The reality of Project Cataract and it’s multiple meanings.
cutting through the layers of cake that are Marvel references
The mysteries of Westview are just beginning to unravel as we near what seems to be the final episodes of the hit new Disney+ series WandaVision. While some questions have been answered, many are still left to our imagination and I’m sure there are still more queries on the horizon. One idea the plot has presented is an encrypted S.W.O.R.D. file named Project Cataract, and so far we have very little information. Yet we have all of the information we need to understand the many implications it may allude to. Cataract, how specific, isn’t that what dogs get when they grow old? Yes, in fact many if not all animals can develop this condition over time. It is a clouding of the normally clear lens of the eye. In some cases it is treatable and in others it is life long and can even lead to blindness. Now I doubt Director Hayward is forming a nonprofit to help those affected by this disease but Cataract is the perfect word to explain his intentions, as well as many other things occurring in the show. By going through the most common symptoms of this condition, we will explore all of its multiple meanings
1. Halos around lights.
Director Hayward is for all intents and purposes our Villain for the majority of the show. Yes we know there are other goings on in Westview that lead to the tragic anomaly, but it is made clear in his introduction that he is a no nonsense authoritative figure who believes he has been wronged by the aftermath bestowed to the world by the Avengers. Pair that with a keen interest in using technology to develop weapons for “protection against other worldly threats’ and bibbidi-bobbidi-boo you have the makings of a cookie cutter human villain that the MCU holds near and dear. What does this have to do with halos around lights? Well if Project Cataract is indeed the Director’s primary mission, it falls directly in line with his utter disdain for the Avengers and other super powered individuals. Individuals that in the eyes of the public are seen as angelic like figures, sent to save us from the evils the universe holds, lights in the dark, adorned with halos on their heads. Hayward has not succumbed to this disease and instead wishes to cure the world by developing weapons to protect the public from what he deems the problem. Sounds all very Ultron inspired if you ask me, but we will hold that thought for just a moment.
2. Blurred Vision.
The most common side effect of Cataracts is blurred vision or otherwise known as double vision. This one has a lot to unpack but I promise to give you the jolt to the heart you will need to stay with me! Let’s continue on with Hayward and his master plan. We learned that S.W.O.R.D. and more specifically Hayward had recovered The Vision’s body from Wakanda after the events of Infinity War. Giving him 5 years to study, analyze and deconstruct Wanda’s beloved. The extent of his research is unknown but it’s safe to say there is some form of weapon being developed to use against the remaining Avengers and first on the list are the culprits behind the Westview Anomaly.
The Vision once famously stated that the Avengers’ “Very strength incites challenge, challenge incites conflict and conflict breeds catastrophe.” This parallelism between characters will echo throughout the MCU. We see this most with Iron-Man, who’s intellect, arrogance, recklessness and power create the very threats he seeks to protect people from. Iron Monger, Justin Hammer, Whiplash, Aldrich Killian, Mysterio, all directly created by Tony. Captain America indirectly creates the Red Skull, and with the help of the Falcon, creates the super terrorist CrossBones. Ant-Man Creates Yellow Jacket and Ghost and later we see it with the Avengers, creating Ultron, Baron Von Strucker, the “Enhanced Twins’ ‘ and Baron Zemo who ultimately tears them apart in Civil War. There are many more examples but there are only a few unique forms of this theme in the MCU and it is the Villain creating the Hero. Ego literally creating Starlord as his offspring has HUGE implications in the MCU. Introducing us to the Celestials and fleshing out the hierarchy of the cosmic side of the MCU. Thanos indirectly creates the Avengers, by equipping Loki with his scepter and Chitauri army and then when Ultron creates The Vision.
We all know how significant Thanos creating the Avengers is and Ultron creating Vision should be treated with the same level of implication. The implication is that Director Hayward does not intend on creating a new vision, but intends on resurrecting Visions’ double, Ultron. This is supported by the latest “commercial break’’ seen in episode 7 of WandaVision. The focus of the commercial is an anti-depression pill called Nexus. Given the context of WandaVision, this is a direct reference to the World Internet Hub aka The Nexus. In the Avengers: Age of Ultron, this is where Jarvis goes to hide from and undermine Ultron, and although it is said that Vision erased all traces of Ultron from the Net, it is entirely possible that he did not. Tony himself said that no one could find him because Jarvis himself didn’t even know he was in there. He was salvaged from backed up protocols. As the acting leader of S.W.O.R.D. Hayward would definitely know about Ultron’s presence in the Nexus and could bring him back the same way Stark did Jarvis, all he is missing is the right body. Bringing back Ultron from the Nexus could be the cure for the widespread depression the world has experienced after the Snap. Or at least to Hayward it is.
Another way to interpret the meaning of double vision comes via our newly superpowered protagonist Captain Monica Rambaue. Disregarding Darci’s warnings and data, Rambaue continues to push her body’s molecular structure by passing through Wanda’s reality warping Hex more times than anyone else on the planet. Resulting in her acquiring new abilities, many of which are unclear at the moment. However the one that isn’t hard to see is that she is now capable of a new version of sight, allowing her to see the type of energy that makes up the objects in the world around her. -SPOILER ALERT- if this is staying true to the comics, Later Monica will not only be able to see the energy around her but also harness and copy any form of energy within our known universe. This makes her one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe, dwarfing the likes of Carol Danvers’ Captain Marvel. In fact, Monica Rambaue held the title of Captain Marvel before Carol Danvers was even conceptualized. Rambaue has yet to take up a moniker, whether it be Spectrum, Pulsar or Photon and it isn’t out of the question to think she could replace Brie Larson’s version of the character entirely, but for now she has quite literally acquired double vision, giving cataracts a whole new meaning.
3. The inability to see in dim light.
Are you still with me? This one is more straightforward but far more philosophical. As Wanda’s innocence is lost, so is her hope in the world, tearing her psyche into madness and thus creating a much darker universe for herself and those around her. This sadness has caused her to isolate herself from the world and with every grueling day she fails to maintain the illusion of happiness and harmony that she so desperately craves. As she is reminded of the world she left behind, fragments of the truth stare her in the face for moments at a time. This is all that needs to happen to drag Wanda down into oblivion. She can find no solace in her imaginary home when she comes face to face with the lifeless cold metal shell she once knew as her husband, or the gory decaying body of her bullet riddled twin brother. There is no telling of the melancholy she may be consumed by if she were to find out her children were anything but legitimate. Her emotions and paranoia are running rampant and as her judgement becomes more clouded, it is more and more difficult for her to see any light in this dark and dim world. Until Wanda accepts that she is alone she may never see clearly again.
4. The loss of Vision
This is what everything leads to. In the most serious cases of Cataracts, the loss of vision is the final result. In the case of Wanda Maximoff, it is the ultimate truth she will have to face and eventually accept. It seems the Hex is the only thing keeping Vision “alive” and to get rid of the Hex is to lose Vision forever. It could be possible for Wanda to resurrect Vision more permanently, being as though her powers were given to her by the Mind Stone, the very thing that seems to power Vision in the first place. I mean she was able to destroy it with one hand while holding back Thanos, who had FIVE stones on his Gauntlet already. Imagine what she could do with two hands and a clear conscience! But without some guidance and a lot of therapy, Wanda does not appear to be approaching a stable state of mind anytime soon. Accepting the death of Vision might be the only thing that can start her on that path to begin with. Only time will tell if and when she will get to this resolution. After all, finding a Doctor good enough to help a superpowered witch find closure over killing her sythozoid husband and the murdered of her twin brother by the hands of her Robot AI brother in law sounds like a rather Strange task.
The Writers at Marvel Studios are slowly perfecting the art of layered references. Built on the groundwork of thousands of stories and characters born from the comic books. The idea of presenting information with surface level value and having it develop deeper meaning as time goes on is what fans like myself live for. It is an amazing feeling to have that lightbulb in your head light up when you realize that something as simple as the title of a S.W.O.R.D. computer file can set up not only the master plot of a Villain but also echo the themes and feelings our characters deal with throughout their adventures. I am sure there will be a lot more to discover as this universe we think we are beginning to know starts getting larger and more complex.
