The fourth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) commenced on Jan. 15 after the first two episodes of the new television miniseries, WandaVision, debuted exclusively on Disney+.
To date, four episodes have been released on Disney+. The season will consist of nine episodes with each one debuting every Friday through March 5.
WandaVision shines an exclusive light on the reunitement of Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch, and Vision. In the miniseries, the young newlyweds move into the “ideal” suburban town of Westview where they find themselves living in an alternate reality that phases through different decades as they try to disguise their powers from the local community.
Throughout the series, Wanda is in constant conflict with herself as well as different community members residing in Westview. She lives in an alternate reality – that I think she created for herself – to escape the harsh realities of a post-Endgame, Vision-less world. However, she traps herself so deeply into this alternate reality that her magic grows more chaotic and dangerous. The F.B.I. and S.W.O.R.D., the MCU’s counterterrorism and intelligence agency, know what’s going on and want to help Wanda. But, because she isn’t ready to face reality yet, she continuously resists any help that is sent to her and poses them as threats.
After initially watching the miniseries, I think Marvel hyped up the show too much prior to its release. But with this being the first Marvel Cinematic release since July 2019, maybe Marvel Studios had to excessively hype up the show in order to excite fans. While I still think it was overhyped, I became more immersed into the show during the fourth episode.
Up until the fourth episode (that premiered on Jan. 29), I think the plotline drug out too long. The conflict of the series wasn’t boldly introduced until the second or third episode so I had trouble maintaining interest up until that point.
I also thought the start of the series was super cheesy. The first episode was supposed to be staged as a mid-20th century American sitcom; however, it lacked purpose to me. It more so introduced the characters than establishing any sort of long-lasting conflict. There was also a lot of forced humor that I didn’t find funny at all, and I normally find parts of Marvel films funny.
It took me a while to get used to the show because it appears very different – in tone, mood and setting – from traditional Marvel films and shows. The MCU is also highly interconnected – someone and something is always connected to someone and something else. This is also something I thought WandaVision lacked from the start. However, in episode four the audience was introduced to a possible interconnectedness with the Captain Marvel storyline – something I’m very excited to see how it plays out. While I wasn’t on board with the series at first, Marvel finally peaked my interest. Even though I don’t think it will be my new favorite Marvel cinematic release, I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the miniseries plays out as well as Wanda’s influence on future Marvel films including Doctor Strange’s Multiverse of Madness and the third Spiderman movie. Until then, you bet I’m going to be spending every Friday night watching the new episode.
Kerri Hoover
Kerri Hoover is in her third year working on the Eagle Eye staff and currently serves as the President and Editor-in-Chief. As a Lock Haven University senior, she majors in Communication with a triple-concentration focus in Advertising & Public Relations, Electronic Media, and Journalism. With her versatile skill set, Kerri hopes to pursue a career working as a social media content creator, journalist, or video editor. On the rare occasion Kerri isn’t working in the newsroom, she can be found hanging out with her friends, working at the PUB, or creating content for the LHU Media and Journalism Department.
