‘WandaVision’ Fans Heartbroken But Hopeful After Wanda’s Bittersweet Goodbye
WandaVision was about as polarizing as a show can be. Some fans loved it while others felt disappointed. But one thing all fans could agree on is that it was a fitting send off for the character of Vision (though it’s anyone’s guess as to whether he’ll return).
As Marvel fans discussed the series, many found themselves heartbroken but hopeful after Wanda’s particularly bittersweet goodbye.
What happened on WandaVision
WandaVision began with Wanda living a seemingly idyllic life. She was a 50s housewife in a world patterned after the Dick Van Dyke Show. The love of her life, Vision, was now her husband. Each episode saw them set against the backdrop of the ensuing decade, within a new style of sitcom. It finally comes to light that the entire situation is a new reality created specifically by Wanda. She is forcing an entire town of people to bend to a new reality and conform to the universe as she’s established it.
The viewers eventually discover that Vision is merely a creation of Wanda’s, not the actual android she fell in love with. The two eventually say their goodbyes after she defeats Agatha Harkness, and Wanda begins to move forward with her life, accepting her loss.
For fans with conspiracy theories and grand ideas of cameos like Dr. Strange and Magneto, it was a disappointment. But the show wasn’t about all those extra characters. It was about Wanda and Vision, and how she was coping with the loss. As a larger part of the universe setting up other movies, it may have failed. But as a standalone story, it had plenty to say about grief and moving on from a loss.
The immense losses of Wanda Maximoff
While many of the MCU characters often get a happy ending within the films, no one’s had it harder than Wanda. Consider the losses her character has piled up during the course of the films:
- Prior to the MCU timeline, her parents were killed in a bombing of their homeland of Sokovia.
- Her brother Pietro was shot while protecting innocent civilians during Ultron’s attack on Sokovia.
- She was forced to sacrifice her lover, Vision, then watch Thanos reverse time and kill him again anyway.
That’s a tremendous amount of loss. That journey help set the stage for Wanda in this series. At first, she seems normal and happy. But it doesn’t take long for the viewer to realize that all is not well. Wanda is clearly moving through the various stages of grief, and has leaned on some seriously unhealthy coping mechanisms to help her deal with that.
Wanda may seem like a villain due to her actions in WandaVision, but she has clearly seen emotional turmoil rarely experienced by any of the MCU’s other heroes. Her actions aren’t necessarily justified, but they are understandable based on what she’s lived through.
Why Wanda’s goodbye was bittersweet
So what made the finale of WandaVision so bittersweet? It’s hard to say it had a happy ending, but it also didn’t end on a completely negative note. It was a bit more complex than many other superhero movies and shows. Mostly, it showed us Wanda being able to say goodbye to the man she loved.
On a Reddit thread dedicated to discussing the show, one person pointed out this was the first time Wanda got the ability to say goodbye to someone she loved and lost:
“Her parents died without warning. Pietro died on the other side of Sokovia. She hadn’t said goodbye to Vision because they were trying to save him, and then she had to kill him because the clock was running out. Then she watched him die immediately after, and she wasn’t able to stop it.”
This is a valid point, and that’s what made the series all the more heartbreaking. For Wanda, it was the first time she got to properly deal with an emotional loss. It certainly makes for interesting character development going forward.
