WandaVision
WandaVision is an American television miniseries created by Jac Schaeffer for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision. It is the first television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) produced by Marvel Studios, sharing continuity with the films of the franchise, and is set after the events of the film Avengers: Endgame (2019). It follows Wanda Maximoff and Vision as they live an idyllic suburban life in the town of Westview, New Jersey, until their reality starts moving through different decades of sitcom homages and television tropes. Schaeffer served as head writer for the series, which was directed by Matt Shakman.
WandaVision
United States
English
9
- Kevin Feige
- Louis D'Esposito
- Victoria Alonso
- Matt Shakman
- Jac Schaeffer
Chuck Hayward
- Tim Roche
- Zene Baker
- Nona Khodai
- Michael A. Webber
30–50 minutes
January 15 –
March 5, 2021
Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany reprise their respective roles as Wanda and Vision from the film series, with Debra Jo Rupp, Fred Melamed, Kathryn Hahn, Teyonah Parris, Randall Park, Kat Dennings, and Evan Peters also starring. By September 2018, Marvel Studios was developing a number of limited series for Disney+ centered on supporting characters from the MCU films such as Wanda and Vision, with Olsen and Bettany returning. Schaeffer was hired in January 2019, with the series officially announced that April, and Shakman joining in August. The production used era-appropriate sets, costumes, and effects to recreate the different sitcom styles that the series pays homage to. Filming began in Atlanta, Georgia, in November 2019, before production halted in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed in Los Angeles in September 2020 and wrapped that November.
WandaVision premiered with its first two episodes on January 15, 2021, and ran for nine episodes, concluding on March 5. It is the first series, and beginning, of Phase Four of the MCU. The series received praise from critics for its homages to past sitcoms and for the performances of its cast, especially those of Olsen, Bettany, and Hahn, though there was criticism for the finale. It was widely discussed and analyzed by fans based on various popular theories, as well as by commentators for its exploration of grief and nostalgia. The series received numerous accolades, including 23 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning three. Olsen reprised her role in the film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), which continues Wanda's story from WandaVision, while two spin-off series are in development: Agatha focusing on Hahn's Agatha Harkness and Vision Quest focusing on Bettany's Vision.
Premise[edit]
Three weeks after the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019),[1] Wanda Maximoff and Vision are living an idyllic suburban life in the town of Westview, New Jersey, trying to conceal their true natures. As their surroundings begin to move through different decades and they encounter various television tropes, the couple suspects that things are not as they seem.[2]
Recurring residents of Westview include Asif Ali as Abilash Tandon who plays Vision's co-worker "Norm"; David Lengel as Harold Proctor who plays "Phil Jones";[41][42] Amos Glick as a pizza delivery man cast as "Dennis", the mailman/delivery man;[41][43] Ithamar Enriquez and Victoria Blade as residents cast as the commercial man and woman actors;[41][44] Emma Caulfield Ford as Sarah Proctor, Harold's wife who plays "Dottie Jones", a "skeptical mom who rules the neighborhood with an iron fist and poison smile";[45][46] and David Payton as John Collins who plays "Herb".[19][41] Josh Stamberg also recurs as S.W.O.R.D. acting director Tyler Hayward,[47] along with Alan Heckner and Selena Anduze as S.W.O.R.D. agents Monti and Rodriguez.[48] Julian Hilliard and Jett Klyne portray Wanda and Vision's sons Billy and Tommy, respectively.[49]
Additional guest stars include Jolene Purdy as Isabel Matsueda who plays Wanda and Vision's neighbor "Beverly";[41][50] frequent MCU stuntman Zac Henry as Franklin, a S.W.O.R.D. agent who becomes a beekeeper when he enters Wanda's reality;[51] Randy Oglesby as a Westview resident who plays "Stan Nielson", the town's doctor;[52] Wesley Kimmel and Sydney Thomas as the boy and girl in the commercials;[53] and Kate Forbes as Agatha's mother, Evanora Harkness. Ilana Kohanchi and Daniyar portray the Maximoffs' parents Iryna and Olek Maximoff, respectively,[54] while Gabriel Gurevich plays a young version of her brother Pietro.[12]
Marketing[edit]
Disney's marketing team conceived its campaign for the series roughly a year-and-a-half before its release.[206] At the 2019 D23, Olsen confirmed that the series would mix elements of classic sitcoms with the MCU, which was shown in a teaser that combined footage of Wanda and Vision from previous MCU films with images from old sitcoms The Dick Van Dyke Show and Father Knows Best.[7][70] The series was promoted as part of Expanding the Universe, a Marvel Studios special that debuted on Disney+ on November 12, 2019.[63] In December, Feige debuted the first image from the series at Comic Con Experience. Vinnie Mancuso of Collider said it was "very interesting", highlighting the "old-school black and white" coloring.[207] A commercial for the series and fellow Marvel Studios Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki was shown during Super Bowl LIV.[208] Inverse's Dais Johnston found visual references to past sitcoms in the commercial, including The Dick Van Dyke Show, Leave It to Beaver, Bewitched, The Brady Bunch, Roseanne, and Full House. They thought the series would be a "must-see" for Marvel fans as well as "anyone looking for a hit of nostalgia: the era-spanning framework means anyone can relive the shows of their childhood".[209] Julia Alexander of The Verge said the footage "wasn't much" but offered "enough glimpses to tease fans".[210] Haleigh Foutch at Collider felt of all the Super Bowl commercials, Marvel's "stole the whole show". She was most excited by the "utterly strange and unpredictable looking" WandaVision footage.[211]
The series' official trailer was released on September 20, 2020, during the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards.[212] The trailer received 55.7 million online views within 24 hours, including 36.1 million on YouTube, 4.9 million on Facebook, and 10.1 million on Instagram, which was believed to be the highest number ever for a streaming television series trailer. WandaVision also had over 302,600 social mentions, trending on Twitter immediately after a teaser aired during the Emmy Awards ahead of the full trailer's release, and ultimately trending fourth on Twitter. The trailer was the number two trending video on YouTube.[213] Ethan Anderton from /Film said the footage in the trailer looked like "one of the most trippy Marvel projects to date". He also noted more lighthearted aspects of the trailer such as Vision wearing a Halloween costume of the character's comic book design.[214] Matt Patches at Polygon called the trailer "a hoot, full of bright colors and odd behavior", adding that it still left much of the series a mystery.[215] Comic Book Resources' Noah Dominguez said the trailer "offers quite a bit in terms of content" with "a vivid look at some of the visual tricks on display".[216] Charles Pulliam-Moore of io9 called the trailer's use of "Twilight Time" by The Platters "the most haunting" of all of its strange features, and felt the trailer's editing created "the effect of rapidly flipping through television channels in search of something good to watch".[85] The Hollywood Reporter's Richard Newby described the trailer as "jam-packed with information" and felt that it "gives fans quite a lot to look forward to, as well as some mysteries to ponder over leading up to the premiere".[86] After actors from past Spider-Man films were revealed to be appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Graeme McMillan of The Hollywood Reporter saw the series' official trailer "in a new light", suggesting the different versions of Wanda and Vision that appear in the series were because of Wanda "breaking down walls between different realities", which could set up Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Spider-Man: No Way Home.[217]
In early December, six posters for the series were released daily, each depicting a decade from the 1950s through the 2000s. Pulliam-Moore noted that with each new poster, "different elements shift and morph, both reflecting the passage of time and WandaVision's plot developments".[218] The release of the posters was followed by a new trailer that debuted at Disney's Investors Day presentation. Anderton noted for /Film that the trailer featured more non-sitcom-inspired footage than previously seen, with "a lot to soak in".[219] Chaim Gartenberg at The Verge called the new trailer "mind-bending",[220] while Tom Reimann of Collider described it as "delightfully weird" and drew comparisons to the "House of M" comic book storyline.[221] Tony Sokol at Den of Geek highlighted the trailer's use of The Monkees' song "Daydream Believer", believing the title and lyrics reflected Wanda's mental state well even though the music becomes "barely recognizable under increasing layers of psychedelic weirdness".[222] The trailer received 9 million views on YouTube.[206] The first two episodes of the series Marvel Studios: Legends, released on January 8, 2021, explore Wanda and Vision using footage from their MCU film appearances.[223]
Including the aforementioned trailers, the series' marketing campaign across outdoor, digital, television, and magazine advertisements yielded 2.14 billion impressions. Analytics firm RelishMix determined the social reach for the series within its "social media universe" was 263,000, which was "lightyears ahead of most streaming shows". The various trailers, ads, and interviews posted to YouTube garnered the most awareness and engagement for WandaVision, with RelishMix noting that content posted to Marvel, Disney, and Disney+'s official channels was then reposted on fan channels. Leading up to the premiere, advertisements, "special-look stunt interstitials, co-branded takeovers, on-air graphic integrations, in-show integrations, and custom talent content" appeared on the various channels and assets of Walt Disney Television, ESPN, and Hulu, while billboards were seen in major cities such as New York and Los Angeles. Talent and influencers were sent a "TV-dinner box that had a custom TV tray, utensil set, coasters, drinking glasses, and a [custom] journal designed to look like a vintage TV Guide". A "never-before-done 'reality bending' grid that updates on its own" was created for the series' Instagram account,[206] with Disney's marketing team uploading each post in a specific order while the account was private and then archiving them. Once the account became public, the different posts were un-archived and re-archived to show a different grid of images for each episode.[224] Custom emojis on Twitter updated each week as WandaVision progressed through the decades.[206]
In January 2021, Marvel announced their "Marvel Must Haves" program, which revealed new toys, games, books, apparel, home decor, and other merchandise related to each episode of WandaVision each Monday from January 18 to March 8, 2021.[225][226] Additional "Must Haves" merchandise was revealed on May 10, 2021.[227] From late February 2021 until the series concluded in early March, Marvel partnered with chef Justin Warner to release recipes for food featured in, or inspired by, each episode.[228][229] In June 2021, Hyundai Motor Company released a commercial featuring Olsen as Wanda promoting WandaVision and the Hyundai Tucson. The commercial was produced by Marvel alongside similar commercials for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, and What If...?, and was meant to tell an "in-world" story set within the narrative of the series.[230]
In July 2023, Manta Lab announced limited edition SteelBooks for the series with various accessories such as postcards, character cards, and stickers. DVD or Blu-ray discs were not included with the SteelBooks,[231][232] as it was not an official home media release from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.[233]
Release[edit]
Streaming[edit]
WandaVision premiered on Disney+ on January 15, 2021, with its first two episodes.[234] The other seven episodes were released weekly until March 5.[74][234] Marvel Studios originally planned to release the first three episodes at once, but decided against this because the final episode would not have been completed in time for that release schedule.[96] They also considered releasing the entire series at once, but chose weekly releases after seeing the success that the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian had with that approach. The episodes were subsequently structured with the weekly release in mind, with Feige explaining that they wanted viewers to try to "guess what happens next, to have a week speculating or rewatching and building that anticipation." He felt binge-watching the series after all the episodes were released would be an "equally fun experience".[235]
According to Shakman, the series was able to premiere so soon after filming ended because post-production work had already begun during the series' COVID-19 production shutdown.[10]: 34 Schaeffer felt the series was "suited to [being released during] this moment in time", amidst the pandemic, because it is a "reflection of a lot of the anxiety that we're feeling, and a lot of the pathos and chaos of [2020], so it feels very right to me".[10]: 35 Esquire's Matt Miller felt WandaVision had incredible timing with its release since much of the audience was "collectively escaping to nostalgia to cope with a pandemic and the general chaos of the real world". He also felt WandaVision was "commenting on the very nature and purpose of consuming comic book entertainment".[236] The series was originally set for release in early 2021,[237] before being moved forward to a December 2020 release in February 2020.[238] It was then moved back to the early 2021 slot in November 2020.[239] It is the first series in, and the start of, Phase Four of the MCU.[27][240]
Home media[edit]
WandaVision was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on November 28, 2023, with SteelBook packaging and concept art cards.[241][242] Bonus features include "Through the Eras" with the cast and crew,[242] along with a look at the spin-off series Agatha;[243] deleted scenes; a gag reel; and the Marvel Studios: Assembled documentary special "The Making of WandaVision".[242]
Reception[edit]
Audience viewership[edit]
WandaVision was Disney+'s most-watched series premiere on its opening weekend, ahead of the second season of The Mandalorian, until Disney+ announced that it had been surpassed by the series premiere of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in March 2021.[244] When compared to other streaming series in each week of its release, WandaVision did not have the highest number of minutes viewed using Nielsen Media Research's measurements. Scott Mendelson of Forbes felt that this could be attributed to WandaVision's weekly release schedule, and opined that Disney accepted this in exchange for the continued discussions and coverage that the weekly release had given to event series such as Game of Thrones and The Mandalorian.[245] According to analytics provider TVision, who count U.S. viewers on connected televisions who have watched at least two minutes within a session of watching content for at least five minutes, WandaVision was the most viewed title of January 2021 across all major U.S. streaming and advertising video on demand services. The series had an 8,127 indexed audience size, which was 81 times more views than the average series measured by the service.[246]
