WandaVision head writer Jac Schaeffer reveals early drafts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe series included flashbacks of what Darcy’s been up to.

WandaVision head writer Jac Schaeffer reveals early drafts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe series included flashbacks of what Darcy Lewis has been up to in the time leading up to the series. Kat Dennings’ fan-favorite character was introduced to the MCU with the first Thor film but her only subsequent appearance was in its 2013 sequel before finally returning in WandaVision. Initially just a friend and intern to the God of Thunder’s astrophysicist love interest Jane Foster, the Disney+ series saw Darcy having finally received her doctorate in astrophysics.

Set shortly after the events of Avengers: Endgame, the show centered on its titular characters as they live an idyllic life in a suburban area magically changing to the tune of different sitcom eras. Though it becomes clear Wanda has some form of control over this bizarre reality, she and Vision begin to suspect a darker force is driving her and the crumbling nature of the world around them. Composed of nine episodes, the series acts as a catalyst for the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

While discussing the history of the Disney+ series with Rolling Stone, Schaeffer revealed that the early stages of development on WandaVision explored Dennings’ fan-favorite astrophysicist in the timeline leading up to the story. Despite enjoying what she and the writers’ room came up with for Darcy, the group elected to excise the material for pacing and tonal reasons. Read what Schaeffer revealed below:

“In earlier drafts, there was more of Darcy before she gets to the hex. And as the project coalesced it made more sense to keep everything base-centric, except for S.W.O.R.D. headquarters. So we lost some of that other stuff. But it was really fun to write for Kat and to see a little bit more [of] what’s been going on with Darcy. We had this idea that Darcy didn’t blip, but her grandmother did. And now her grandmother’s back and Darcy had pawned her old TV, so she has to go get the TV back. And when she plugs it in, Episode One pops up, and that’s how the broadcast is discovered. It was silly, it was too much of a detour. But that writing infused all the later writing for Darcy. We also jumped all over the opportunity to have her be a Ph.D. now. That was just delightful to write.”

Given she was absent from the franchise for the better part of a decade, the initial news of Darcy’s return to the fold for WandaVision was an exciting tidbit. These feelings were propelled higher when viewers got to see the quick-witted character flaunt her newly-earned doctorate and put the cynical S.W.O.R.D. higher-ups to shame. While an exploration of her backstory could’ve better balanced the real-world story with the faux reality of Wanda and Vision, the more straightforward nature of her introduction for the show proved plenty enjoyable.

With her time in WandaVision coming to an end as she flees from the authorities after helping stop S.W.O.R.D. director Tyler Hayward, it’s currently unclear if and when fans can expect to see Dennings’ Darcy return to the MCU. Though with Jane coming back for Thor: Love and Thunder, she just may turn up again sooner rather than later — unless Marvel chooses to give fans the Darcy and Jimmy Woo X Files-type spinoff they truly desire.