WandaVision's Nexus Commercial Explained

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for WandaVision episode 7.

WandaVision has even included a commercial break, although the ads have proved disturbingly symbolic. Most have been associated with moments of trauma in Wanda Maximoff's life, calling out the death of her parents or the tragedy at Lagos when her powers failed to save innocents from Crossbones' bomb.

But the commercial in WandaVision episode 7 was different. Rather than refer directly to Wanda Maximoff herself, it was focused upon a supposed new wonder antidepressant called "Nexus." This was geared towards women who felt the world had gone on without them, and who desperately wanted to be left alone. According to the ad, Nexus is "a unique antidepressant that works to anchor you back to your reality - or the reality of your choice." The commercial cautions that Nexus has some pretty dramatic side-effects, though; "feeling your feelings, confronting your truth, seizing your destiny, and possibly more depression."

Outside of WandaVision, the term "Nexus" is an important one in Marvel Comics lore, tied to two concepts: the Nexus of All Realities, and so-called "nexus beings." So what exactly does this advert refer to?

The Nexus Of All Realities In The Comics

In the comics, the Nexus of All Realities is an area in the Florida Everglades where the fabric of spacetime is exceedingly threadbare, allowing powerful sorcerers to traverse the dimensions and achieve tremendous feats by tapping into its power. The precise origin of the Nexus of All Realities is unclear, although 1972's Fear #11 appears to suggest it was created when a young woman used an ancient spell from a forbidden book of magic; other aspects of the Nexus across the Multiverse appear to have been naturally formed, however. The Nexus of All Realities on Earth is traditionally guarded by the Man-Thing, although it is unclear how he was appointed to this role.

The Nexus is more than a mere doorway, however; it serves a crucial role in maintaining the balance between all realities. As the sorcerer Dakimh explained it in Fear #19, the various dimensions are held in a delicate state of balance, preventing alternate realities from converging and possibly destroying one another. If this balance is lost somehow, then the very structure of reality itself will collapse, with a million million universes colliding. Thus the Man-Thing's role as guardian of the Nexus of All Realities is an essential one - and, indeed, there are similar guardians appointed to protect every such portal.

The Nexus Of All Realities In The MCU

The Thor: The Dark World confirming there are indeed portals that allow people to move one from one world to another, and potentially between the dimensions as well; Loki was aware of some secret and forbidden routes to escape Asgard, and they may well have been more potent due to the cosmic Convergence taking place at the time. Later, in one key scene, noted astrophysicist Erik Selvig was shown performing a lecture on the nature of the Multiverse; although this is best ed for its Stan Lee cameo, this actually introduced several key ideas into the MCU.

Some of Selvig's notes on the chalkboard were lifted from real-world science and quantum mechanics, but others referenced ideas straight from the comics. Thor: Ragnarok expanded upon this idea, with the planet Sakaar sitting at the center of a network of unstable portals that could be used to traverse the cosmos. It, too, contained a nod to the Nexus of All Realities; the Grandmaster's Tower included a homage to the Man-Thing, suggesting the guardian of the Nexus had found his way to Sakaar and presumably been killed by another of the Grandmaster's champions in the end.

Nexus Beings Explained

The comics have also used the term "nexus" to describe another mystical, Multiversal phenomenon. In 1992's What If..? #35, a speech from the Watcher introduced the concept of so-called "nexus beings," described as "rare individual entities with the power to affect probabilities --- and thus the future." There have only been a handful of nexus beings throughout history, although many possess time travel abilities and consequently have interacted with one another; Merlin was one, and so is Kang the Conqueror. But according to the Watcher, Scarlet Witch is one of the most powerful of all, serving as a keystone of the Multiverse itself.

The idea hasn't been consistently developed in the comics, but it did catch Elizabeth Olsen's eye back in 2013. "Like, she's a 'nexus,'" she explained in one interview. "Like she's the only human being from this universe who can communicate with paranormal things and the past and the future and other universes; like to me that's pretty incredible! Like just thinking about that is amazing! To touch things and know where they've been, that's crazy!"

Which 'Nexus' Is WandaVision Referring To?

This naturally raises the question of just which "nexus" the commercial in WandaVision is referring to - the Nexus of All Realities, or Wanda's being a Nexus Being. The structure of the ad offers an important clue, because it positions "Nexus" as an antidepressant that can be taken by someone who is struggling - suggesting it is something external to Scarlet Witch herself, that she is using in an attempt to medicate her grief and depression. Presumably Scarlet Witch somehow learned the Nexus of All Realities in the MCU is situated at Westview, and used its power to create this false sitcom-world.

If this is the Nexus of All Realities, then the continuous arc between WandaVision, the MCU's new Sorcerer Supreme.

More: WandaVision Episode 7 Post-Credits Scene Explained