WandaVision Episode 7 “Breaking the Fourth Wall” finally introduced us to Monica Rambeau’s (Teyonah Parris) aerospace engineer friend…or did it? Early on in this week’s WandaVision episode, Monica and Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) rendezvous with some S.W.O.R.D. officers who are willing to hook Monica up with a vehicle designed to break through the barrier surrounding Westview. People thought that aerospace engineer would be Reed Richards or even Riri Williams. Now it seems that person is someone called Major Goodner?!? Who?!?
Let’s back up and explain our major confusion over Major Goodner on WandaVision. A few weeks ago, Monica Rambeau very pointedly teased that she knew an aerospace engineer at S.W.O.R.D. whom would love the challenge of breaking through the CMBR barrier Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) had positioned around Westview. Marvel fans immediately started speculating that this aerospace engineer could be none other than Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, aka the leader of the Fantastic Four.
While WandaVision has been subtly giving us a bizillion Fantastic Four Easter eggs, the arrival of Major Goodner throws cold water on these theories. Or does it?
Who is Major Goodner in WandaVision and how is she related to the Marvel comics? And is she the aerospace engineer?
WHO PLAYS MAJOR GOODNER IN WANDAVISION?
Major Goodner, the helpful pal who loyally comes to Monica Rambeau’s aid in WandaVision, is played by Rachael Thompson. You might recognize her from her part as Lily Langford on Ozark, but her biggest roles to date have been in shows This is Why I’m Single and I Am Frankie. She was also an uncredited Beach Party Girl in Magic Mike; good for her! That sounds like a fun gig!
IS WANDAVISION‘S MAJOR GOODNER A MARVEL CHARACTER?
Uh…not in the comics? Major Goodner is a wholly original character name that was seemingly invented for WandaVision. From her conversation with Monica, it sounds like she served with Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) and still feels loyalty to Maria’s vision of S.W.O.R.D. In fact it’s suggested that the team that brings Monica the highly-armored space rover is all Team Rambeau. Suck on that, Director Hayward (Josh Stamberg)!
IS MAJOR GOODNER THE AEROSPACE ENGINEER MONICA TEXTED IN WANDAVISION?
In a rather frustrating turn of events, we don’t know for sure! The way Monica introduces us to her suggests that Goodner was her aerospace engineer contact the whole time. That’s confusing only because Goodner is not a famous character from the comics and the way Monica basically winked when she talked about her “aerospace engineer” friend led us to believe someone big was coming.
However, it is possible that Goodner is just part of this aerospace engineer’s team, and not the aerospace engineer Monica was texting. After all, Goodner shows up with a whole team. The real aerospace engineer could still be working in the shadows, just waiting for a splashy debut…
SO WHY DO PEOPLE THINK THE AEROSPACE ENGINEER IN WANDAVISION WAS SUPPOSED TO BE REED RICHARDS?
Ever since the Fox/Disney merger, the rights to key Marvel properties like the X-Men and the Fantastic Four have reverted back Marvel Studios. That means that Kevin Feige can finally make a good Fantastic Four movie rooted in the MCU. And Marvel is planning on it! Not only that, but everything we’ve learned about S.W.O.R.D. in WandaVision seems to be teasing a potential Fantastic Four origin story.
When Monica Rambeau made a big to-do about knowing an aerospace engineer, Marvel fans took it to mean Reed Richards. So the expectation was that we would finally meet one of the greatest legacy characters in comics in the MCU for the first time…on a random hill in New Jersey in the middle of WandaVision Episode 7.
It sounds silly when put like that, huh?
But seriously, WandaVision is full of hints that the Fantastic Four’s introduction to the MCU is closer than ever before. The ambiguity about this aerospace engineer — and Major Goodner’s role in the creation of the rover — is what’s led fans to assume Reed Richards was on the verge of a big debut.
Where to stream WandaVision