WandaVision Review: Superhero Films Reimagined

Sophia Paranzino

A 1950’s-inspired sitcom is not the first thing most would think of for a superhero spin-off television show. Yet, the first episode of Marvel Studios’ “WandaVision” was just that. During the course of the coming year, Marvel plans to release a number of new series that will tie into their larger cinematic universe, with “WandaVision” being the first.  The show centers around two of the Avengers: Wanda Maximoff, a powerful witch who can control people and move objects with her mind, and Vision, a synthezoid. Their romantic relationship had developed through the subsequent films; however, it seemingly came to an end with Vision’s death in “Avengers: Infinity War.” This show takes place in the immediate aftermath of the newest MCU movie, “Avengers: Endgame.” As the season progresses more and more of the truth behind the strange sitcom world is unveiled.

“WandaVision” was released every Friday on Disney+ over the span of nine weeks, leaving plenty of time for fans to generate hype and create theories for the show. These theories range from the strange – some speculating that the neighbor’s bunny is the real villain of the series – to the more complex theories, tying in plenty of details from the movies and the original comics. Another odd result from the show’s large internet is the obsession with one of the actors, Randall Park, who plays the part of Jimmy Woo, a “nice cop” FBI agent with good intentions and teams up with other lovable characters to solve the “Westview Anomaly”, AKA Wanda’s false reality creation.

But this large fanbase has also created some negative consequences. The wild and innumerable fan theories that emerged led to some disappointment; the finale did not meet all their expectations, though I believe the finale was a perfectly acceptable ending for a nine episode mini-series. There was a large battle scene between the superheroes and antagonists, tear-jerking goodbyes, and most importantly, character development for Wanda that sets up new stories for future movies. With this end, Wanda realized the true potential of her powers and officially adopted the identity of the Scarlet Witch. 

Overall, “WandaVision” is a very unique slow-burn. It began as a 1950’s sitcom starring two superheroes and as decades through sitcom eras progressed with each episode, more and more things appeared out of place until viewers were able to piece together clues to understand what was really happening in Westview. It was a very fun and refreshing format for a show, deviating from the usual action movie plot that most Marvel films follow, causing many fans, including myself, to eagerly anticipate each week’s new episode.

Rating: 5/5