What other show on TV incorporates your favorite themes and places them in an alternative universe? Recently, Disney+ released their new hit show WandaVision, which stars the Avengers Wanda Maximoff and Vision. As someone who has some knowledge of Marvel films and shows, I was interested to see what the show was about. Honestly, since the show premiered, I’ve been obsessed. If you’re like me, you look up nearly every conspiracy theory and review of the show. Now, here’s what I have to say about the mind-bending world of WandaVision.
WARNING: there’s spoilers ahead!
Before you start watching…
There are some required movies to watch! To familiarize yourself with the storyline and characters, I recommend watching the films in The Avengers franchise, Captain America: Civil War and Captain Marvel. You could also watch the X-Men films to have a better understanding of that one character’s appearance..
So, what’s going on?
WandaVision takes place after the blip in The Avengers: Endgame. Wanda, who is distraught from her recent loss, takes it upon herself to create her own town within the state of New Jersey. Westview, New Jersey, is complete with its own citizens and lifestyles and surrounded by a powerful force field. One thing I find interesting about Westview is the different decades the town shifts to as Wanda manipulates reality. The show began in the 1950s and made its way up to the early 2010s in its most recent episode. In each decade, the town seems to be in the style of a TV show that was popular at the time, complete with its own theme song. My favorite so far has been the Malcolm in the Middle theme. I really liked this as I loved seeing the setting change and watching it influence the residents’ actions. Inside, Wanda runs her town as if everything is normal; she has a family and makes friends with the neighbors. However, as the citizens of Westview are living their own lives, those outside have been watching them. Government agencies and other special intelligence groups have come together at the base of Westview to see what’s been going on with the town. They’ve also been watching one of the residents – Vision. From the outside, Westview seems to be as though it’s a sitcom. From this, the observers have watched how Wanda has structured her world and how they plan to enter.
Inside Westview
Inside Westview, the residents seem to be in a trance by Wanda and can only be taken out by either Wanda or Vision. This leads me to wonder where Wanda got her town’s residents. Whenever taken out of the trance, none of them can remember how they got to the town. Luckily, the agencies outside have been able to identify the residents, just in case they’re released. One resident, Monica, was revealed to be working with the group of agents looking to stop Wanda, and she ended up being kicked out. I was a bit surprised when she was removed from the town, even though she didn’t seem to be a threat. Wanda also has two new editions to her family – her twins! Both the twins, Tommy and Billy, seemed to have inherited their parents’ powers but have been using them sparingly. This could be seen more once their uncle paid a visit. Pietro, or Quicksilver, enters the world of Westview in episode five. However, his presence seems to puzzle both Wanda and Vision. Well, Quicksilver is from another universe. This has led to confusing discussions due to both of them having different pasts. Later in the season, Vision gets trapped outside of Westview. As a result, Wanda expands the boundaries, ultimately trapping some of the agents in her world. As a result, Vision comes in contact with agents who help plan to help him save Westview. Recently, the mishaps in Westview were thought to be by Wanda. However, it is revealed to be Agnes, who is actually an evil witch. This ultimately leads the show to take a turn for either better or worse.
About the characters
I love the characters in WandaVision! Each has their own distinct personalities and have great scenes. Of course, the main character in question is Wanda, who’s powers we are still learning more about. I love Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda. I enjoy her interactions with the other citizens of Westview as well as the government officials. Her protective and stern attitude has ~mostly~ kept her town safe. Another character, in particular, has been the center of many theories – Vision. If you’ve seen Infinity War, Vision dies at the hands of Thanos. So this has led viewers like me to ask, “Is Vision alive?”. The same can be said for Quicksilver, who in this series is played by Evan Peters. I loved his addition as Peters’ version of the character was my favorite in X-Men. I enjoyed Agnes, who is the villain Agatha Harkness – she has the catchiest villain song! I also love the trio of Jimmy, Darcy, and Monica, who provide great comic relief.
So, what’s next?
So, as the first season of WandaVision is coming to an end, what’s next? With the revelation of Agnes’ character being the witch Agatha Harkness, I wonder how she is going to affect the town of Westview and those outside. Marvel directors occasionally steer away from the comics, so I’m curious to see what changes are made. Still, I love WandaVision and I can’t wait to see what the show does next!