5 out of 5 stars
“WandaVision” is a spectacular beginning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Phase Four and leaves audiences wanting more with every episode that airs.
The first two episodes are slightly confusing, as both look merely like a tribute to1950s and 1960s sitcoms.
However, viewers who look closely enough will notice small allusions to the MCU’s world before “WandaVision,” such as the “Hydra Soak” commercial.
But the end of Episode 2 also leaves viewers to question who is watching them in this sitcom-style show, and why?
Episode 3 opens our hearts as we get to see Wanda and Vision become parents in retro ’70s fashion. Although this just invents more questions than answers, I certainly hope these children are real, and, based on the comics, Wanda is supposed to have superhuman children! But again, we are left wondering what is happening when Wanda uses her magic in a way that viewers haven’t seen before.
Some answers are finally given when Episode 4 takes shape not within Wanda’s Westview town/sitcom, but on the outside.
S.W.O.R.D. officials and MCU favorites FBI Agent Woo and Darcy Lewis are tasked with understanding why a magic barrier exists around Westview and why so many people went missing. This episode only teased viewers more as we now know that characters within the show know only about as much as we, the audience, know.
Things start to get interesting in Episode 5 when Vision finally confronts Wanda about the things that have been amiss in his own little world. He now understands that Wanda is messing with the townspeople’s minds, getting them to all play a role in the world she made.
So why is Wanda doing this? Is she coping with the loss of Vision, when he actually died during Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War?” Is she not alone in this scheme? Does she even have any control over what she is doing? So many unanswered questions with only 30-minute episodes to answer them!
The end of Episode 5 partly confirms answers to at least two of those questions when Wanda’s dead brother Pietro/Quicksilver, who was killed in “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” appears as X-Men’s Quicksilver, this time played by actor Evan Peters (“American Horror Story”).
Is this the first step in introducing X-Men into the MCU? This question leads me to Dr. Strange.
We know something related to the multiverse is going to happen based on the casting of the 2022 upcoming “Dr. Strange” sequel, which includes two previous Spider-Man actors, excludes Tom Holland and brings in Ryan Reynolds from “Deadpool.” So, it is not impossible that the MCU is using Wanda to introduce the multiverse.
How is all this going to happen? Will her magic get out of hand? And what is up with the high levels of Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR)?
Let’s take a short trip to science class. CMBR refers to the radiation left over from the Big Bang. Yes, the actual Big Bang theory plays a huge part in the MCU and the comics.
Now, CMBR allows us to know how old our universe is and is detectable in every direction. High levels could be a remnant of a more recent Big Bang, which leads me to think that by using CMBR in “WandaVision,” the screenwriters are giving us a big hint at what is going on.
Here is my theory: Wanda or someone else who is either helping/using her without her knowing is absorbing power from the Big Bang in order to create this small world of her own.
Let’s face it, Wanda is extremely powerful! Not to mention, her powers came from the mind stone, one of the six infinity stones which were thrust out into the universe by cosmic entities after the Universe exploded into existence.
Would it really be hard to connect the Big Bang’s radiation to Wanda’s powers then?
If this is the case, and my theory is correct, too much of this power would be catastrophic and could possibly break a hole into the multiverse which would lead right into “Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness,” which also has Wanda’s actress, Elizabeth Olsen, cast in the movie. Why is that, unless Wanda’s powers are about to break the doors between the universes?
With the final episode that aired on Feb. 12, it is apparent that Wanda is stretching her powers whether she knows the consequences or not, and with more power being thrust into her little town, what will the end result be? Needless to say, I am looking for answers while being entirely captivated by the show.
Phase Four begins with Wanda, which means she will play an integral role in the outcome of the next five to six movies, leading up to something bigger than we have seen yet in the MCU!
“WandaVision” is genius and taunting, and it will not surprise me if this show becomes the most successful show to date on Disney+, passing “The Mandalorian.”