Where is WandaVision Going?

I remember when I first heard about WandaVision. I was thrilled. Wanda’s arc in the comics is fascinating, and while I won’t go too deeply into that (because it’s primarily spoilers and speculation, considering all the changes the MCU has made in its adaptations), I do want to think about where the show could go, and the tone it has already set.

Minor Spoilers below for episode 1 “Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience” and episode 2 “Don’t Touch That Dial”.

The first two episodes were both in black and white and were completely wrapped up in the themes and tropes of each decade. Responses from fans were somewhat mixed, especially those with children that had never seen anything not in color. And while the dialogue was clunky and cheeky, that’s exactly what television was like during that time.

The thing is, while the shows of the 50’s and 60’s (Dick Van Dyke, Bewitched, etc.) fit that decade we laugh now at some of the tropes, particularly the expectations placed on housewives (there’s an entire Gilmore Girls episode about this), and how everything looked so polished, but it wasn’t reality. WandaVision executed everything about that era perfectly, epecially while hinting… and eventually showing, that things are going on beneath the surface.

In the same way, Wanda is not currently living in reality. She’s suppressing things (like where she and Vision met, got married, why they moved etc.), and subconsciously fighting against anything (like a helicopter, a beekeeper from a manhole, a radio broadcast gone awry) that would shatter the illusion of paradise that she’s created. On top of that, she’s being monitored and manipulated. To what purpose, we don’t know, but neither does she, and it will be fun watching her put it together.

As time and television marched on, shows stopped being about the “perfect life” and started to actually reflect reality.

And this gets me back to my initial reaction when hearing about the show. As excited as I was, I wondered how long a show like WandaVision could exist, because in the comics, Wanda essentially creates a separate reality as she is unable to come to grips with trauma. Eventually in the comics, all comes crashing down, and then is restored, so I expect something similar will happen in the show… and then where does it go?

If the first two episodes are anything to go by, then as Wanda gets closer and closer to reality, the shows she plays through her head will reflect that. Instead of the perfect hair, make up and sheen of the 50’s and 60’s we’ll get things that were common in the shows of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. They included themes of family drama, and strife.

And no matter what, I’m sure strife will come. There’s no way that Disney + will deviate so much from the source material that one day Wanda blissfully awakens without a struggle… or casualties. And, even though it’s billed as a miniseries, there’s no way Disney + will dump money into something that won’t connect. Because if it doesn’t connect to the bigger picture, there’s no reason for people to watch it, and then no reason for extra subscribers.

So again, where will WandaVision go after the mystery is solved? Will it connect to Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness? What about X-Men with all of the House of M hints, maybe we’ll finally get a cameo that connects to the newly acquired Fox properties? Only time will tell. Until then, I’ll enjoy the tropes of each decade, the easter eggs, and hints along the way.