WANDAVISION REVIEW

LIVING THE STREAM

MCU’s first TV show leaves viewers with multiverse overwhelm

Abigail Parker | Copy Editor

If you had the power to do so, would you bring a loved one back to life? For Wanda Maximoff, the clear answer is yes, she would, and she did.

Based on the Marvel Comics, “WandaVision’’ stars

Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Avengers’ Wanda

Maximoff (aka Scarlet Witch) and the Vision. This show makes history as Marvel’s first

TV series on Disney+ to be a part of the MCU. Disney’s budget for “WandaVision’’ was $25 million per episode, totaling up to $255 million. The nine-episode series portrays Maximoff and the Vision as sitcom characters by the decade, starting from the 1950s all the way to the 2000s. Each episode’s sitcom draws inspiration from classic sitcoms, such as “The Dick Van

Dyke Show” and “Malcolm in the Middle,” complete with its own comedic and poignant theme song and credits.

The series illustrates where Wanda left off after “the Blip” and how she dealt with the grief of Vision’s death, or rather, how she denied it. Wanda places her and

Photo courtesy of Disney

Vision as a new family to Westview, with her next door neighbor Agnes appearing in each episode to seemingly aid Wanda during her times of trouble in concealing her powers to the rest of the town. “WandaVision” also introduces more organizations and characters for the MCU’S Phase 4 such as S.W.O.R.D. and its director Tyler Hayward, who has replaced Director Maria Rambeau. With the help of returning characters Jimmy Woo and Darcy Lewis, Rambeau’s daughter Monica pushes to gain access to “the Hex,” as Darcy calls it.

As the series progresses, viewers realize that Wanda is running the show, literally; from the clothes each “character” wears, to what they say and do, showing just how powerful she is.

The directors show Wanda’s struggle between real life and fantasy. Her motivation and power to create this world was illustrated through an amazing screenplay and deliberate directing that leaves viewers like me wanting more.

I couldn’t decide whether I should hate Wanda or not as the show makes you question her actions and her motives in every episode. Ultimately, it was hard to not sympathize with Wanda as she has dealt with so much grief in her life. In “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the viewers find out that Wanda was manipulated by Hydra and lost her twin brother Pietro. This fantasy world she has created is a getaway from her grief.

According to Marvel, the show prepares viewers for the upcoming MCU film, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” set to premiere on March 22, 2022, nearly six years after the first “Doctor Strange” movie was released.