MCU and WandaVision Spoilers Ahead!
As a diehard Marvel fan, when I saw that Disney+ was releasing a miniseries about the Avengers couple, Wanda Maximoff and Vision, I was absolutely ecstatic. Although, I must admit that my expectations were fairly low, as Wanda and Vision aren’t the typical leads in most Marvel movies. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. However, what I watched was a thrilling, colorful, and emotional mystery unfold. Each episode illuminated different parts of the story, allowing fans to develop theories online and eagerly anticipate the release of a new episode. Watching each new episode and theorizing about what would happen next made WandaVision an immersive and exciting experience. It goes without question that WandaVision is a bona fide hit. Here’s what I loved most about it (spoilers ahead)!
The miniseries begins with Wanda and Vision as a newlywed couple moving into a new home in a 1950s sitcom format. Seeing the two Avengers out of their element of fighting aliens and saving the world now in a domestic setting was compelling. As I was watching the episode, I kept waiting for some kind of shift, in which the heroes would snap out of playing house and go fight some villains. But it never quite happened, and there was something comforting about that. Considering that Vision died in Avengers: Infinity War, it was just nice to see the couple reunited again and living a quaint life away from Thanos’ destruction.
But by the end of the episode, it’s clear that Wanda and Vision are stuck somewhere. This is when the mystery sets in: where are Wanda and Vision? Are they there by choice? Will they be able to get out?
The following episodes retain the same sitcom format, with an audience laugh track and incredibly corny jokes. Except, instead of the next episode taking place in the 50s, it’s suddenly the 60s. And in the next episode, the 70s, and so on. Having each episode jump forward a decade in time kept the series feeling fresh. My favorite part of the time jumps was the change in outfits, the fashion in the 70s episode being one of my favorites in particular. In each episode, more and more creepy things begin happening, such as Wanda rewinding time, Vision constantly breaking the fourth wall, and an eerie beekeeper crawling up from the sewers. I appreciated how with each unsettling moment, the audience laugh track cut out, making the moment feel even more disturbing.
As the story progresses, it becomes clear to the audience that the “sitcom” that Wanda and Vision are living in (otherwise known as, “The Hex”) is a construct that Wanda unintentionally created out of her grief of losing Vision. While the show is technically within the “superhero” genre, it dives into some heavy topics, like coping with loss. Wanda holding innocent civilians under psychological hostage to create an imaginary world for her and a magically constructed Vision to live in feels wrong. But it makes you, as a viewer, wonder what lengths you would go to in order to bring back your deceased loved one if you had the chance. Vision’s iconic line, “what is grief, if not love persevering?” struck a chord with me, and millions of other viewers. After experiencing a year of grieving our social lives, as well as actual human lives, in 2020, that line felt especially salient.
If you have Disney+ and haven’t seen WandaVision yet, I truly can’t recommend watching it enough. It’s chilling, energetic, and full of twists and turns to keep you thoroughly entertained in each episode. Even if you aren’t a hardcore Marvel fan like myself, there is truly something in the show for everyone to enjoy.