Wandavision

[Albert1981]

Wanda has to be one the one to take control of the relationship. He definitely needs a guide to what normal human behavior is. Vision can be too analytical for his own good.

I agree with everything you just said. I just think it's a really interesting dynamic. Most MCU couples are dominated by the men.

[Albert1981]

It's quite obvious that many of us aren't used to the idea of an MCU property drip-feeding us information rather than dumping it all right out the gate. That's understandable, given the formula we all got used to with the films and even some of the MCU-adjacent Netflix series.

While this isn't the content rollout Marvel Studios wasn't hoping for, I personally think WandaVision is exactly what the MCU needed right now: a completely unique and fresh take on the formula. For more than a decade the MCU has pumped out hit after hit movie that closely stuck to the familiar. Yes, some directors like Taika Waititi and Ryan Coogler did get the chance to have some of their artistic sensibilities shine through in Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther. But the franchise is going into a new medium now, and the last thing they needed to do moving into the new decade was do the exact same thing over again. They need to be the pioneers again, and this is how they should do it.

I think WandaVision so far is fantastic. Many MCU films dip one foot into another genre -- like Captain America: The Winter Soldier having a slight spy/conspiracy thriller feel and Ant-Man imbuing itself with heist film tropes -- while the rest of the body's just a superhero film in all the familiar ways. But WandaVision isn't that: it is a sitcom. A sitcom with the quirky idea of moving through the iconic decades of television and promises something isn't entirely all it seems beneath the surface. So it's also a bit of mystery show. It isn't a superhero TV show (at least not yet) and that is a great thing. It's actually a risky and bold vision (no pun intended) and the fact that it might be turning some people off because it hasn't immediately peeled away and revealed itself as such means Marvel Studios is asking for a much higher level of trust than ever before. That's the kind of artistic creativity the franchise's most staunch critics have been asking for all these years.

I think it might be a bit premature to say the show is too slow after just premiering and we have yet to see if the weekly rollout format will actually be a benefit or detriment. It is too early to call these things. But I also think that if the promise and the idea of WandaVision isn't for you, then it is fine too. I think with all the unprecedented and enormous success the MCU has had for eleven years (twelve if we count 2020, but with planned content pushed back it might be unfair to add it) gives them a right to try something a little more niche. Maybe their attempts at mass appeal no matter the cost needed to be pulled back a little.

Concur with what you said so eloquently. I do think the final act of WandaVision will revert back to a massive CGI battle and world-saving drama. The MCU can't deviate TOO far from its bread-and-butter approach to storytelling. It's worked too well in the past. For myself, I prefer the Star Trek/Twilight Zone style of storytelling but I don't think that fits very well in the superhero genre.

[Blind Wedjat]

Concur with what you said so eloquently. I do think the final act of WandaVision will revert back to a massive CGI battle and world-saving drama. The MCU can't deviate TOO far from its bread-and-butter approach to storytelling. It's worked too well in the past. For myself, I prefer the Star Trek/Twilight Zone style of storytelling but I don't think that fits very well in the superhero genre.

Paul Bettany has said that the last three episodes are actually that, so it's all about the journey to how we get there. Let's hope they stick the landing. But this is a risky project and it's genuinely exciting.

Shows that drop all their episodes all at once may be great for the current culture of binge-watching but honestly nobody talks about them after a week or two. Stranger Things is perhaps the best example of this. Such a beloved show yet it doesn't remain in the public consciousness for a long while. Even the Marvel Netflix series had the same problem. Compare that to the way -- each week -- people always had something to say about Game of Thrones (especially when it was good), Watchmen and The Mandalorian. People can actually discuss a specific episode as opposed to trying to think about the highlights as a whole.

And I think too many showrunners and writers have let this "It's a 6 - 13 hour movie" mindset negatively impact their writing. Episodes become filler to pad out the runtime and episode count they think less about making each episode work and more about the overall picture. Let's not pretend like the Marvel Netflix shows weren't notorious for having weak middles and rushed finales. I loved Daredevil but it never really nailed its finales and it did suffer from filler at times, and that filler was more obvious because it dropped all at once.

[CTTT]

I have Disney+ and I really do like they only drop one episode per week. Makes you want to come back for more. I previously had a RoosterTeeth sub and they do the same thing over there too. Think of it like reading a book. Why read the whole thing at once when you can read a chapter or two over a longer period?

[Marvell2100]

I really like the show. It's like a cross of 60/70s sitcoms meets X-Files. Looking forward to seeing how Vision was brought back.

[Ascended]

It's quite obvious that many of us aren't used to the idea of an MCU property drip-feeding us information rather than dumping it all right out the gate. That's understandable, given the formula we all got used to with the films and even some of the MCU-adjacent Netflix series.

While this isn't the content rollout Marvel Studios wasn't hoping for, I personally think WandaVision is exactly what the MCU needed right now: a completely unique and fresh take on the formula. For more than a decade the MCU has pumped out hit after hit movie that closely stuck to the familiar. Yes, some directors like Taika Waititi and Ryan Coogler did get the chance to have some of their artistic sensibilities shine through in Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther. But the franchise is going into a new medium now, and the last thing they needed to do moving into the new decade was do the exact same thing over again. They need to be the pioneers again, and this is how they should do it.

I think WandaVision so far is fantastic. Many MCU films dip one foot into another genre -- like Captain America: The Winter Soldier having a slight spy/conspiracy thriller feel and Ant-Man imbuing itself with heist film tropes -- while the rest of the body's just a superhero film in all the familiar ways. But WandaVision isn't that: it is a sitcom. A sitcom with the quirky idea of moving through the iconic decades of television and promises something isn't entirely all it seems beneath the surface. So it's also a bit of mystery show. It isn't a superhero TV show (at least not yet) and that is a great thing. It's actually a risky and bold vision (no pun intended) and the fact that it might be turning some people off because it hasn't immediately peeled away and revealed itself as such means Marvel Studios is asking for a much higher level of trust than ever before. That's the kind of artistic creativity the franchise's most staunch critics have been asking for all these years.

I think it might be a bit premature to say the show is too slow after just premiering and we have yet to see if the weekly rollout format will actually be a benefit or detriment. It is too early to call these things. But I also think that if the promise and the idea of WandaVision isn't for you, then it is fine too. I think with all the unprecedented and enormous success the MCU has had for eleven years (twelve if we count 2020, but with planned content pushed back it might be unfair to add it) gives them a right to try something a little more niche. Maybe their attempts at mass appeal no matter the cost needed to be pulled back a little.

I agree with all of these words. Well said.

[Albert1981]

Paul Bettany has said that the last three episodes are actually that, so it's all about the journey to how we get there. Let's hope they stick the landing. But this is a risky project and it's genuinely exciting.

Shows that drop all their episodes all at once may be great for the current culture of binge-watching but honestly nobody talks about them after a week or two. Stranger Things is perhaps the best example of this. Such a beloved show yet it doesn't remain in the public consciousness for a long while. Even the Marvel Netflix series had the same problem. Compare that to the way -- each week -- people always had something to say about Game of Thrones (especially when it was good), Watchmen and The Mandalorian. People can actually discuss a specific episode as opposed to trying to think about the highlights as a whole.

And I think too many showrunners and writers have let this "It's a 6 - 13 hour movie" mindset negatively impact their writing. Episodes become filler to pad out the runtime and episode count they think less about making each episode work and more about the overall picture. Let's not pretend like the Marvel Netflix shows weren't notorious for having weak middles and rushed finales. I loved Daredevil but it never really nailed its finales and it did suffer from filler at times, and that filler was more obvious because it dropped all at once.

Yeah, I really like the episodic style approach too. Building anticipation and speculation was what made great shows in the past...Well, great. So I do agree with Disney's decision to go with this "ancient" format. "Filler" episodes that allow for character development and universe building can make for some very effective television. That being said, I do think WandaVision's pacing could have been a little bit better. I want to see the plot moving forward. I think if the series does that, more fans would enjoy it more. I also think continuity is a bit of an issue here (as I feared it would be). It's hard to get into these series if you're not too familiar with what happened in previous movies. I think this could be problematic as the MCU expands in the future. But yeah, I like the uniqueness and strangeness of WandaVision thus far. Despite the potential of losing a lot of "traditional" MCU viewers, I hope they stick to the sitcom format for as long as possible. As I've read elsewhere: "Think of it this way: once the superhero fights start, you can't put that genie back in the bottle. You have to squeeze as much as you can out of the sitcom concept before you break it because you can't go BACK."

Still shocked that Wanda and Vision are so horny for each other in this series. I didn't see this in the movies AT ALL.

[Triniking1234]

I really like the show. It's like a cross of 60/70s sitcoms meets X-Files. Looking forward to seeing how Vision was brought back.

I hope it sticks too.

[Frontier]

I hope it sticks too.

Me too, but I think Wanda's wedding ring has a better chance of staying than Vision does.

I just hope gets to go out on a better note than he did in the movies.

[Marvell2100]

I hope it sticks too.

Me too, but I think Wanda's wedding ring has a better chance of staying than Vision does.

I just hope gets to go out on a better note than he did in the movies.

Please let it stick. Since Age of Ultron Vizh hasn't been a factor except to cripple Rhodey.

[Journey]

Can I ask one thing is Vision having superspeed a thing? Cause their like leaning heavily on that power in the show and it kind of feels like away to replace Pietro's presence in a sense, also kind of kills the whole Wanda & Pietro had dormant powers theory, and further jams the nail they only came about from the Mind Stone, which I don't really understand frankly the reality stone would have made a lot more sense. IDK it just feels like their giving Vision superspeed maybe due to Tommy it's like an easier way to explain his powers or something when he comes IDK.

Also Wanda is displaying a lot of powers she didn't before like the teleporting, molecular reconstruction of objects ect are her powers growing or is it just due to the sitcom set I have so many questions! I swear it's like the, "Do You Know the Muffin Man Interrogation" from "Shrek" just walkway confused as hell.

[GenericUsername]

Can I ask one thing is Vision having superspeed a thing? Cause their like leaning heavily on that power in the show and it kind of feels like away to replace Pietro's presence in a sense, also kind of kills the whole Wanda & Pietro had dormant powers theory, and further jams the nail they only came about from the Mind Stone, which I don't really understand frankly the reality stone would have made a lot more sense. IDK it just feels like their giving Vision superspeed maybe due to Tommy it's like an easier way to explain his powers or something when he comes IDK.

Also Wanda is displaying a lot of powers she didn't before like the teleporting, molecular reconstruction of objects ect are her powers growing or is it just due to the sitcom set I have so many questions! I swear it's like the, "Do You Know the Muffin Man Interrogation" from "Shrek" just walkway confused as hell.

Yep, speed is one of his abilities. Not sure how fast though.

I hope we find out how/why Wanda is more powerful. Could be why Herb is there.

[vitaminbee]

I truly am loving this series. The slow burn is kind of nice. Especially as it sets up all the characters and Wanda and Vision together after both of them being sidelined after Infinity War for obvious reasons. Can it be Friday now?

[teapartyofthedead]

Do we know if the Harts will be making additional appearances besides the introductory episode? If Herb Hart is really the High Evolutionary, he would need to be in later episodes. It would be a pleasure to see Debra Jo Jo Rupp again. I hadn’t realized how much I missed Kitty and That 70s Show until now.

They’re definitely throwing references to all of Wanda’s origins. Bova Milk. The Whizzer statue. The wine bottle. They’re not unexpected, but their significance to the overall plot isn’t immediately apparent, unlike the ads for the Strucker watch and Stark toaster. Which now that I think about it, can also be seen as references to Vision and Wanda themselves.

What’s really leaving me intrigued is Wanda and Vision seeing the Beekeeper. Is Wanda conscious of that reality alteration and choosing to reject outside intervention, or was her ‘no’ simply coinciding with the true mastermind rewinding and rewriting reality to keep her and Vision from leaving? Is it anything like when Herb Hart started choking when he asked the wrong questions, and angered the powers that be? Or was that a bad luck hex subconsciously reacting to Wanda’s stress? What about the radio and Dottie’s hand? Has Vision noticed any of these types of incidents?

I also noticed how they are referencing Vision being faster than sound, and it definitely feels like it it an attempt to further tie Vision in to the creation of Tommy and Billy. I like that, because it seems like Vision is divorced from the twins besides the rare background cameo, even more so than Wanda. It sometimes feels like Marvel doesn’t respect him as the father because he’s an android. Bendis went so far as to hint that Simon was the real father in HoM, and ignoring his existence in other AUs where Wanda does get to raise them. While I do like the connection between Tommy and Pietro through the powers, I don’t mind if the show chooses to strengthen the tie to Vision instead. Who knows, maybe it will lead to the comics to letting Tommy have some interaction with Vision some day.

I wish it was Friday now, too.

[Frontier]

Please let it stick. Since Age of Ultron Vizh hasn't been a factor except to cripple Rhodey.

Yeah, it kind of sucks that Vision basically peaked in his debut movie.