Disney+'s - WandaVision (Season 1)

[jeangreyforever]

I'm so thankful this show didn't go the Mando route and inflict on us a needless cameo appearance whose appearance would only overshadow the main protagonist of the show and said protagonist's emotional journey. Wanda/Vision didn't need anything like that, which proves Marvel is willing to grow unlike Star Wars which can't get over a certain Skywalker.

Really hoping this show gets plenty of nominations and wins and I'm definitely expecting Elizabeth Olsen and Kathryn Hahn to get awards buzz.

[Troll2fan]

Originally Posted by GC Riot

The show started out fresh and different, and I really liked the aspect of Wanda being a sort of villain, but of course we can't have that, so instead they stuff the show with generic villains such as Hayward and Agatha, which, predictably, led to one of those trademarked flash bang CGI finales. Just for the sake of telling the audience "There's worse people out there!"
And of course we can't leave characters dead and buried in the MCU either, so of course they had to bring Vision back. Wanda's character arc was the best thing about the show, and it did get a good pay-off, but a lot of the things surrounding this was just plain bad, and they did not need these cookie-cutter villains present AT ALL for the show to reach the same conclusion.
And Wanda being more or less let of the hook for this apart from some sinister looks from the townspeople? Come on. The more I think about it, the more I really dislike this finale. Such a shame that it crashed and burned during the final stretch.

I couldn't agree more and this article perfectly sums up my feelings for the show and finale. The only positive points for me were Olsen, Hahn and the episodes being so short.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/new...NDE?li=BBnb2gh

[BMox81]

The show had no right to be as good as it was.

Absolutely blown away by that final episode.

Thank you Marvel. I had my reservations in whether the momentum could be kept up after Endgame and through the most trying of circumstances we were starved of your content. I should never have worried. You came back and have delivered once again in the highest of fashion.

What a start to Phase 4.

[West E]

Cant remember looking forward to a show every week like i have the past two months. Maybe Lost? Well done, Marvel. I hope this wins a bunch of Emmys.

Enjoyed the last episode. Bittersweet like the entire season.

[Show spoiler]The end credits reminded me of Dr Strange so its fitting where we’ll see her next

[SteamPunkCat]

Not sure if these have been pointed out, but either way...

There were quite a few memorable ideas from past MCU stories repeated here. Not that that’s a first.

[Show spoiler]I was more mildly disappointed by the Quicksilver/Ralph reveal than the Mandarins/Trevor reveal. At least both the Mandarin and Trevor were fleshed out and fun to see Ben Kingsley play. It was made to sound like the beginning of the Multiverse were going to begin in WandaVision and that simply didn’t happen. It had a strong basis with the Evan Peter’s’ Quicksilver reveal too! Considering how well his Quicksilver was in the retro X-Men movies, it doesn’t make sense for that to simply been a meta referenced thing. Definitely a wasted opportunity to fully explore that.

The ending and post credits are identical to The Incredible Hulk escaping and then finding Bruce in the cabin. Both Bruce and Wanda having newfound control over their powers. At least with that self “plagiarism”it works well both times, respectively.

[AnimalCMan]

Originally Posted by SteamPunkCat

Not sure if these have been pointed out, but either way...

There were quite a few memorable ideas from past MCU stories repeated here. Not that that’s a first.

[Show spoiler]I was more mildly disappointed by the Quicksilver/Ralph reveal than the Mandarins/Trevor reveal. At least both the Mandarin and Trevor were fleshed out and fun to see Ben Kingsley play. It was made to sound like the beginning of the Multiverse were going to begin in WandaVision and that simply didn’t happen. It had a strong basis with the Evan Peter’s’ Quicksilver reveal too! Considering how well his Quicksilver was in the retro X-Men movies, it doesn’t make sense for that to simply been a meta referenced thing. Definitely a wasted opportunity to fully explore that.

The ending and post credits are identical to The Incredible Hulk escaping and then finding Bruce in the cabin. Both Bruce and Wanda having newfound control over their powers. At least with that self “plagiarism”it works well both times, respectively.

[Show spoiler]Ha! Yes, I had the exact same feeling on the final post-credits scene. My first thought was, oh they're doing the Hulk thing again.

And honestly, I felt the Quicksilver reveal was a lot worse than the Mandarin reveal. The reason that pissed so many people off was that they didn't see it coming (much like his line in the film!). For fans of the character that was a gut punch, but for Quicksilver it felt a lot lazier and more like a gentle slap in the face.

I've spoken before about why I felt if they did this it would be dumb and I still feel the same now. The problem was that they already did another multiverse fake-out in Spiderman FFH. I didn't think they would be so lazy to just repeat the same thing done in literally the last MCU movie before this show. From my perspective that made this predictable and pretty pointless, and they stretched it out literally until the last episode! Was that really necessary? It didn't even make much sense in-universe (this guy was only recognizable as Quicksilver to fans).

Oh well though, I'm not too hung up on that. I've mentioned already there were other things that bothered me much more about the finale, but at this point I just have to move on and see what they'll do next. I was at least satisfied with Wanda's core story and I don't think the MCU could really lose me at this point unless they just started making Sony-sized blunders at every turn.

[BillieCassin]

Originally Posted by GC Riot

they stuff the show with generic villains such as Hayward and Agatha...

You lose me when you refer to Agatha as a "generic villain". She's the biggest break-out Marvel star since Groot. She has a hit Billboard theme song, for crying out loud, LOL.

What they did with her was brilliant on a number of levels. They did what they do best at the MCU, which is take characters the general public isn't overly familiar with and make them into unforgettable characters with mainstream appeal.

If there wasn't already an "Agatha" Disney+ project in the works, you can bet based on the reaction, there is now.

[j_sazin]

Originally Posted by jeangreyforever

I'm so thankful this show didn't go the Mando route and inflict on us a needless cameo appearance whose appearance would only overshadow the main protagonist of the show and said protagonist's emotional journey. Wanda/Vision didn't need anything like that, which proves Marvel is willing to grow unlike Star Wars which can't get over a certain Skywalker.

Really hoping this show gets plenty of nominations and wins and I'm definitely expecting Elizabeth Olsen and Kathryn Hahn to get awards buzz.

Being a huge fan of both Marvel and Star Wars, this is why Marvel has brought me a bit more of a rewarding feeling recently. Even with something as assuredly separate from the core Skywalker story as The Mandalorian, they still managed to drag their way back to it eventually (though we can all agree the cameo itself was awesome). That's where they've been losing me, between the sequel trilogy and the comics and novels, etc. they can't seem to shake the nostalgia factor. I'm still hoping for something truly DIFFERENT.

As opposed to Marvel, you're right, they just keep furthering and furthering themselves from their origin point. And even when they make callbacks or tread back to previous characters or stories, it's done in such a mind-blowingly "A-ha" way. I can't wait to see what stuff like Eternals and Multiverse of Madness and Moon Knight, etc. bring to the fold.

[BillieCassin]

Originally Posted by j_sazin

As opposed to Marvel, you're right, they just keep furthering and furthering themselves from their origin point. I can't wait to see what stuff like Eternals and Multiverse of Madness and Moon Knight, etc. bring to the fold.

I think there are a lot of us who feel that way. When I look at the upcoming Phase 4 slate, I honestly don't recognize most of the titles even. I have no idea who Moon Knight is, the Eternals sounds like a 60's boy band, etc.

Yet - I can't wait to check them out. Marvel has done such a good job with these properties - GoG, AntMan, etc., that I know at the very least, I'm going to get an entertaining movie or show.

And at this point, the interconnected nature of it all has been handled very well - you don't need to know everything to enjoy most of this on its own, and if anything, it just makes you want to go back and watch some of the previous stuff you may have missed to see how it all fits together. That's one thing WandaVision did exceptionally well.

[Joeker]

Thought the series was average. First 2 eps were boring and pointless, they couldve done the first 3 eps as 1 and still end up in the same place. Then it got good, then the finale was ok i guess.

[jeangreyforever]

Originally Posted by j_sazin

Being a huge fan of both Marvel and Star Wars, this is why Marvel has brought me a bit more of a rewarding feeling recently. Even with something as assuredly separate from the core Skywalker story as The Mandalorian, they still managed to drag their way back to it eventually (though we can all agree the cameo itself was awesome). That's where they've been losing me, between the sequel trilogy and the comics and novels, etc. they can't seem to shake the nostalgia factor. I'm still hoping for something truly DIFFERENT.

As opposed to Marvel, you're right, they just keep furthering and furthering themselves from their origin point. I can't wait to see what stuff like Eternals and Multiverse of Madness and Moon Knight, etc. bring to the fold.

The ST is the continuation of the Skywalkers' story so it makes sense to double down on the family in those three movies, even if they went about it the wrong way by killing off the last legitimate Skywalker and leaving Rey absolutely alone at the Lars homestead which has no relevance to her whatsoever and is clearly just meant to be a not-so-meta wink at certain portions of the audience who still only associate Star Wars with Luke. However, Mando's whole premise was that it was supposed to expand beyond the Skywalker family but the finale just showed an inability to move on, and at a cost of taking away from Din and Grogu's bond and emotional goodbye. People hype on about that finale to this day because of Luke, a character they haven't been able to say goodbye to since 1983 or 2017 or even 2019, not because of the Mandalorian himself.

If this show had ended with Doctor Strange, Reed Richards, Professor X, Magneto, or whoever, popping up at the end, all the discourse would be about that surprise reveal character and nobody would be talking about Wanda herself, her journey, or her goodbye. And I'm glad they realized this show is called WandaVision, not [insert surprise cameo character here]. Viewers need to rein in their expectations and not assume that every future unconfirmed project is about to materialize in one episode. I'm so glad Wanda didn't get her show taken away from her right at the end as I feel happened with Din Djarin. Interesting though that even today, Twitter is trending with Luke Skywalker, Reed Richards, and House of M.

[j_sazin]

Originally Posted by jeangreyforever

The ST is the continuation of the Skywalkers' story so it makes sense to double down on the family in those three movies, even if they went about it the wrong way by killing off the last legitimate Skywalker and leaving Rey absolutely alone at the Lars homestead which has no relevance to her whatsoever and is clearly just meant to be a not-so-meta wink at certain portions of the audience who still only associate Star Wars with Luke. However, Mando's whole premise was that it was supposed to expand beyond the Skywalker family but the finale just showed an inability to move on, and at a cost of taking away from Din and Grogu's bond and emotional goodbye. People hype on about that finale to this day because of Luke, a character they haven't been able to say goodbye to since 1983 or 2017 or even 2019, not because of the Mandalorian himself.

If this show had ended with Doctor Strange, Reed Richards, Professor X, Magneto, or whoever, popping up at the end, all the discourse would be about that surprise reveal character and nobody would be talking about Wanda herself, her journey, or her goodbye. And I'm glad they realized this show is called WandaVision, not [insert surprise cameo character here]. Viewers need to rein in their expectations and not assume that every future unconfirmed project is about to materialize in one episode. I'm so glad Wanda didn't get her show taken away from her right at the end as I feel happened with Din Djarin. Interesting though that even today, Twitter is trending with Luke Skywalker, Reed Richards, and House of M.

I agree with you very much. My only point mentioning the Sequel trilogy is that it didn't even get to stand on its own. At the same time there was a lot of other media as well still dead-set focused on telling (or even re-telling) stories of the Skywalker characters, which I firmly believe also played a part in the over saturation of that era.

But honestly yes, I am glad that someone like Mephisto didn't get crammed into being the big bad at the end, which I honestly feel like would've ended up feeling like the final battle in WONDER WOMAN vs. Ares. Their subtlety of interconnecting and leaving things open for the next project is so smooth and unassuming most times.

[mwynn]

[TommySyk]

I'm really curious to see how this ties into Multiverse of Madness, but especially No Way Home.

Wasn't Multiverse of Madness supposed to be released before Spider-Man, inicially? I'm wondering how

[Show spoiler]the multiverse will come to play as it'll be introduced in Spider-Man first.

(spoiler tagging it just in case people haven't seen the finale and are still expecting multiverse stuff)

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by TommySyk

I'm really curious to see how this ties into Multiverse of Madness, but especially No Way Home.

Wasn't Multiverse of Madness supposed to be released before Spider-Man, inicially? I'm wondering how the multiverse will come to play as it'll be introduced in Spider-Man first.

I think Spider-Man was originally slated for this Summer before moving to December, so I think it was always going to be Spider-Man 3 and then Doctor Strange 2.

[jeangreyforever]

Originally Posted by j_sazin

I agree with you very much. My only point mentioning the Sequel trilogy is that it didn't even get to stand on its own. At the same time there was a lot of other media as well still dead-set focused on telling (or even re-telling) stories of the Skywalker characters, which I firmly believe also played a part in the over saturation of that era.

But honestly yes, I am glad that someone like Mephisto didn't get crammed into being the big bad at the end, which I honestly feel like would've ended up feeling like the final battle in WONDER WOMAN vs. Ares. Their subtlety of interconnecting and leaving things open for the next project is so smooth and unassuming most times.

I think with the TLJ, Star Wars was heading in a new direction, since most of the critical praise for TLJ was about it finally expanding beyond the Skywalkers and not emulating the OT, but JJ Abrams really can't seem to get past recreating the OT, even when those parallels don't overlap as well as he thinks they do. I remember reading that the structure for the ST was supposed to be nostalgia for the first film, reconstruction for the second film, and revolution for the final film. Revolution fits better for what Colin Trevorrow had planned rather than JJ who circles back to nostalgia. I'm more forgiving about all the cross-media mainly pertaining to the OT back then because the decade or so before that was extensively focused on the PT, so it was a much-needed return to form especially since the ST builds on the OT so there was some synergy there as well.

The funny thing about Mephisto is that he's been rumored for years now. He was the rumored villain for the Defenders Netflix TV show, after Endgame, people said he'd be the next big bad, and now with WandaVision. I don't think a devil-type character really works for the MCU anyway, maybe just in Ghost Rider. Agatha was Wanda's foil, shoehorning a new big bad with no connection to her really wouldn't work for a finale. They can still do that later by expanding on the Scarlet Witch mythos and I imagine that'll be a prevalent part of the Doctor Strange sequel especially since we now know that

[Show spoiler]Wanda is more powerful than Strange. The end-credits scene is enough to establish that there could be another force holding her children captive to set-up Wanda's next appearance.

And speaking of cross-media, I wish Marvel Comics had done more to promote Wanda for this show. I know there was some sort of Darkhold event planned but it got delayed because of the pandemic. Still, it seems weird that Wanda and Vision have barely even shared panel time together in the last few years, despite getting their own blockbuster show headlining them together. Maybe their status quo in the comics will change.

[albertbj]

Originally Posted by Foggy

I think Spider-Man was originally slated for this Summer before moving to December, so I think it was always going to be Spider-Man 3 and then Doctor Strange 2.

No, Doctor Strange 2 was originally going to be in May, followed by Spider-man 3 in July.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by albertbj

No, Doctor Strange 2 was originally going to be in May, followed by Spider-man 3 in July.

Ah right, I think I’ve got it mixed up as Doctor Strange was gonna lean more towards horror that I thought it was going to be an October title.

Sounds like they might have changed stuff around in the films to make them play into each other differently now though.

[BillieCassin]

Originally Posted by j_sazin

But honestly yes, I am glad that someone like Mephisto didn't get crammed into being the big bad at the end, which I honestly feel like would've ended up feeling like the final battle in WONDER WOMAN vs. Ares. Their subtlety of interconnecting and leaving things open for the next project is so smooth and unassuming most times.

This is another thing I think the finale did especially well. The "big CGI" ending was really well-done and appropriate. It didn't feel like one of those "we're just throwing a lot of CGI at the screen" battles, even though obviously there was so much CG.

For once, the "energy field" background wasn't random, it was a character in itself. I liked how "grounded" even the flying scenes were - it was clear they were still in Westview, and I think when they returned to the ground just in time for it to not feel like WW vs. Ares, to use your very good example.

Witchcraft looks really cool in the MCU. It makes for some really neat sky battles that don't just feel like pinball games. It reminds me a lot of how cool some of the magic battles were in "Once Upon a Time", and what they would have looked like if they had a Disney+ budget.

[Darthvaderrocks]

After watching the last episode, i can say that it's a trainwreck of a show that has a storyline that does not know where to go, filled with fan service rather than actual storytelling, stock level characters, dull, pointless and boring fights, the lack of Mephisto, and bland directing.

* 1/2 out of *****