2021 brings with it new hope for a brighter future. A future where Marvel releases a metric buttload of superhero-themed streaming series to delight and distract us. What a time to be alive and nerdy. Let’s prepare for the crowded future of the burgeoning Marvel Cinematic Series’ (I just made that up, but it’s perfect) by indulging in the reality-bending WandaVision. Set in a time and place unknown to me, Wanda Maximoff and the sentient cyborg Vision make a life together in what looks to be a suburb in the 1950s. Not everything is what it seems, as weird things happen around our heroes. Oh, and also Vision is totally dead, and none of this makes any damn sense. Fun, right? I am excited. Let’s dive right in, shall we? Minor spoilers ahead, my friends.
1. What are Wanda’s powers exactly?
I have been wondering about this since Avengers: Age of Ultron. What are Wanda’s powers exactly? Maria Hill described her as “Her thing is neural electric interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation.” Now, I have no idea what is happening at this point in the series, but I can assume Wanda is causing a large portion of it. Is this weird farce of a town one big mental manipulation? How does she conjure the clothing and food? If she isn’t creating these elements of the simulation, how do her potential captors know what to generate when she snaps her fingers? It’s too early to decipher any of this. I suppose the easy answer is, her brother was fast, and she’s still weird.
2. Does anyone remember Wanda’s accent? Anyone? Bueller?
Remember when Wanda being from Sokovia, meant she had a bonkers ass accent? What happened to that? Let’s ignore the obvious answer, which is everyone alive who watched Age of Ultron and heard her speak in that vaguely European drawl collectively said, “stop it.” In the MCU, Wanda quickly adopts her Avenger buddies’ speech patterns, altogether abandoning her home dialect. So much so that Vision has to mention how European Wanda is. Why is this a big deal? It’s not. But as the son of an expat, I can tell you, those accents never leave. Not ever. My mom has been in the states for many years, and you can still hear the islands in her voice. Maybe Wanda is using her weird-ass powers to change her dumb accent. Again, it’s too early in the series to tell.
3. Fake subversive commercials are always fun
I love a good in-world commercial. The creepy Stark Industries Toaster ad has some fun lore baked in for long-time fans of the MCU. The commercial immediately conjured thoughts of Wanda’s origin story. In the MCU, Wanda and her brother Pietro were trapped in a collapsed building waiting to be killed by an undetonated Stark Industries bomb. The toaster’s beeping coupled with the eerie face made of up two knobs and a vent point to the Stark bomb staring the siblings in the face while threatening their very life. All that from a toaster commercial. I could be reading into it, but given the bonkers nature of this series, I believe I am right on the money. Please don’t buy that toaster Wanda. It can’t be good. If you are interested in other bizarre in-world commercials, go boot up Metal Gear Solid: Guns Of The Patriots. The first 10 mins are just nuts commercials with easter eggs for the game baked into it.
4. The weird will be the best part of this series
How about that dinner scene, eh? You can always count on That 70’s Show alum Debra Jo Rupp to deliver a stellar performance. Her strained pleading for her husband to stop choking is a master class in acting. I may be overstating this a little, but damn if it wasn’t a freaky moment that truly shows where this series will shine. We have no idea why Wanda and Vision are trapped in this sitcom world, what the rules are, or if they control their fate. The residents of their quiet town are unwilling participants in this uncanny marionette show. As the show goes on, I need them to lean into the weird. It’s why I am here, honestly. I am riding all my hopes on the next phase of MCU films on how crazy this series decides to go. If they dig deep and freak me out, my hope for the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness film skyrockets.
Continued below5. Hello S.W.O.R.D
Well, look who decided to show up? If it isn’t, the Sentient Worlds Observation and Response Department. Wait, I got that wrong. It’s now the Sentient Weapon Observation Response Division. Well, that changes everything. In the comics, S.W.O.R.D was responsible for handling extraterrestrial threats to earth, the way S.H.I.E.L.D deals with more on the ground threats. If S.H.I.E.L.D were our real-world S.E.A.L.S, S.W.O.R.D would be Space Force. That’s a stretch, but you get it. It seems the organization’s primary focus is now handling weapons of mass destruction that attend dinner parties and work at non-descript “business” companies. I can only assume these are the nefarious folks who have stuffed our heroes in some equally nefarious simulation. Or maybe they are the good guys. I have to say I can’t tell yet. But that’s the fun. All I know is Maria Hill better be the leader of this version of S.W.O.R.D. That woman deserves a promotion after the events of the first MCU go-around.
Let’s wrap it up
WandaVision kicks off to a slow but strong start. We’re still in the dark about what is going on and when all of this happens. Not to mention who is doing it and why. Oh, and how the hell is Vision alive if that’s even the real one? I find myself invested as a person who loves a good, weird series. Something about the hero’s reality being a facade is intriguing to me. I will blame my love of The Truman Show for now until I dig deeper and probably realize I think we are al living in a simulation. Oh, hell. There goes the rabbit hole.
It’s good to have you back, Marvel.
