Marvel’s First Limited Series ‘WandaVision’ Is a Major Hit

Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios and Disney+.

SPOILER WARNING.

WandaVision hit Disney+ on January 15, 2021. The miniseries includes 9 episodes. The show’s premise follows Wanda and Vision living in a suburban town in Westview, New Jersey. As they try to conceal the nature of their powers, they discover that everything is not what it seems while they are moving through different decades and encountering different television tropes.

In 2018, Marvel was in the process of creating several limited series centered on its supporting characters from the MCU including Wanda Maximoff and Vision. Jac Schaeffer was chosen to write for WandaVision in 2019 after writing for ‘Captain Marvel’ and ‘Black Widow.’ Matt Shakman was hired to direct and serve as an executive producer that same year. Producer Kevin Feige came up with idea of the characters living in a fantasy world of suburbia based on his love of sitcoms. The show revolves around the idea of using sitcoms to escape reality.

Filming began in late 2019 in Georgia with Shakman directing and Jess Hall serving as the cinematographer. The show was filmed on certain locations throughout late 2019 and February of 2020. Unfortunately, 2020 brought challenges for the entertainment industry in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic. Production halted in March of 2020 but resumed in September in California with COVID-19 safety protocols in place. Production of the limited series wrapped in November of 2020.

The show was officially announced in April of 2019 along with the news that Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany would be reprising their roles, respectively, as Wanda Maximoff and Vision.

The cast includes Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Teyonah Parris, Kathryn Hahn, Kat Dennings, Randall Park, and Evan Peters.

Elizabeth Olsen portrays Wanda Maximoff aka The Scarlet Witch. Wanda is an Avenger who can harness the powers of chaos magic, telekinesis, telepathy, and alter reality. ‘WandaVision’ dives deeper into who Wanda is and the origin of her powers. Olsen said she was inspired by icons like Lucille Ball and Mary Tyler Moore for her performance throughout the sitcom tropes that the show explored.

Paul Bettany portrays Vision. Vision is an android and former Avenger who uses the A.I. of J.A.R.V.I.S and Ultron and the power of the mind stone. Like Olsen, he was inspired by Dick Van Dyke and Hugh Laurie for his performance.

Teyonah Parris portrays Monica Rambeau. We first meet Monica in Captain Marvel but as a child. She’s the daughter of Air Force pilot Maria Rambeau who was introduced in ‘Captain Marvel.’ Monica is known as Geraldine in the sitcom world.

Kathryn Hahn portrays Agnes/Agatha Harkness. We first meet “Agnes” who is Wanda and Vision’s nosy neighbor. In later episodes, we find out she is actually Agatha Harkness, a witch who studied magic for centuries. She plays a major role in the show.

Kat Dennings portrays Darcy Lewis. We first meet Darcy in Thor and see her again in Thor: The Dark World. Darcy is an astrophysicist who previously interned for Jane Foster. We see her more confident in herself and her capabilities.

Randall Park portrays Jimmy Woo. Jimmy is an FBI agent who we first meet in Ant-Man and the Wasp. He is quirky and knows magic. He was the previous parole officer for Scott Lang aka Ant-Man.

Evan Peters portrays Fake Pietro/Ralph Bonner. Ralph is an innocent resident of Westview who is under Agatha’s control and poses as Pietro Maximoff, Wanda’s deceased twin brother. The casting of Peters paid homage to his role as Peter Maximoff in the X-Men franchise.

WandaVision delighted Marvel fans all over the world and introduced non-Marvel fans to the MCU. It currently has a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.1/10 on IMDb. Overall, the limited series received praise and acclaim from critics.

I was drawn to the show because of its unique concept being its homage to sitcoms. I wasn’t a Marvel fan before I watched WandaVision and after I watched it, I fell in love with the MCU. I’ve watched almost every film.

If you haven’t watched it yet, I highly recommend that you do. Even if you’re not a Marvel fan, I guarantee that you will enjoy the show.

 

 

WandaVision is exclusively streaming on Disney+.

Director: Matt Shakman

Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn, Teyonah Parris, Kat Dennings

Producers: Kevin Feige, Victoria Alonso