WANDAVISION
WandaVision starring Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn, Teyonah Parris, Randall Park, Kat Dennings Created by Jac Schaeffer Now streaming on Disney +
This review contains minor spoilers.“Marvel Studios presents “WandaVision”, a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) — two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives — begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems. ”
WandaVision is the MCU’s boldest project yet. Emotionally resonant, funny, and a celebration of television sitcoms through the decades - it presents two of the Avengers finest in a way we have never seen them before. WandaVision is the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first episodic format streaming project, a creative risk that payed off beautifully. With a total of 9 episodes ranging between 25-50 mins long, (much like The Mandalorian) WandaVision dedicates the first few episodes to a dreamy sitcom world where Wanda and Vision are seemingly living out the ideal life. As the season progresses, we learn that Wanda had unintentionally created this world as a way to delay processing her grief following the events of Avengers Endgame - and her power has attracted some unwanted attention.
WandaVision is a thoughtful and sensitive allegory of the five stages of grief, a story that is hard-hitting in this time of isolation, fear and uncertainty.
Grief and the superhero experience
It is known that we occasionally return to our favourite television shows, books and films to get lost and be comforted by their familiarity, to find solace in the fictional and the predictable in order to avoid the trials of real life. Wanda is no different. For a time, she finds comfort in this fiction she created, but grief eventually catches up with you. WandaVision depicts her experience navigating through the different stages of grief: dissolving the superhero glamour to tackle the emotional hardships within, using these stages as a way to understand Wanda’s mental state and how her current situation came to be. Grief has been somewhat undertaken in previous MCU instalments, but never in such a detailed way (Civil War & Spider-Man FFH ). There are some incredibly poignant scenes between Wanda and Vision where the two discuss loss, with powerful dialogue that will resonate with anyone who has experienced it.
The episodic format was undoubtedly the best approach for this, offering more time to truly delve in to Wanda’s psyche and back-story - and now we have possibly the most developed female character yet in the MCU. With that being said, WandaVision was careful not to exploit her trauma as a means to further character development, by handling it with sensitivity and thoughtfulness.
The MCU’s first episodic format on Disney+
The episodic format of WandaVision not only offers us a glimpse of Wanda’s backstory (her childhood in Sokovia & the experiments she endured) but it also allows her Scarlet Witch origin story to truly begin. Prior to this, we knew very little of how her powers first manifested following experimentation with the mind stone. WandaVision delves deeper in order to reveal the true nature of her abilities: chaos magic. The finale of WandaVision is a prelude to the highly-anticipated sequel Doctor Strange and The Multiverse Of Madness (in which The Scarlet Witch is said to have an important role) with chaos magic now set to be a huge factor in the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
As we reach the season’s penultimate episode, we see Wanda come to the acceptance stage of grief: she accepts the death of her loved-ones, and she accepts the chaos magic that runs through her veins, so to speak. The finale does contain the explosive spectacle we have come to expect with superhero films, but the true climax of the film was the emotional farewell as Wanda reached this acceptance stage. It’s a moving and resonating scene unlike anything we have seen in the MCU to date.
The episodic format doesn’t just benefit the establishment of Scarlet Witch’s chaos magic narrative: fan favourite secondary characters such as Jimmy Woo (Ant-Man & The Wasp) and Darcy Lewis (Thor 1 & 2) are given a chance to shine. WandaVision also introduces a grown-up Monica Rambeau (first seen in Captain Marvel) in what promises to be the first of many appearances.
WandaVision was a creative risk which could have failed in so many ways, but instead it exceeded all expectations and proved itself to be a fresh, successful new addition to the MCU. Marvel continues to adjust its formula in an ever-changing industry, and WandaVision is proof that they know exactly what they’re doing. The first episodic format featuring pre-established characters, it promises a bright and exciting future for the streaming projects set to hit our TV screens in the coming months such as The Falcon And The Winter Soldier.