Wanda Maximoff has had a rough go of it in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From the death of her brother Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) to being blamed for what happened on the mission during Captain America: Civil War, Wanda never really found her place at the Avengers Compound until Vision started to “watch over” her.
The two formed an unlikely relationship, and each new movie saw them trying to find their bit of happiness in the middle of everything going on. By the time we got to Avengers: Infinity War, Wanda and Vision were hiding away and trying to be happy together (which the Avengers let them have), but their happiness was short-lived. The Mind Stone (which was attached to Vision) was something that Thanos would ruthlessly take, and in a bid to try to destroy the stone before Thanos could take it, Wanda had to kill Vision.
But the Time Stone reversed that, and Thanos killed Vision anyway. So, not only did Wanda have to physically kill Vision herself, she also had to watch him die a second time at the hands of Thanos. Now, with WandaVision, we’re seeing her coping strategy of pretending like she’s lost in a series of television shows from decades past and living out her life with Vision by her side.
In a new cover story from Entertainment Weekly, we get a glimpse into the shows that they’re going to tackle and exactly how it helps Wanda cope. But first: IT HAS A LIVE STUDIO AUDIENCE! What fascinates me most about WandaVision isn’t necessarily how it’s going to play out for my favorite girl. I have my theories on that, but what’s interesting is how they’re going to format this show. For the pilot episode, according to EW, it was filmed in black and white in front of a studio audience using the old-school “magic” techniques from Bewitched and I Dream Of Jeannie.
That means that, for the entire pilot, Wanda and Vision are stuck in a 1950s-era television show. Does that mean that each episode will have a different television theme? Because then I already know that my favorite is going to by the Family Ties-esque one.
I will say, I love that Elizabeth Olsen brings up the fact that she used to go to the set of Full House as a kid. “It was insanity. There was something very meta for my own life because I would visit those tapings as a kid, where my sisters were working [on Full House],” Olsen told EW, and honestly, maybe I wish we had more of young Elizabeth Olsen doing sitcoms like her sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley.
“The show is a love letter to the golden age of television,” WandaVision head writer Jac Schaeffer told Entertainment Weekly, and it honestly makes me even more excited to see where the show is heading. “We’re paying tribute and honoring all of these incredible shows and people who came before us, [but] we’re also trying to blaze new territory.”
But it’s this quote from Mary Livanos that I think truly is going to bleed into the show as a whole (and how we view Wanda’s journey): “It really does feel like we’re all programmed to know and love and understand these suburban family sitcoms. So, to mess with expectations has been really fun.”
What this all boils down to is the fact that Wanda Maximoff is trying to cope. She’s trying to take herself out of the world around her and explore her own trauma and what she needs to do to get back on track, which, right now, I think we can all relate to. I love Wanda Maximoff with my whole heart, so knowing that Elizabeth Olsen wanted to do this to explore Wanda’s past and focus completely on her truly does mean a lot to me.
“It’s been the biggest gift that Marvel’s given me, getting to do this show,” Olsen said. “You get to just focus on her and not how she felt through everyone else’s storylines.”
Olsen went on to talk about how Marvel encouraged her to be a part of the process of creating Wanda and her storyline, and it truly does make me emotional to see how much Elizabeth Olsen got to put into Wanda’s storyline for WandaVision.
“I already felt like I had ownership of her because Marvel always encourages you to be part of the process,” she said. “But even more so now, I feel I have a really strong sense of ownership. If anyone wanted to ask me a question about the future or just a question about what she would think, I feel like this time has provided that.”
But, outside of Wanda’s journey, we’re getting some amazing additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with this show, as well. Kathryn Hahn is playing their “nosy” neighbor in Westview, named Agnes, and if the trailer for the series is any indication, her role is going to shift through each of the shows that Wanda buries herself in.
But more than that, we’re getting grown-up Monica Rambeau! Teyonah Parris is bringing the character to life, and if they follow the comics, she could end up a larger part of the overarching Avengers story, as Monica DOES become the first Black woman on the Avengers in the comics
“I feel so special and honored to be able to walk in her shoes and bring her story to life,” Parris says. “I hope that me playing this character (a) gives a group of people who are underrepresented a chance to see themselves, and (b) seeing my face and my Black body helps them engage with Black women and our humanity.”
With rumors that this show will feature Billy and Tommy (Wanda’s sons), as well as Billy’s boyfriend Hulkling, it could also be a lead into the Young Avengers introduction that many fans are waiting for. But, whatever does end up happening on WandaVision, I’m just so happy that Wanda is going to have her time.
She’s the strongest Avenger, she has such a rich storyline, and she’s the character who could bring the X-Men into the fold. So now it’s her time, and I cannot wait to see what WandaVision has in store for me.
(image: Marvel Entertainment)
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