So, four episodes into WandaVision and we have what appears to be the answer as to who or what is manipulating Westview, New Jersey: Wanda. Yup, it looks like there’s no hidden witches or devils, just an extremely powerful mutant who can manipulate reality and potentially destroy the world. Is it a bit disappointing that the series isn’t a launching pad for some new big bad in the MCU? Sure, especially since Marvel has conditioned all of us to expect huge arc defining twists and turns in nearly every installment within the MCU. But I have to say, there’s a huge part of me that is relieved that the big twist to the series is that there isn’t really one at all. My major gripe is that the series didn’t simply reveal its hand earlier, thereby allowing us to invest our time and energy into better understanding Wanda (and, I suppose, Vision, who still seems to be super dead in the real world, if Darcy Lewis’s comment and Wanda’s vision of Vision are anything to go by) rather than trying to solve a puzzle box that turned out to not be one after all.
While WandaVision is certainly going to be important moving forward in the MCU (and who knows, with the twins in existence in Wanda’s fantasy, its entirely possible the story will hew closer to the comic arc – allowing some villains to pop up still), with the introduction of Monica Rambeau (and the reveal that her mother, Maria, sadly passed away during the five years between snaps) and SWORD, the return of Jimmy Woo and Lewis, and the deepening of Wanda as a character, we have enough to keep us busy without thrusting the universe into a new story. Considering Wanda has been so thinly drawn throughout her MCU appearances, it’s nice to get a chance to better understand her powers (now that Disney and Marvel have control over the X-Men IP, I suspect they have the opportunity to flesh out some elements of the character – including the idea of mutants – that they couldn’t in the past), and to get a grasp on just how broken she is after spending the past several years losing those she loved.
And I certainly can’t blame her for wanting to recapture Vision in some way. Yes, there are definitely better ways to go about it than wiping the minds of people and imprisoning a town in a series of changing sitcom settings, but it’s such a clear manifestation of her grief that there’s a part of me that wants to just let her have this. Of course, this world she has created can’t last. At the end of episode three, it was clear that her neighbors seem to realize this isn’t the correct reality – despite Wanda’s attempts to keep the outside world from getting inside. And, with SWORD on the scene and Monica out of her technicolor nightmare, well, I suspect the series will end with Wanda extracted and even more distraught than before. There’s one important fact to remember about Wanda: She’s an exceptionally powerful mutant. What she’s accomplished here, creating a sitcom prison to play out her personal fantasy life and avoid dealing with her deep, all-consuming grief, is just the tip of the iceberg of what she can do.
My hope for the series moving forward is that it provides a showcase for both Paul Bettany (Vision) as he presumably exits the MCU, and for Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda), allowing us to see the depths of the character and Olsen’s considerable abilities in a way the films haven’t. With the Avengers being reshaped for Phase 4 of the MCU, there will need to be a greater fleshing out of existing characters if Marvel and Disney want the film series to continue packing a punch at the box office. Exploring the emotional depths of a character we know precious little about would go a long way to making us care about her as she becomes our bridge to the upcoming second Doctor Strange film and beyond. Similarly, building up the character of Monica Rambeau, and letting Teyonah Parris flex her skills before jumping into a film appearance, will hopefully pay dividends down the line. Using these last few episodes to build a foundation with these characters is crucial to keeping the MCU strong and resilient. I’m glad Kevin Feige and his team made this realization and are going down this path.
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