—SPOILERS AHEAD–
When we first heard that there would be a show about Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff (played by Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (played by Paul Bettany), we weren’t quite sure what to expect. Sure, they are cool characters, but they are not usually on top of peoples favorite Marvel characters list. The duo, both of whom are extremely powerful superheroes, are often overshadowed by the likes of Vision’s former boss, Iron Man, or Black Panther and Captain America. Wanda and Vision have often felt more like sidekicks, much to the chagrin of comic book fans. It was hard to imagine how their show would pan out, especially given the pretty important fact that since Avengers: Endgame Vision is, well, dead.
Our uncertainty was pretty much quelled by a host of positive reviews. WandaVision currently boasts an impressive 92% on Rotten Tomatoes – only a few points less than Marvel’s popular Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. which airs on ABC. It ranks far higher than the short-lived Agent Carter, which was centered around Steve Rogers’ beloved Peggy Carter, a secret agent working for the Strategic Scientific Reserve.
Critics like Polygon’s Petrana Radulovic have celebrated the show’s fun start – as well as the Scarlet Witch & Vision are finally in the spotlight. Other critics have praised the show’s surreal nature, magical realism, and its unique style of storytelling. With a host of cookie cutter predictable superhero shows, WandaVision seems to be a refreshing journey. Despite all these positive takes, some reviewers have expressed considerable confusion regarding the plot. Even Conan O’Brien had something to say about it, tweeting «I think WandaVision is slowly building to the big reveal that I still don’t know what’s going on.» This didn’t deter us from tuning in. As unapologetic Marvel fans, we had to see what the hubbub was all about.
The show starts out in the style of a 1950’s family sitcom, and as each episode takes us into a new era – and teaches us more about Wanda and Vision (and their relationship) – we start to realize that something’s…kind of off. It soon becomes clear that the entire town of Westview, New Jersey is under the control of Wanda, who is using an illusion to live out an idyllic life with Vision, who was killed by Thanos in Avengers: Endgame.
WandaVision brings back some familiar faces, most notably Captain Marvel’s BFF Monica Rambeau, and Jimmy Woo, the latter of whom you may remember from Ant-Man. The show’s real joy, however, is seeing Olsen and Bettany’s characters fleshed out. And, of course, the revelation that is Kathryn Hahn as Agnes – aka the villainous witch, Agatha Harkness. While it gets a bit of a slow start, Marvel fans seem to be absolutely loving the show, which just aired its 7th episode. As is the case with any successful series, many fans have started making amusing and relatable memes for fellow WandaVision stans. There are tons to be found on Instagram and Reddit, but we’ve rounded up some excellent examples to help tide you over til the next episode.
