WandaVision episode 9 has everyone questioning whether Agents of SHIELD is still canon

Wanda Maximoff in WandaVision
(Image credit: Disney/Marvel)

Warning: major spoilers ahead for WandaVision episode 9, so turn back now if you haven't seen the latest episode!

WandaVision episode 9 saw Wanda finally embrace her true self: the Scarlet Witch. There's plenty to discuss about the new episode – and we've got all your biggest questions answered here – but one thing in particular that has fans puzzled is whether Wanda just blasted Agents of SHIELD from the MCU canon.

It all comes down to the presence of a certain book: the Darkhold. This is basically a huge spell book, with everything Wanda needs to become an even more powerful witch. It's popped up before in both Agents of SHIELD and Runaways, though with a completely different look, and a different origin story to its comic book counterpart.

With the totally different style of the two Darkholds, it's possible that these versions of the book aren't the same at all. Could they be different copies of the same book, or even different spell tomes with the same ominous name? Otherwise, it's looking like WandaVision just scrubbed Agents of SHIELD from the canon entirely. Although, with Marvel appearing to be embracing the multiverse going forward, it's possible that Runaways and Agents of SHIELD will be shunted to another 'verse instead. 

In fact, in Agents of SHIELD, the book was said to come from Doctor Strange's nemesis Dormammu. Considering Agatha Harkness name-checked the Sorcerer Supreme in this episode, could this be a bridge between WandaVision and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness? If that's the case, it's likely Agents of SHIELD will remain canon in some way. The book played a key role in Agents of SHIELD, with the show's version of Ghost Rider being closely linked to the Darkhold.

Whatever's going on with the Darkhold, two of the key things to take away from this episode is that Agatha survived her showdown with Wanda, and Wanda made off with the book. This particular plotline, then, hasn't been closed for good.

Though WandaVision wrapped up with episode 9, the MCU will be back before you know it with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which premieres on Disney Plus March 19, 2021. Until then, check out everything we know so far about Marvel Phase 4.  

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Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.