Some Honest Thoughts On WandaVision, From a Non-Marvel Fan

I must be honest… I am not a Marvel fan. It’s not that I have anything against it, I just never really got the hype. I’ve seen a couple of movies, such as Spider-Man: Homecoming, Guardians of the Galaxy, and a couple of others. However, I am completely not caught up on the timelines and theories of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). 

My sister, on the other hand, is obsessed with the MCU and everything it has to offer. Thus, when WandaVision was released on Disney+, she begged me to watch it with her, and I agreed. I am now up-to-date with the series, and I’ve begun to collect some thoughts on the show. 

(Warning: Spoilers Ahead). 

My first thought on the series so far is that it escalates QUICKLY. The first few episodes follow a really cute sitcom style that was fairly easy for me, someone with little previous knowledge of the characters or the universe, to follow. However, around the fourth episode, the series takes a turn towards the more traditional Marvel style. That being said, as a non-Marvel fan, I really enjoyed the sitcom style of the first couple of episodes. I thought it was a very enjoyable way to introduce the characters through a nostalgic lens.

However, once things started to take a turn, the show became rather difficult to follow. I was lucky to have my sister as a resident MCU expert, but this show needs a lot of context to understand. (Here’s where the spoilers come in!) 

One of the hardest things was understanding what exactly Wanda’s powers are. Throughout the show, they were incredibly vague about her abilities, making it rather difficult to follow the show. I also did not know going into the show that Wanda’s husband, Vision, as well as her brother, Pietro, were dead. This is information that is known to any MCU fan. However, as I had not seen the movies prior to watching the show, I had no clue what was going on when this was revealed. I feel like the show needed to give viewers some context prior to expanding those plot lines. 

Overall, the entire show needs a whole lot of context, seeing as every single character in the show has their own story that had already been fleshed out in earlier movies. That being said, there were a lot of things I really enjoyed about the show. Firstly, the scenes that take place in Wanda’s reality that follow a sitcom format are very fun and nostalgic. The show parodies sitcom formats from the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, and it is an enjoyable touch to see references from classic shows. 

On a more serious note, I also really enjoy how the show deals with Wanda working through trauma. The entire premise of the show is that Wanda has created a false reality where her husband and brother are still alive. However, watching Wanda work through these traumatic deaths presents a really emotional side to this story. Although on the surface, the story shows Monica Rambeau and a couple of other S.W.O.R.D agents trying their best to save citizens trapped in Wanda’s universe, there is a very emotional underlying story. By using Wanda as the leading lady, we see the dichotomy between a strong hero and her emotional weakness. This makes Wanda a very human and relatable character, who is taking out her trauma in ways the average person could not. The series shows Wanda doing something many of us wish we could, this of course being the creation of her own reality where she feels in control. This desire for control is something we all often feel when faced with trauma or high emotions.

Therefore, despite the lack of context I had going in, WandaVision is a very enjoyable show, even for those of us who aren’t MCU experts. It manages to bring up heavy topics and pair them with nostalgia, as well as the MCU charm that people have grown to love.

I would recommend WandaVision as a good place to start for anyone who is looking to try to start exploring the MCU.

Want to keep up with HCBU? Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, check out our Pinterest board, and read our latest Tweets!

• disney
• marvel
• movies
• pop culture
• sitcom
• superheroes
• television
• the scarlet witch
• tv
• Vision