WandaVision: A Curious Start For the Small-Screen MCU

Fans have been waiting for the Disney+ debut of the MCU shows. The kickoff was supposed to be Falcon and the Winter Soldier but due to the pandemic, it was pushed back. Now in 2021, the streaming shows are finally here with the long-awaited debut of WandaVision releasing the first two episodes.

“Living idealized suburban lives, super-powered beings Wanda and Vision begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.”

STOP! Spoilers Ahead

Ever since the events of Avengers: Infinity War, we’ve been curious to see how they were going to include Vision into a post-Endgame world. As we all know Wanda destroys the Mind Stone and Vision’s death was supposed to be a hero’s sacrifice in defeating the ultimate villain. When Thanos uses the Time Stone to rewind time, his sacrifice for the greater good is ripped from existence and replaced with a heartbreaking death for Wanda and that’s where their story was to end.

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Now in WandaVision things aren’t exactly as they seem. Obviously, Vision is very much alive, and living out a life we all have to know isn’t real. The real question is, where does this world exist in the MCU, and who is running the illusion? Part of Scarlet Witch’s powers is the ability to bend and shape reality and we can assume this is her way of dealing with the grief of Vision’s death. But by the end of the first episode we see that someone is in fact watching television into their world, much like our own.

Who could be the mastermind behind this simulation? By the end of the second episode, we see there’s outside interference. Sitting by a radio, Wanda hears someone calling her name in between pieces of the song, as if someone is breaking through her subconscious. There are many tipoffs as we go between the fantasy world and reality such as the objects of color appearing in a black and white world.

Aside from classic shows like The Dick Van Dyke Show and Bewitched, WandaVision gives off a very Pleasantville (1998) vibe. By the end of the second episode, we’re transported into a new decade of television that appears to be a 1970’s vibe.

There are two huge mysteries revealed in WandaVision both revolving around the television theme. In both episodes, there is a short commercial break scripted into the show. One is for a toaster made by Stark and then Stucker Watches with a Hydra logo on them. The second was the rewind at the end of the second episode. When Wanda and Vision walk outside, they see a man climb out of a manhole just before a rewind and the ending changed.

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These two things are tipoffs to Wanda not being in charge of this distorted reality, this isn’t her grief taking over. Someone else is in control and clearly wants to program Scarlet Witch’s mind. Did something happen to her post-Endgame that we need to worry about? With the Stark and Hydra commercials, is this a circle back on her origin story? One thing is for sure, WandaVision isn’t just a goofy comedy as we wait for more movies. There’s a twist coming and it might set the tone of future MCU titles.