It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and with WandaVision approaching talking about great romances (Marvelous romances if you will) makes sense.
Disney Plus’s WandaVision will center on one of Marvel’s first couples, Wanda and Vision. With the show still yet to premiere, their future is a mystery.
So instead let’s take a look at their relationship since the beginning, guess where it’s going, and talk about why the love story at the heart of WandaVision is one of Marvel’s best – and crucial to shaping the future of the MCU going forward.
THE ROBOT AND THE WITCH
Scarlet Witch first appeared in 1964 (The X-Men #4). Retconned into multiple backstories, Wanda becomes a member of the Avengers and falls in love with her android teammate The Vision, or Vision as he’s known in the MCU. Vision, originally created by Ultron to battle Hank Pym, battled against the Avengers. After being convinced to turn against his master after meeting Janet Van Dyne (also known as the Wasp) he borrows the brain patterns of Wonder Man and becomes an Avenger.
After facing and defeating Ultron a second time, Vision meets Scarlet Witch and the two begin a relationship. This relationship faces criticism from Quicksilver and Hawkeye, both of whom are against it.
Quicksilver thinks his sister shouldn’t marry a robot while Hawkeye has feelings for Wanda himself. So the couple takes a leave of absence from the Avengers and marry.
Wanda and Vision leave the East Coast to join the West Coast Avengers afterward. Their two children, William and Tommy are conceived with magic. The two are then sent to human parents when their backstory was retconned. They re-emerge as members of the Young Avengers Wiccan and Speed (William and Thomas respectively).
Witch Agatha Harkness took it upon herself to train Wanda with her hex-based “mutant” powers. In an effort to protect Wanda from the pain of losing her magically created children, she blocked Wanda’s memory of Billy and Tommy. Tortured by the loss of her children, Wanda eventually kills Vision. Becoming increasingly unstable, those events lead to the “House of M” storyline where Marvel’s massive roster of mutants was depowered.
In the MCU, Wanda and Vision became close during the events of Avengers: Civil War where she adjusted to becoming an Avenger. She and Vision became friends and later lovers. The two of them were torn apart during Avengers: Infinity War where Vision was killed by Thanos. Wanda took her revenge on Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, but her and Vision’s relationship was left unresolved until WandaVision.
A TECHNICOLOR WONDERLAND
There have been a number of easter eggs in WandaVision hinting at both Billy and Tommy as well as Agatha Harkness and a dark future for Wanda. The twisted reality Wanda and Vision seem to be stuck in is putting them in various television sitcoms.
The two are living a happy life in an environment where they can be together – but are they truly together or are they trapped? That remains to be seen. There is something sinister hinted at by how Wanda’s environment seems to be shifting – and how the figure of Agatha seems to be haunting their shared reality.
In the comics, Agatha is training Wanda how to use her powers, and it seems as if she might be helping Wanda learn how to manipulate reality via the strange world they live in. That leaves a lot of questions for viewers. Is Vision even there? He was destroyed in the events of Endgame and Infinity War. Did she somehow bring him back to life? Or will his presence and loss as well as the presence of her children be what drives her mad?
There have been rumors that Wanda will be a big bad heading into the new part of the MCU. Will WandaVision be a tragedy instead of a love story, like many of the best love stories are?
UNCONVENTIONAL COUPLES
Wanda starts off a number of the WandaVision trailers mentioning how Wanda and Vision are an unconventional couple. The way that Vision responds seems to hint at his surprise as well, but he’s shown an almost god-like level of understanding. Why would he have that and not know what was going on with Wanda? It seems like the title could be a big clue: this is Wanda’s vision of how things could be.
And therein lies the tragedy and beauty of Wanda and Vision. The idea of a robot falling in love with a human is reminiscent of all the other couples throughout history who broke the mold. Wanda falling in love with a robot is another example of Marvel supporting those unconventional couples.
Marvel has prided itself on supporting couples that are unique and mirror “the world outside our window.” In its own way, Wanda and Vision began that tradition of breaking the mold. Vision doesn’t have to identify as male or female – he chooses to identify as male.
Science fiction and horror have made a living commenting on society’s differences. They are famous for pushing the envelope. Marvel has always leaned into both and that’s especially true with Wanda and Vision.
A woman loving a being that isn’t human, or at least isn’t seen as human, demonstrates compassion and sweetness. The fact that her love is so deep she’s driven mad over his death and causes the “House of M” storyline is a sign that creatures who are different, people who are different, are deserving of love and decency just as others are.
Are you as excited as we are for WandaVision? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
WandaVision premieres January 15th 2021.