Following Scarlet Witch's debut as a villain in Avengers: Age of Ultron, she's become one of the most powerful of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, proving herself crucial in finishing off Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. However, that was just the beginning of an important journey for Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff, as she's set to rekindle her love life with Paul Bettany's Vision in WandaVision this December on Disney+.
While fans await the series, though, it's worth noting Marvel Studios/Disney has to be very sensitive with how they'll portray the character, as there's a fine line to walk in portraying a mentally unstable woman that doesn't tie back to unwarranted stigmas and stereotypes.
WandaVision could go very right or very wrong according to the direction taken for Wanda's powers. So far, it seems like Marvel is exploring this mind-bending madness by having her in various eras with Vision. The promo spot shows with her several costumes, hinting at things from a picket fence life to something more thanks to her comics-accurate costume. At this point, it seems like everything is either happening in her mind or in alternate dimensions, the latter of which shouldn't come as a surprise as this series will inform the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Many believe she might also be fracturing or creating her own realities.
But we must also look at how devastating her potential mental breakdown could be. In the controversial storyline Avengers: Disassembled, Wanda had a psychotic meltdown over the existence of her children Billy and Tommy. This had long-lasting consequences on the Avengers and she warped reality to bring the boys back from the dead, which segued into House of M. The Disney+ series seems to be borrowing some pieces of that, as we've seen cribs hinting she and this version of Vision may be having the twins. But this does have troubling implications for Wanda should she have to snap out of this dream world. In the comics, Wanda's breakdown led to the famous "No more mutants!" panel, where the hero decimated the mutant population.
Filmmakers and creatives, on the whole, have to be careful with how Wanda is portrayed should she suffer her infamous meltdown. After Black Widow's death in Endgame, Wanda is the most tenured female Avenger alongside newbies like the Wasp and Captain Marvel. Scarlet Witch's mental break may shape her future in the MCU as a villainous one, with Wanda either killing humans or other superhumans in the process. Either way, if she has been messing with reality, it would also justify the government's need for the Sokovia Accords and prove they were right about her being a weapon of mass destruction.
Of course, it's just as likely to be the opposite effect, and Wanda accidentally creates mutants, a new species for the MCU. Perhaps her kids in the real world will manifest as mutants, but so would many others, making Wanda something of a Mother of Mutants. She's never really been one for this motherly role on the big screen and seeing as she lost Quicksilver and Vision, it's likely Wanda will be losing control. If this is the case, it has to be delicately adapted for TV. After all, if she's a woman craving a husband or kids, it's something Marvel needs to be sensitive about. She shouldn't be objectified or come off as needy and someone without a crutch, as the Wanda we've seen so far is strong, independent and her own woman.
We can look to other comic series for hints of what the show's tone will be, though. Vision's costumes hint the show may be taking some cues from Tom King and Gabriel Walta's Vision series. In that, we saw themes of depression creep up with her, her husband and their kids. His run was powerful and waded into mental health issues, but there were dour and dark moments that would have to be handled carefully here.
Ultimately, it'll be interesting to see how Wanda's growing powers help open up the Multiverse, but her mental health needs to be handled tactfully, tastefully and with respect. After all, Wanda is one of comics' most powerful characters and deserves to be seen as mentally strong as she is physical because that's what made her such an iconic Avenger in the comics and on film.
WandaVision stars Elizabeth Olsen as 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. The limited series will premiere on Disney+ in December.