Summary
- "WandaVision's unique format and storytelling made it one of the most profound and talked-about projects in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe."
- "The series delves deep into Wanda's psyche, exploring her mental state in a way that had never been done before within the franchise."
- "WandaVision's exploration of the power of television and escapism resonated with audiences, especially at the start of Covid, solidifying its place as a culturally relevant and successful series."
After the climactic conclusion of the Infinity Saga with 2019's Avengers Endgame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe sat relatively dormant over the course of the following year. This was also brought on by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, but the pause came about mostly as a necessary segue between two distinct eras of the generation-defining franchise. This hiatus was brought to an end in 2021 after the premiere of the MCU's first Disney+ original series, WandaVision. Although Wanda and Vision were well-established parts of the MCU by this point, it was their first time in the complete spotlight, and fans were giddy for this opportunity for profound storytelling.
WandaVision came at the perfect moment in the cultural zeitgeist, offering a form of escapism the world had been devoid of for the past year. Through compact and compelling visual storytelling, the series took audiences on a ride of trauma and heartbreak, capitalizing on the meta-contexual undertones set by a series solely focused on the effects of television. This commitment to a format so unique and unheard of led to the series being one of the most profound and talked about projects in the entire franchise's history, and its impact remains undisputed to this day.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe Enters Television
The stories of Wanda Maximoff and the Vision had long been intertwined in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the seeds of their relationship having been planted in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron and continuing to flourish in the background of the MCU's core narrative. It was only in Avengers: Infinity War that the two were explored as a romantic couple, fulfilling an expectation set by their comic book counterparts. This love story reached a tragic conclusion, however, after Vision sacrificed himself to Thanos in order to prevent him from obtaining the Infinity Stone. Although this sacrifice proved futile, it marked a difficult and character-defining moment for Wanda, whose newfound trauma directly led to the core conflict of WandaVision.
As revealed in the penultimate episode of the series, Wanda's trauma manifested in her creation of 'the Hex' -- a sort of pseudo-reality in which Wanda controlled the population of the small town of Westview. This cast the townspeople in Wanda's own imaginary tales of the perfect suburban experience, all through the lenses of the sitcoms that gave her and her brother Pietro comfort in the fallout of their parents' demise. One of the large draws throughout the series' run was the continuing theories surrounding the show's sitcom format and whatever ominous things were causing this illusion to break. Even though the series can be viewed through an entirely different lens post-finale, it still offers several satisfying dramatic questions and storytelling motifs that are just as rewarding to first-time viewers as they were to fans of the series at the time.
Not only are the sitcom formulas incredibly fun to see unfold with these characters, but they also offer a compelling look into Wanda's psyche as she continues to spiral. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has long been character-driven, but it is rare for a project to be so dead-set on exploring the complexities of its lead's mental state. This had never been done before within the franchise, and it continues to be one of its most unique features. Beyond even this, to explore it in such a creative and investing way is an approach that would be entertaining and exciting in any series, especially one that fits into a universe so often critiqued for a lack of variety.
Using the Metacontextuality of Television as a Tool
On a surface level, WandaVision is a well-done deep dive into a character previously reserved for the sidelines, but its true successes derive from much deeper questions of genre and metacontextuality. The series acts as both a sitcom with varying tonality and a typical superhero affair, balancing these two aspects with such fervor that it is, at times, difficult to separate the two. This is due to the pacing of the series and the use of show-don't-tell storytelling techniques that enable the mysteries of the series to present themselves over time. It never delivers the information upfront, and it solidifies the overarching narrative as one that managed to strike all the right notes for fans of the MCU and beyond.
What made this so exciting for many fans was its blatant exploration of the power of television and fictional universes and the leaps and bounds individuals in emotional turmoil will go through in their search for healing. It is not uncommon for people to use fictional worlds as a place of escapism, but this is a motif so intrinsic to the media dominating the culture that it was rarely, if ever, explored in any serious way in a mainstream television series. WandaVision delivers this in an extremely effective manner, taking the core dramatic conflict of Wanda and treating it with such sincerity that it directly impacts the story being presented to audiences -- and to a more significant extent, the way in which this information is being presented. Wanda's obsession with sitcoms manifested itself as the very show audiences were consuming.
Although such a multi-layered television series was far from unheard of at this point, to see the Marvel Cinematic Universe present it was a reality that left even casual audiences stunned. As the MCU worked to rebuild itself post-Endgame, it was vital for the franchise to reestablish itself as worthy of fans' consideration, offering something completely new while satisfying the expectations that all fans of the franchise were bringing into its next chapter. This was a supremely difficult balancing act full of many tumultuous choices on the part of the creatives crafting this universe, but WandaVision is solid proof that these decisions panned out in a culturally relevant and deeply successful way.
The Ever-Expanding Corners of the MCU
Years after WandaVision's debut, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has continued developing countless television projects to varying degrees of success. Shows like Loki have garnered fan bases of their own to the point of green-lighting a second season. Shows like Falcon and the Winter Soldier have directly led to upcoming feature film releases like Captain America: Brave New World. The impact of these series on the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is without question -- but few have left such a profound impact on the culture at large. Even fewer have reached the heights of WandaVision, going as far as to be nominated for 23 Emmys and keeping the conversation of its validity going years after its premiere.
Wanda's story continued in 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but the stories of Agatha Harkness and Wanda's children, Billy and Tommy, are promised to be further explored in projects like Agatha: Darkhold Diaries. The White Vision's future is yet to be seen, but the promises within his existence remain. Yet all that matters, when all is said and done, is that WandaVision accomplished what it did on its own accord, in service of its own story instead of what was to come next. This is what makes it such a legendary piece of MCU history that ought not to be forgotten as the franchise powers on.