Let's unpack what we know so far, and what could be coming up?
Hey Everyone and welcome back to the lab!
We hope you are all keeping safe and well.
Today we are once again going to be talking about WandaVision. We are going to break down what we know so far and then explore some theories that we have going forward. So without any further ado let’s jump straight into it.
Spoilers for the MCU and WandaVision from this point forward!
You have been warned!
What has happened so far?
So let’s start off with a recap of the entire MCU so far shall we….
We will also be back next week with another post. lets recap what's recently happened to Wanda & Vision. Before they starred in their own Disney+ Series, we last saw them in the previous Avengers installments, Wanda in Endgame and Vision in Infinity War. As many fans remember, Vision has the Mind Stone installed into his head due to his creation in Age of Ultron. When Thanos came looking for the stone in Avengers Infinity War, The Avengers thought they would be able to remove the stone safely from Vision and destroy it.
Unfortunately this wasn't the case, realising they couldn't remove the stone in time, Wanda had to use her powers to destroy Vision and the stone. However once this was over, Thanos simply reversed time, pulled the mind stone out of Vision’s head and killed him all over again. Vision was dead. Cut to the end of Avengers Endgame and We see Wanda take part in the final battle against Thanos and dealing with the loss of her love.
So where does this leave them going into WandaVision?
Well we go into the first episode of WandaVision a lengthy amount of time after Avengers Endgame, Where both Wanda and Vision are newly married and moving into the town of Westview. Now I know what you're thinking, Vision should be dead right? Correct. Do they explain how he is in this series? No, but it's part of the overall mystery of the show.
It’s very evident from the get go that not everything is as it seems in this new town of WestView. Not only has Vision somehow returned from the dead, but it is clear that both Vision and Wanda are experiencing a form of Amnesia. In episode 1, as they are trying to fit in, they are asked by Visions boss where they originally come from. To which they have no answer. Not only this but we see them living in the 1950’s, everything is in black and white and in front of a studio audience. Wanda and Vision take no notice of this throughout most of the episode however there are times where they notice this strange world they are in.
Cut to episode 2 and they are now living in the 1970’s, except they are not extremely older, if anything no time has passed at all. They again live life as normal with their new friends and neighbours such as Agnes and Herb, but both are still picking up on clues as to where they actually are. The most evident being a mysterious Beekeeper emerging through a drainpipe. Instead of getting any answers at all, Wanda reverses time to before this incident and instead reveals she is pregnant whilst the black and white turns into colour.
Strange?!
We haven't even gotten to the strange parts yet.
Cut to Episode 3 and the 1970’s. Again no time has passed and Wanda is hours away from birth. Whilst Wanda is still trying to ignore the signs around her, Vision is starting to realise something is wrong. Yet every time he does, Wanda reverses time. They also get a visit from their neighbour Geraldine, who helps Wanda to give birth. Wanda gives birth to twins Billy and Tommy and talks fondly about her brother Pietro (Quicksilver). This is when Geradine reminds her of Ultron and Pietros death. Next thing we know Geraldine is gone and Wanda has a sly smirk on her face.
Yet whilst all of this is happening, it is revealed to us at the end of episode 1, they are actually inside a different reality and also a TV show. We see credits playing on a small screen as the aspect ratio changes and a member of S.W.O.R.D takes notes. They have set a large base outside what seems to be Westview itself. We also see Geraldine fly out of Westview and into the base at the very end of episode 3. Lastly we also get audio clips of someone trying to get through to Wanda at various occasions.
So What does it all mean?!
All of this is a lot to digest in just three 30 minute episodes and it is clear it is all a part of a bigger mystery. We here at The Review Lab have some thoughts of our own, let’s break some down.
Wanda; Vision & S.W.O.R.D
As mentioned previously, it’s clear both Wanda and Vision are experiencing some form of amnesia due to them not remembering details of their past. They hint to it on many occasions but when asked directly they cannot follow through with the thought, almost as if something is blocking them from doing so. As episodes go on, we see both of them start to remember slight details and notice strange occurrences yet both of them react in very different ways.
Vision reacts in telling Wanda his suspicions and wanting to possibly investigate further, yet Wanda simply wants to reverse time and carry on like things are normal. For the viewer we can see that Wanda understands more than she is letting on, our theory is she knows this reality she is in is not real, hence the memory loss, yet cannot bring herself to accept it because in doing so she could lose everything she holds most dear, her husband and her kids. Whatever has brought her there is using the emotional connection of her having children and bringing Vision back to life to keep her tethered in this reality and it seems to be working. Us as a viewer know that Vision is dead, so him being in this series has to be the work of the antagonist to compel Wanda to stay, which is already working due to her reversing time and Visions memory.
This is also very reminiscent of the comic House of M. In which, Wanda creates an entirely new reality for herself to deal with her grief. She has lost Vision and her children and this makes her go mad, as it would anyone. Wandavision also gives links to Wanda’s previous losses through its own form of ‘Commercials’. We have a commercial linked to her parents deaths and also one that links to the man who gave her the powers she now has. It is clear that whilst there is an ulterior antagonist at play, one of the main antagonists of the series is grief and where that can take a person. It is a bold route for Marvel to go in to kick off Phase 4.
We also have S.W.O.R.D, trying to get through to her from the outside world, showing that whatever is going on, it could be affecting life on earth too. The appearance of Geraldine and the mysterious beekeeper, could be their way of trying to get through to Wanda to not just save the world, but save her also. She is one of the strongest avengers and any antagonist would want her in their arsenal.
All of this could also mean a bittersweet ending for the series. We know at some point Wanda is going to have to confront her grief and loss. Whether Vision will survive and be taken to the real world has yet to be seen. It would be good to carry on with this character in the universe, however we could also be presented with Wanda having to finally let Vision go in order to save everyone. Or we could be presented with the complete opposite, we could see Wanda completely sucked into this reality and her turning into an antagonist herself. Only time will tell, but with Wanda appearing in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, we have a feeling things will not end very well…
Wandavision has presented viewers with A LOT to unpack, as you can tell by this post. We are just going to have too keep watching to find out. We will be back with another Unpacking on WandaVision in a few weeks (After episode 6, episode 8 and the finale) to unpack the series, what has happened and how it can affect the MCU’s future.
We will also be back next week with another post!.
Until then,
Stay Safe, Look after each other.
Harry x