Originally Posted by
Albert1981
Look, I know Joss Whedon's directing/writing was very divisive and the Age of Ultron was a polarizing film. I get it. But what do you think if Whedon had stayed on an did more movies? Clearly, Whedon wanted to play up the Maximoffs Eastern European (perhaps Romani roots). Hence the accents. He wanted to discuss (obliquely) about how the U.S. military can often cause a lot of harm in other countries overseas unintentionally. Instead of using the corny Brotherhood of Evil Mutants as part of their origin story, the Maximoffs worked with HYDRA and Ultron's armies. Whedon was clearly interested in the whole mind control hallucination thing as well when it pertained to Wanda. The MCU even lamentably made Wanda use the Hulk to murder people to prove her villainy (a fact which is almost forgotten today). Let's not also forget that whatever you think of ATJ's portrayal of Quicksilver, almost ALL comic book readers agree that it was the closest and most accurate portrayal to his comic book counterpart ever put on screen. And Wanda adopted a more Gothic look in Age of Ultron. So I don't think Whedon was just obsessed with quips and jokes, you know? He definitely had a VISION for Wanda. I think he wanted Pietro and Wanda to be seen as extremist zealots with a legitimate grievance against the Stark Industries and the Avengers. But because of the brutal infighting between Perlmutter, Feige and Whedon himself, the execution was flawed.
The Russos, McFeely and Markus clearly disliked that vision. They de-emphasized Wanda's Eastern European roots and got rid of her accent. They gave her a wardrobe makeover. She became Americanized. And no references were made to HYDRA, her mind controlling the Avengers and her villainous past (I don't think Banner, Romanoff, Rhodey and Stark even hate her anymore). And questioning US military interventions abroad was replaced with question Avengers' actions in different parts of the world. The new writers and directors discussed Sokovia not as the Maximoffs homeland, but as the place which brought about the Accords which tore the superheroes apart. They basically cut off Wanda emotionally from her place of birth. I know that this direction did stray a lot from Wanda's origins. But I agree it had to be done. To have Wanda remain a Gothic bitch with a chip on her shoulder against America would have made her a VERY unpopular character in my view. Her accent would have been too jarring. Her growing affection for Vis softened the rough edges of her personality and made her a really sympathetic figure. So even though Wanda became less comic book accurate as a character, she became more popular because of this new interpretation.
Now Matt Shakman, Jac Schaeffer and Megan McDonnell will be trying their hand at a NEW interpretation of Wanda. An even MORE Americanized one. And she will be funny. Again, I agree with Kevin Feige's decision here. Marvel hired several women and people of color to write the show to give it a different flavor. The most ideal, in my opinion, would be to have actual ROMANI writers working on it. But I just think under the current circumstances, it wouldn't be possible. I don't even recall any Romani writers, male or female, who even wrote for Wanda in the comic books themselves (and she's clearly Romani in them). So to ask Marvel Studios to do the same would be asking too much. I'm certain Michael Waldron and Sam Raimi will have ANOTHER take on Wanda in Dr. Strange 2. I concur with Feige's decision to Americanize Wanda to the fullest extent. I believe it's the only way for her to regain her popularity in the comic books, even at the cost of neglecting her roots. And this still might not happen. But I think it's worth a try. I think when Dr. Doom enters the MCU, he might also become "Americanized" as well. His Eastern European Romani roots PROBABLY would be played down like Wanda's. Do you agree with my analysis when I say that to make Wanda more American is necessary for her to gain a wider following amongst a larger audience? I would like to know. I just think it's almost impossible for Marvel Comics to let Wanda receive "redemption for a so-called genocide" of mutants. How many war criminals do you know of who have received absolution?
I also think wherever you stand on the "whitewashing" debate when it concerns the Maximoff twins and turning the Vision into a British gentleman, Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany are seriously pouring their hearts and souls into their respective roles and doing their absolute best to make Wanda and Vision great in the movies and on television. I believe it's really unfair to force Olsen to speak with a Russian accent and for Bettany to speak in an American one when it would hamper their performances. I really admire their respect and dedication to the superheroes they are playing. They take their profession very seriously and I think that's absolutely wonderful. They are literally bringing Wanda and Vision to life on our screens through their passion and enthusiasm. And the work they have put in has clearly been incredible (especially with Bettany's make-up)! So let's give a big hand to the two of them as well!