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The Time Variance Authority, or TVA, from the Disney+ series Loki, currently has its own Marvel Comics series, which is picking up on many of the threads from the show’s second season, and fan-favorite character Spider-Gwen has taken on a central role in the book, suggesting a possible path for her to join the MCU.
In TVA #4 – written by Katharyn Blair, with art by Père Perez – everyone is having visions of the inner workings of the TVA, and a mysterious green-cloaked figure leads Spider-Gwen to the TVA’s depths. Gwen travels to the Department of Deferment (DoD), where she discovers the Scarlet Witch variant from the MCU, who is now frozen in a cryo chamber.
Gwen observes that this Scarlet Witch has been “fridged,” a controversial comic book trope, and frees her, but in the process, accidentally sets Nightmare free as well.
Spider-Gwen’s Chances Of Joining The MCU Just Went Up, Thanks To Marvel’s “TVA” Comic
TVA #4 – Written ByKatharyn Blair; Art By Père Perez; Color By Guru-eFX; Lettering By Joe Sabino
The connections between Marvel’s TVA comic and the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been obvious from the start, yet the most pressing question became whether any of these characters could join the MCU by way of the TVA. Most notably, fans are hopeful that this could open the door to a live-action version of Spider-Gwen, whose prominent role in TVA is just the latest example of her major popularity within the fandom; in TVA #4, Gwen brings Wanda back to life, advancing the MCU character’s story through the comics, while also setting up her own future on-screen appearance.
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In TVA #4, Scarlet Witch is in the Department of Deferment, where some variants are seemingly put aside and saved for later. Now that she is active again, if Wanda does return to the MCU, it will probably be in Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars. Either of these movies woul be perfect for a Multiverse-hopping veteran like Spider-Gwen to enter the film continuity. Notably, TVA #4 also introduces a powerful Nightmare variant, he was originally intended to be the villain for Multiverse of Madness, so maybe he is being deferred for a later movie as well.
Marvel Calls Itself Out For “Fridging” The MCU Scarlet Witch & Uses The “TVA” Series To Fix That
How The Series Subverts A Controversial Trope
Spider-Gwen and Wanda’s scene in TVA #4 is also notable for being an example of “reverse fridging,”; fridging is the comic book trope in which supporting characters, often women, killed off or harmed in someway to further develop the main character of the story, essentially acting as a plot device and nothing more. The term was inspired by Green Lantern (1990) #54 – written by Ron Marz and art by Derec Donovan – where Kyle Rayner’s girlfriend, Alex DeWitt, was killed by his nemesis and stuffed inside a refrigerator for Kyle to find when he got home.
The fact that Gwen rescues Wanda from stasis is a more significant moment than it might seem at first.
In TVA #4, Marvel offers a course correction for killing off Wanda in the MCU, which some fans argued was a form of “fridging” of a major female superhero. Gwen Stacy, famously, was an example of “fridging” in the Spider-Man mythos; her death was the character’s legacy for decades before Spider-Gwen was introduced, and quickly became the iconic version of the character. So, the fact that Gwen rescues Wanda from stasis is a more significant moment than it might seem at first. With that in mind, as much as the TVA series is continuing where Loki left off, it is also possibly setting up Spider-Gwen’s MCU arrival.
TVA #4 is available now from Marvel Comics.
“}]] Spider-Gwen’s path to the MCU, explained. Read More