At the end of Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War, half of the world was snapped away, or as it’s known in-universe, “The Blip.”
During Endgame, the return of all those people was really focused on bringing all these heroes together for the final battle against Thanos—a heroic coming together. What it was like for everyone else wasn’t really seen, until this week’s WandaVision.
**Spoilers for WandaVision Episode 4: “We Interrupt This Program.”**
We open with Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), an agent of S.W.O.R.D. (Sentient World Observation and Response Department), returning to life following the Blip. At first, I thought that it was a manifestation of Rambeau’s powers from the comics, but as I saw it fully, I realized more people were returning, and the full horror of the event was clear.
People were just appearing out of thin air where they last were, and for some people, that could have been on planes or swimming or doing literally anything.
A hospital patient returning when they could have been in the middle of the middle of surgery?!
These were things that audiences speculated after Endgame, and it seems, in true Disney fashion, someone was listening and used this moment to show just a touch of how bad it could be. Add onto that the fact that, in the time Monica was gone, her mother, Maria Rambeau, died of cancer—a jarring realization when you fell asleep thinking your mother was fine and going to make a full recovery.
One of my many issues with Spider-Man: Far From Home was how neatly Peter’s social circle was handled and there was not much PTSD being dealt with—just “Tony Stark is dead” angst, which I get, but also, there was just so much more to deal with, and a television series has ended up being a superior format for it.
If the Blip itself was a huge event, the return of all those people at once must have been equally as horrific, even if you loved those people. Jobs lost, marriages and relationships over, and loved ones alive in a moment and dead the next. Children grown up. The poor pets!
WandaVision continues to impress me and reminds me that there is something to this whole “weekly release” thing. I do feel a sense of excitement every new episode, and seeing everyone speculating has been fun. Moreso, the series has proved that it isn’t about just the mystery; this is about Wanda—her grief after everything and all these people getting caught in the orbit of that pain.
The scars Thanos left are not just superficial; they cut deep to the bone of our characters, and that needs to be dealt with. I’m glad it has been with Wanda because I still feel the MCU underserved her, but now we get the Scarlet Witch in her reality-warping glory.
Can’t wait for next week.
(image: Disney+)
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