Disney’s ambitious plan to expand the MCU into a series format will be kickstarted with the soon-to-be-released WandaVision. The trailers and teasers for the show have been odd, to say the least, showing Scarlet Witch aka Wanda Maximoff living the life of a sitcom housewife with her android boyfriend Vision, complete with quirky neighbors, shiny settings, and a studio laugh track. But all is not as it seems, as Paul Bettany, who plays Vision, told Jimmy Kimmel that the series will eventually go into full MCU action mode.
“We hurtled through the decades and we hit different genres of sitcoms and then Vision begins to think that this is getting a little weird and, in the end, you end up in [a] full, MCU action movie.”
The storyline for WandaVision seems very similar to the comics series “House of M”, in which Wanda uses her reality-warping powers to create a new world according to her wishes. At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Wanda was still reeling from the loss of Vision at the hands of Thanos.
That appears to have prompted Wanda to construct an artificial reality where Vision is still alive and the two live idyllic lives in the suburbs modeled on classic sitcoms where nothing truly bad ever happens.
As the trailers show, Wanda’s perfect illusion does not last for too long, as more and more characters pop up from the real world who threaten to expose Wanda’s new life for the hollow shell it is. From Bettany’s remarks, it seems Vision also comes to realize that all is not as it should be, and he helps Wanda accept that they have been living a lie that needs to end.
While WandaVision is set up as a comedy, it will likely have serious implications for the MCU as a whole. It has been confirmed that the events of the show will lead directly into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, in which Scarlet Witch must help the Sorcerer Supreme fix a broken reality by traveling to other realms in the multiverse.
We can expect a small taste of that sort of reality-bending action in WandaVision, along with an intimate story of coping with loss through the relationship between Wanda and Vision. MCU showrunner Kevin Feige had previously admitted he had a hard time thinking where to take the franchise until the idea for the show came along.
“My team and I were wondering internally about where to go [after Avengers: Endgame, and what would be the next step that was equally challenging and unexpected. [The notion of extending the brand to television] was an adrenaline boost. Elizabeth and Paul were these amazing actors – who had done amazing things in four movies – but never had a chance to dominate the narrative because there was so much else going on. It felt fun to finally give them a platform to showcase their astounding talent.”
Written by Jac Schaeffer and directed by Matt Shakman, WandaVision stars Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Paul Bettany as Vision, Randall Park as Agent Jimmy Woo, Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, and Kathryn Hahn as Agnes. The series premieres on January 15 on Disney+. This news originated at Jimmy Kimmel.