well.”

There you have it. Wanda’s memory of her brother has been obscured by time, causing her to accept the Pietro at her doorstep even though he’s clearly not the real deal. Most likely, Agatha knew this too, which is why she sent him to the Maximoff residence in the first place. The meta connection to X-Men doesn’t have anything to do with a future multiverse plot. It’s just a hidden reference for Marvel fans to enjoy.

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