WandaVision: Buffy the Vampire Slayer easter egg spotted by fans in new Marvel series
Marvel’s new Disney+ series WandaVision arrived on the streaming service last week, and has already earned plenty of praise.
The series, which stars Elizabeth Olsen as the telekinetic Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany as Vision, is set in a series of parodies of 20th-century US sitcoms, with the first two episodes appropriating the look and feel of programmes from the 1950s and 1960s.
Many viewers were quick to spot Emma Caulfield Ford – the actor best known for playing the vengeance demon Anya in Joss Whedon’s cult sci-fi series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (credited at the time as Emma Caulfield) – among the show’s supporting cast .
And some eagle-eyed fans noticed a much more discrete nod to Buffy in WandaVision’s second episode.
In the show, Caulfield Ford appears as “Dottie”, a suburban neighbour of Wanda’s, who hosts the local talent competition.
The episode revolves around Wanda and Vision’s performance at the contest, which involves a selection of magic tricks – including one with a live rabbit, known as Señor Scratchy.
In Buffy, a running joke in later seasons is Anya’s incongruous fear of bunnies, and in one Halloween episode, the character is even seen dressing in a full-body rabbit outfit.
#WandaVision any Buffy The Vampire Slyer fans thinking about this … 🐇 pic.twitter.com/Xq8VBy7hMr
— BattlePope (@IGGYPOPEGAMING) January 16, 2021
However, in WandaVision, Wanda and Vision are surprised to find to find that Dottie awards their magic act the top prize, claiming she found it hilarious.
Fans pointed out the moment online, with many convinced that the allusion was deliberate.
Yes, Anya! 😊 When she brought the big rabbit I nearly spit my drink all over… Anya was afraid of bunnies in Buffy… & dressed as one for a Halloween episode. 🐇
— GammaMa Donna (@dStorymoon) January 17, 2021
OMG just realized on 2d viewing of @wandavision that Anya from Buffy shares a scene with a bunny!
We all know how Anya felt about bunnies, right? pic.twitter.com/ebqVlm0VRm— Steve Klepper (@MDAppeal) January 16, 2021
I’m also loving the meta-contextual take on Emma Caulfield who plays Anya on Buffy who hates BUNNIES 😂 but is the cross-property subtext ONLY meta? Or is it a super sneaky way to connect these things? The devil’s in the details!
— The Mutant Menace! 🏳️🌈 (@TheMutantMenace) January 18, 2021
The first two episodes of WandaVision can be streamed on Disney+ now, with new episodes arriving every Friday.
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