Marvel’s “WandaVision” on Disney+ has finally come to an end after seven weeks with Friday’s episode titled “The Series Finale,” leaving a legacy with its storytelling and paving the way for future Marvel shows such as “The Falcon and Winter Soldier” premiering in two weeks.
Fans of the series waited in anticipation for weeks on end to see the conclusion of the show and what it means for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“The Series Finale” does its job at answering several unanswered questions such as: Who is the Pietro Maximoff inside of Wanda’s “Hex Reality”? What happens to Vision and the twins? And what are the implications of Wanda being The Scarlet Witch?
The mid-credit and post-credit scenes open the door to other Marvel projects coming to Disney+ and theatres such as “Secret Invasion,” “Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness” and “The Young Avengers.”
Now, without spoiling too much, the show’s finale will perhaps leave viewers who were hunting for Easter eggs and clues to a potential X-Men merger somewhat disappointed.
“There is one character that has not been revealed. And it is very exciting. It is an actor I’ve longed to work with all of my life. We have some amazing scenes together and I think the chemistry between us is extraordinary and fireworks on set,” said Paul Bettany, who plays Vision during an interview with Esquire.
His mention of a secret character caused fans to suspect that Sir Ian McKellen, who plays Magneto in the Fox X-Men franchise, would be the character cameo since he is the Marvel Universe father of Wanda and Pietro Maximoff; albeit, recently that was also retconned in recent years. Other actors speculated to make a cameo included Benedict Cumberbatch and Sir Patrick Stewart.
Bettany later cleared up on Good Morning America that the actor was actually himself.
Monica Rambeau’s powers are shown in more detail as she helps Wanda and Vision protect their reality from the witch Agatha Harkness, who is trying to steal Wanda’s powers.
Monica Rambeau is not the only character from other Marvel movies that appears in the show. She was previously in “Captain Marvel” as the daughter of Maria Rambeau.
Other returning characters include Darcy Lewis from the “Thor” movies and Jimmy Woo from “Ant-Man and the Wasp.” These three characters are pivotal in the show, protecting Wanda from SWORD Head Director Tyler Hayward, who tries to play her as the villain and has sinister plans for Vision.
The show left viewers holding their breath for weeks at a time, setting up each episode to represent a different era in sitcom television from the 50s, 60s, 70s and on to the present day. With homages to shows such as “Full House,” “I Love Lucy,” “Growing Pains,” “Malcolm in the Middle” and “Modern Family” as well as other famous American sitcoms.
In the first episode, “Filmed Before a Live Audience, ” which was actually filmed in front of a live audience to generate a true sitcom feeling, viewers are placed right into a story that seems to ignore the events of “Avengers Infinity War” and “Endgame.”
Vision and Wanda move into the New Jersey town of Westview, are married and live the perfect life as an all-American couple. Quickly the story and the world they live in begins to crumble and the audience is shown that something is not quite right with the reality that Wanda and Vision are in.
As the style of the “Hex Reality” changes, it is revealed in later episodes that SWORD (Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Department) is actually trying to break into the reality Wanda created, in order to stop her and free the residents under her mind control.
The show within the show also has commercial ads that are callbacks to traumatic events in Wanda’s life, such as a Stark Industries toaster, that represents the bomb that killed her parents. Hydra soap, a Strucker watch, and Lagos paper towels “for when you make a mess you didn’t mean to.”
WandaVision is filled with many Easter eggs that pay homage to source material such as “The West Coast Avengers,” “House of M,” “The Visions” and “The Vision and Scarlet Witch.” Blink and you’ll miss imagery of other Marvel Comics characters, and what can be considered Marvel’s way of trolling fans, casting Evan Peters to play the fake Pietro Maximoff after playing Quicksilver in Fox’s X-Men movies.
While a second season of WandaVision hasn’t been announced as of yet, the finale leaves viewers with an ending that is satisfying enough but also promises more to come in the following Marvel shows and movies.
WandaVision and other Marvel properties are available to stream on Disney+.
