This article contains spoilers for the WandaVision finale.
WandaVision has finally come to an end, and just as Paul Bettany promised, it was nothing short of a pretty grand finale. Wanda faced off against and defeated Agatha Harkness, Vision took on an equally powerful version of himself, and the hex finally came down, setting Wanda and the residents of Westview free. Marvel fans finally got to see the real Scarlet Witch brought to life on screen, and the wait was completely worth it. Wanda even managed to finally accept her loss and move on from her created reality. At least, that’s how it seemed at first.
Overall, this was far from a disappointing finale. It delivered on all of the character and story beats that had been previously built up. It also served up some solid action and even a couple of fun moments for Jimmy Woo and Darcy Lewis. Still, judging by some of the tweets on Friday morning, there was still a palpable sense of disappointment that there weren’t any other big cameos or teases for the MCU’s future: no Doctor Strange, no Reed Richards, no Mephisto, and no big X-Men hints. At the end of the day, though, those were unfair expectations to put on the show, and they point to a larger problem the MCU will face moving forward into phase 4.
For almost the entirety of WandaVision‘s 9-episode run, there had been rampant speculation about surprise cameos and a huge expansion into the multiverse. The sudden appearance of Evan Peters playing Pietro Maximoff only helped to fuel those rumors and theories. Judging by the fact that this Pietro ended up being the mysterious ‘Ralph’ that Agnes was always talking about (with the last name ‘Bohner’ no less), the character’s inclusion was obviously just meant to be something of a trick played on the audience.
This might have actually been more well-received had the role not fueled a scary amount of speculation that Evan Peters’s casting meant that X-Men were finally in the MCU, or that a multiverse portal had been opened to the world of Fox’s X-Men, or that Mephisto was clearly in disguise and manipulating Wanda just as much as Agatha Harkness was. None of that turned out to be true. Then there was Monica’s friend, the “aerospace engineer.” Now, this was likely the first sign for viewers that things were not going to go the way they wanted. While speculation about Reed Richards making an appearance ran rampant, it turned out Monica’s friend was, in fact, just another member of the military.
The disappointment fans might have felt from these reveals is not the fault of the show or the writers. There are always going to be people who can’t just sit back and enjoy a TV show, so they endlessly create convoluted storylines in their own minds and plan for big cameos that would obviously take the focus off the central story. Call it the Game of Thrones effect, and look how that turned out.
This wasn’t just a set-up for other MCU characters (although a new one did get a pretty great origin in the show). It was a journey through Wanda’s grief, and her efforts to find peace after losing the person she loved.
When fans were flocking to theaters to see the latest MCU release, they weren’t speculating on whether the Human Torch was going to show up out of nowhere, or if Galactus and the Silver Surfer would make a big third-act appearance. They were going to see the characters they loved in a new adventure. Whether or not the movie included a nod to the infinity saga was inconsequential. It was just great to see Thor or Captain America doing their own thing and getting caught up in their own individual stories. WandaVision might have had a harder time with all of this because it is a TV show released on a weekly schedule. There were seven days between each episode for viewers’ imaginations to run wild about what might happen next.
Unfortunately, the rest of the MCU, including future movies might have to deal with some of these expectations. With Marvel moving forward with a lot of new characters and bringing in fan favorites from Fox (the Fantastic Four, X-Men) people might be expecting cameos, teases, and other surprises that might not materialize in each movie. It’s somewhat unfair to each individual film, and negates all of the great work that was put into them. The point is to enjoy the story that is being told, not look for hints at future adventures.
WandaVision is a show about a reality that Wanda created for herself where she would have been able to live her life in peace while ignoring everything going on in the real world. In a way, this is what Jac Schaeffer and the rest of the writing staff did to the fans.
By dropping hints at something bigger in the fake commercials (particularly the one about a prescription drug called Nexus), the writers were able to manipulate viewers into creating their own reality, one where WandaVision would actually be jam-packed with all sorts of cameos and surprises. This is not unlike Wanda planting visions in someone else’s head, just like she did back in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and again in the finale with Agatha Harkness. Casting Evan Peters wasn’t a hint at expanding the MCU multiverse, it was just a way to make fans think that was what was happening. If true, then it is admittedly a pretty solid prank.
WandaVision may be at an end, but fans got to see a couple of small teases or what may be coming in the future in the two post-credits scenes. Wanda’s story is far from over and will be continued in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Just don’t go looking for Wolverine to pop out somewhere.
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