WANDAVISION: Spectacular on so Many Fronts

I am delighted to report that WandaVision proved two things. First, that the Marvel Cinematic Universe still has enormous potential for further development, and second, that its future does not necessarily have to depend on the big screen.

The action of the series begins at the moment when Wanda and Vision, as newlyweds, move into a house in typical American suburbs. Despite their unusual past, the couple tries to fit into the quiet neighborhood and lead a traditional life, which of course leads to a series of absurd situations and comedic events. However, there would be nothing particularly strange about this if it were not for the fact that the last time we saw Vision on screen, he was dying in Wanda’s arms…

The viewer immediately realizes that they are not watching the real world, and the main plot of the production is to unravel the mystery of what exactly we are observing and how the characters ended up in this situation.

But that is not all. WandaVision operates on three fundamental levels, and on each of them, it does so extremely skillfully.

First: an excellent tribute to American television

A large part of the episodes is based on referencing, in form and content, American sitcoms of successive decades. This is something completely different from what Marvel Studios has accustomed us to on the big screen.

Here we find the characteristic laughter of the audience, practical special effects, a television-standard picture format, black-and-white coloring, varied opening sequences, elements of breaking the fourth wall and entering the mockumentary formula, and even commercials interrupting the show.

The creators must have had great fun introducing the Marvel world into a small-screen formula, because they decided to do it in an incredibly attractive way: paying homage to television of past eras.

Second: spectacular entertainment for Marvel fans

Of course, WandaVision is not limited to deconstructing the sitcom formula. It is still a story set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Initially full of mysteries, over time it becomes very coherent and concrete. The series directly refers to events from this world, easily inserting characters known from films such as Thor, the second Ant-Man, or Captain Marvel into the middle of the action. It also perfectly references comic sources and even Marvel adaptations created not by Marvel Studios, but – at least once – by a competing studio. Add to this a number of impressive action scenes that in no way fall short of cinematic spectacles, and we can feel the magic of Marvel Studios films in our own homes.

Third: a poignant drama about coping with loss

Finally, the last important element of WandaVision. Perhaps the most interesting, and certainly the least obvious. After all, it is a rather intimate and, in tone, a small-scale story about Wanda and her coping with the premature death of her beloved. We observe how a being with superhuman powers confronts painfully human loss. Particularly emotionally engaging is one episode of the series, in which we retrospectively watch the life of the main character, how successive tragedies were part of her life, until finally one of them became the one that is difficult to suppress, to hide under the facade of a false smile.

This is a very moving, wise, and important aspect of the production.

An interesting context was added to this theme by life itself, unplanned and completely unexpectedly. WandaVision – accidentally, due to the pandemic and the repeatedly postponed premiere of Black Widow – turned out to be the first Marvel Studios release after the death of Chadwick Boseman, the star of Marvel’s Black Panther, who passed away after a heroic battle with cancer.

It was a huge blow to his friends at Marvel and to fans around the world. Thanks to WandaVision, we were able to face the mourning together.

At the center of the entire series are of course the two title characters: Wanda and Vision, played once again by Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany. Even the Disney production trailers promised that this acting duo would show a lot, and the entire series undoubtedly confirmed it. On one hand, it is extremely funny when the occasion allows, and on the other, it is incredibly moving, full of emotions, acting of the highest caliber. Perhaps the most interesting performances in the decades-long history of the brand.

Without a shadow of a doubt, I can call WandaVision both another successful chapter of the series that began in 2008 with Jon Favreau’s Iron Man, and simply an original and interesting series.

It is worth it.