Marvel's WandaVision is a first for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as it goes into an in-depth examination of Vision (Paul Bettany) and the Scarlet Witch/Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) as
characters, it is the only live-action Marvel show on Disney+, and, most importantly, it is Marvel's first depiction of love in its purest form. While the MCU has dabbled in magic and world-ending issues, it's never really delved into one of the most fundamental aspects of the human experience: falling in love– our desire for it, our joy in it, and the way we are left grieving in its absence. Vision and Wanda’s and journey is thrilling and painful in equal measure because at its core, it is a comedic masterpiece rooted in the bond between two survivors of great tragedy filled with warm and fuzzy cliches of classic TV sitcoms popular throughout the last few decades.
As you may already know, The Vision and Wanda Maximoff were extremely fond of one other throughout the events of Captain America: Civil War and were later romantically linked in the next Marvel film, Infinity War. In Avengers: Infinity War, Wanda had to kill Vision in order to obtain the mind stone, all in the hopes of preventing Thanos (Josh Brolin) from annihilating the Earth's population. Now, in the series, viewers got to experience all that’s charming and heartfelt about this couple that wasn't highlighted the movies.
In fact, Vision purchased land in the little town of Westview
with the intention of constructing a home for the two of them. Wanda is the current owner of the deed, as Vision has passed away and her sadness at the time takes her to the vacant lot.
Inside it, over the location of their home, Vision wrote, "To grow old in — V" and drew a heart around the message. The idea that the two super beings were denied the life they earned is
unquestionably one of the most vicious plots in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one that has the capacity to permanently scar an individual.
It is in this moment that Wanda is overcome with emotion, and as she falls to her knees, her power flows out of her uncontrollably. Wanda's grief, which is still raw from the aftermath of Vision's death in Infinity War, is strong enough to bend reality and build the town, home, and husband of her dreams out of nothing but a memory. She can't bear the thought of spending the rest of her life without her "sadness, [her] hope, [and] love," so she decides to change her fate.
The existence of Westview is a form of Wanda’s love persevering, in a heartbreaking and tragic way. And that’s what makes her behavior so understandable and easy to sympathize with, even as she robs an entire town of its freedom.
In the end, WandaVision has proven to be a deceptively devastating series that could be the first Marvel Studios production to explore the psychological burden of being a superhero. The pain that the MCU has thrown at Wanda would be insurmountable for anyone to handle, even a superhero.
Featuring images from Disney Plus and Marvel Studios
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