WandaVision: Why Pietro Has a “MOM” Tattoo

In the latest episode of WandaVision, the recast Pietro sports a “MOM” tattoo on his left bicep. This wasn’t added for the series; it’s actually actor Evan Peters’ real tattoo. However, it’s significant that WandaVision‘s showrunners decided not only to keep the tattoo instead of covering it with makeup, but also put Peters in a costume with short enough sleeves to show it off.

Episode 6 “All-New Halloween Spooktacular!” injects some serious spookiness into the mix. The arrival of Peters’ Quicksilver, who only superficially resembles The Avengers: Age of Ultron‘s Aaron Taylor-Johnson, introduces a little bit of chaos and a whole lot of confusion into the family. Billy refers to his uncle as a “man-child,” and Pietro provides levels of sophomoric fun Wanda doesn’t necessarily condone.

The beginning of the episode shows a very obvious “MOM” tattoo on Pietro’s upper left arm, peeking out from underneath his shirt sleeve. It’s unknown if Pietro from Age of Ultron had a tattoo like this, but it’s clear that it was left on Peters’ arm for a reason; not only does his costume show it off, it’s also angled towards the camera during Pietro’s conversation with Wanda. The ink could easily memorialize their mother, who died in the bombings of Sokovia when Pietro and Wanda were children. Pietro mentions to Wanda that their parents probably would have loved Westview if they were still around. It’s worth noting that a tattoo commemorating Wanda’s father wasn’t added on the other arm – perhaps because “MOM” is one of the more popular and classic tributes. It could also be another way of conveying this new Pietro’s “tough guy” personality, since he is decidedly brasher and less mature than Wanda remembers him.

Throughout the episode, Wanda interrogates Quicksilver on his timeline of past events, and he calls her out on her trauma suppression and makes it clear that he’s not under her control like the rest of the townspeople are. Pietro suggests that in her perfect world she wouldn’t want to think about her past, so that’s why he doesn’t look familiar. Despite her surprise upon his introduction into the show, it’s possible that Wanda is responsible for creating this version of him, tattoo and all. Resurrecting the old Pietro might have proved too devastating to her. On the other hand, if some other malevolent force is behind Wanda’s new world, then this Pietro could have been sent in as a means of placating her.

Evan Peters’ tattoo provides another layer of mystery and subtlety to Pietro’s recasting in WandaVision, and is indicative of the type of character he is portraying. Though he earns Wanda’s trust for a few moments – long enough for her to divulge the overwhelming emptiness of grief that caused her to create this safe haven – it’s short-lived when he mentions the likelihood of Vision dying again. How exactly he knows this opens up many possibilities about where he really comes from, and what else he can use against Wanda.