I’ve been super interested in Disney+‘s first planned Marvel series. 2020 was primarily focused on Star Wars and Hamilton content that earned the fledgling streaming service it’s early reputation. This year, Disney+ will be focusing more on Marvel Studios content with its upcoming projects like WandaVision, Falcon and Winter Soldier, Loki and Ms. Marvel.
The first of these was the one I’ve been most excited for. Scarlet Witch was always an underrated Avengers character who deserved her own solo-project. It’s interesting that WandaVision is the project they’ve decided to lean into for that story.
To be perfectly forthcoming, WandaVision is the most OUT THERE concept for a Marvel property we’ve seen since the franchise started. Having spent an hour with the first two episodes, I can hardly tell you what the show is even about.
So far, the series is working from the premise that the artificially of its story and premise is purposely unreal. Wanda and the Vision (who died in Infinity War) wake up as a married couple in an idyllic American neighborhood. They’re living together but they have no memory of their past or when they even met. Their only goal is to blend into the neighborhood and hide their super powers.
As the couple plays out cliche scenarios from old sitcom premises, small details start breaking the logic and serenity of their new life together. The radio speaks out at Wanda asking her questions. Strange objects and people appear where they shouldn’t be. Color begins penetrating their black and white world in unnatural patches. Reality seems to be on the cusp of breaking down.
From episode to episode, the aesthetic and costuming changes. The first episode was based on 1950s sitcoms like I Love Lucy and the second episode started drawing upon motifs from 1960s sitcoms like Bewitched. The final shot of the second episode also confirmed that the show was going to transition to the 1970s for episode 3.
At its face, you can kind of tell where this is going. Wanda seems to be being watched by some mysterious force who wants to watch her play out these scenarios. What purpose this serves is unclear.
Small details would suggest it could be someone tied to her past. At one point, we see a commercial with a Baron Strucker brand watch being advertised with a Hydra symbol stamped to it. Strucker was the Hydra agent in Avengers: Age of Ultron who helped Wanda discover her powers.
Maybe the bad guy is some sort of Hydra group trying to steal something from her. Maybe the group is trying to contain her powers since she has the ability to warp reality. Considering she was still grieving at the end of Avengers: Endgame, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that this scenario is being run by the Avengers to protect her until she calms down.
All we know about the series thus far is that Wanda’s story is supposed to dovetail into the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the third Spiderman film. Beyond that, there’s no telling just where this story is going over the nine episode run.
Cultural Revue 