Disclaimer: This article contains – many – spoilers, beware!
“WandaVision” is the first series in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), created by Jac Schaeffer, an American film director, producer and screenwriter, for Disney+. The miniseries premiered its first two episodes on January 15, 2021, and concluded on March 5, with 9 episodes total.
The events of the series happen right after the occurrences of “Avengers: Endgame” (2019), and it has Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) as the leading character – finally! After coming back from the five year Blip, the sokovian superhero has to deal with the death of her lover, the synthezoid Vision (Paul Bettany), who dies in “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018), killed by Thanos.
After losing her parents, her brother, Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), Vision, and a few of the Avengers, whom she had become friends with, Wanda is alone, as she describes in the series: “I only remember feeling completely alone. Empty. Endless nothingness.”
And if you ask, what did the most powerful superhero in the MCU do to cope with her losses? She kidnapped an entire city, of course! Jokes aside, the story touches on loss and grief in a very sensible manner, and Olsen portrays Wanda’s feelings in the best way possible.
- Characters We Got to Meet Again!
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WandaVision presented us (again!) to a few characters we had already met previously, in other Marvel productions. The fan favorite seems to be the former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Jimmy Woo (Randall Park). Even though the character doesn’t have that much screen time, his charismatic personality shined through. A clip of him happily bringing coffee to his new friends was a success on Tik Tok, and it has left people wanting to see more from the agent. Fingers crossed!
Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) also makes an appearance. We have seen her previously in the Thor movies, as the unpaid intern of the scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). In WandaVision, we get to meet her again, as Dr. Darcy Lewis, a very respected professional with a doctorate in astrophysics.
Darcy brings many great things to the show, and viewers could often relate to her, since she was just as invested in Wanda’s sitcom narrative as the audience. Her conversation with Vision, in the final episodes, is very great and brings comedic relief to a dark turn of events. However, it would have been great to see more of her.
We also have Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), whom we have seen on Captain Marvel (2019), as the daughter of Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch), a successful seamstress and Carol Danver’s (Brie Larson) best friend.
Monica is probably the biggest disappointment the fans had with WandaVision, not because she was a bad character, the complete opposite, actually. Because of The Hex – Wanda’s energy field – and her fight with the sokovian superhero, Monica gains superpowers, and becomes Photon.
We had a great shot of Photon breaking through The Hex, but that’s it! It would be incredible to get a major superhero moment from her, even when she saves the life of Wanda’s twins, fans were left with the feeling that there could be more.
Director Matt Shakman explained that Monica was meant to have more screen time during the finale, and they even shot more scenes with her, but decided it was a “huge detour” for a show that is focused on Wanda and Vision. Even though she wasn’t a huge part of WandaVision, we can expect to see her in “Captain Marvel 2”, in 2022.
Last but not least, we were just as surprised as Wanda when Evan Peters was revealed in the series as Pietro Maximoff. The actor plays Quicksilver in the X-Men movie series, and his arrival at the Avenger’s universe brought many theories made by fans. Most of them explain that his participation in the miniseries could be a potential Easter Egg for Marvel’s new storyline: the multiverse.
Just like Photon, Quicksilver was also meant to have more screen time during the finale. The fans were left disappointed after the reveal of his “real” name: Ralph Bohner. However, in the first episode, Jimmy Woo tells Monica that he was on the trail of a missing person in the witness protection program. Could that be Quicksilver? Hopefully we will find that out soon!
- Easter Eggs
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Something that made WandaVision even more entertaining for fans was the fact that each episode was released on Friday, leaving fans to make theories for an entire week, and if you know Marvel fans, yes, they delivered.
Some plots created by fans on Twitter and Tik Tok were so incredibly thought out that could potentially indicate a career for them in the movie industry. The most talked about theory was that Wanda was not only being manipulated by Agatha Harkness, but also by Mephisto, Marvel’s devil, that has never been a part of any movies, but is very well known in the comic world.
As of now, we know that it was just a theory, unfortunately. However, this villain talk brings us to our next topic…
- Songs We Are Now Obsessed With
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The best villain reveal ever: It’s been Agatha all along. With this incredible song, it was revealed that Wanda was not the only magical girl in town. In fact, not the only witch.
The show delivered such great songs, each week a new different song for the opening, based on a different sitcom from every decade. However, “Agatha All Along” steals the show, and it has everyone singing it even weeks after the finale.
- Love Story
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“You, Vision, are the piece of the Mind Stone that lives in me. You are a body of wires and blood and bone that I created. You are my sadness, and my hope. But mostly, you’re my love.”
What!! How can a quote get any more perfect? WandaVision is, essentially, about Wanda and Vision’s love story, and how Wanda is coping with losing the one she loves the most. The show delivered many great moments between them and, to be honest, they are the best couple in the MCU.
Each episode represents a stage in grief, starting with denial and ending with acceptance. Wanda has more character development in this 9 episode series than any of the Avengers in all of the movies. She goes from creating a fake reality to be with her lover – even if at the cost of someone else’s sacrifice – to letting go.
“What is grief, if not love persevering?” is one of the best quotes in the series, and at the end, Wanda finally understands this message. She will always love Vision, however it does not need to paralyse her, she can, finally, move on.
- What is next?
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The Scarlet Witch is an essential character in Marvel’s new phase, and we can expect so much from her. At the end of WandaVision, she hears her kids calling her name in fear, and goes to look for them. This storyline might be in the new Doctor Strange movie, and according to fan theories, her twins might be lost somewhere in the multiverse. What do you think? Make sure to tell us all of your theories, and everything you’re expecting from Phase 4.
But, for now, we have the series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” coming up. Are you ready for more plot twists? We’re so excited!
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The article above was edited by Gabriela Sartorato.
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