As fans prepare for the first episode of Marvel's Falcon And The Winter Soldier, it seems like it's been ages since WandaVision came to a conclusion. The nine episodes began as an odd but wonderful spin on sitcoms through the decades, and ended in typical MCU fashion with awesome action scenes and epic special effects, not to mention Wanda's incredible costume upgrade and that crazy post-credit scene.
Since it had been almost a year and a half since fans have had the joy of watching anything Marvel, WandaVision was always going to have high expectations to live up to. That being said, it was full of unexpected twists and turns, especially since the series contained some pretty reality-bending storylines, some of which lived up to the tremendous amount of hype, but others — as always — were a little disappointing.
Warning: This Article Contains Spoilers
10 Underwhelming: Evan Peters' Cameo Could Have Been The First Big X-Men Crossover, but Was Actually Just A Joke
When Evan Peters showed up as Quicksilver back in the final moments of episode five, fans went berserk. Was this the first time an X-Men character crossed over to the MCU after Disney's Fox takeover? Was this the first character to appear from the MCU multiverse? Or did they simply "recast Pietro"? Fans were full of questions and had to wait all the way until the end for the answer.
And quite frankly, the answer was pretty disappointing. He could have been either version of Quicksilver, but in reality, he wasn't either. He was just a random Westview resident called Ralph Bohner. While the joke was mildly funny, the disappointment after weeks of speculation and theories about his true identity was huge.
9 Lived Up To The Hype: WandaVision Did Give Us An Epic Version Of House Of M On The Big-Screen
The House Of M comic book series is one of the most popular series since its release in 2005. The House Of M follows Wanda, played by the brilliant Elizabeth Olsen, as she battles a mental breakdown after losing her children Billy and Tommy. This leads her to create her own world where everyone is happy and her children are alive. Sounds familiar right?
The Disney+ series is about a grief-stricken Wanda following the death of the love of her life, Vision. She brings him back and creates her own reality, also known as the Hex, where she can start her own happy family in Westview. Of course, this series is slightly different from the comic version (and doesn't feature any mutants), but it was definitely an incredibly good spin on the classic comic story.
8 Underwhelming: When Monica Rambeau's Aerospace Engineer Friend Didn't Turn Out To Be Reed Richards
Marvel is amazing at dropping clues and Easter eggs in subtle ways, which are then explored in much bigger ways down the line, and it's something all their movies are known for, so when Monica Rambeau named dropped an aerospace engineer friend, fan theories exploded. The most popular theory was for a special cameo from Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, who we now know will have a future in the MCU.
While it isn't Marvel's fault that the character was hyped up so much, it was pretty disappointing when the engineer turned out to be a completely made-up US Air Force General, Major Goodner. Fans will just have to wait a bit longer to see John Krasinski in the MCU.
7 Lived Up To The Hype: A Beautiful Story About Grief & Struggle With Losing A Loved One
Oftentimes, Marvel movies are labeled formulaic, bland, and too focused on the action sequences to be considered real cinema (according to Martin Scorsese anyway). WandaVision, on the other hand, was an amazingly written piece of TV that dealt with concepts like losing a loved one and struggling with grief.
Wanda's mental breakdown was shown through her reluctance to let go of Vision and led her to create her own perfect version of life in The Hex. Credit is due where credit is due and Marvel is definitely worthy of some credit for this emotional rollercoaster, as well as the awesome action sequences.
6 Underwhelming: Watching The Twins Use Their Powers Was Awesome, But Why Couldn't We See More Of It?
When Wanda gave birth to Billy and Tommy in episode three, fans were delighted to see the MCU's version of a young Wiccan and Speed. The potential of the characters was endless. Perhaps they could team up with characters like Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop and Iman Vellani's Ms. Marvel in the MCU's version of the Young Avengers?
This is why fans were expecting to see the twins use their powers to help their parents fight off Agatha Harkness and the S.W.O.R.D. agents, but we didn't really get to see much of them, and after Wanda destroyed the Hex, the twins disappeared from the real world. Although they are likely to return in the future, it would have been nice to see a little more action from the twins.
5 Lived Up To The Hype: When Their Friendly Neighbour Agatha Turned Out To Be Agatha Harkness
Throughout the earlier episodes, Marvel had been teasing a secret bigger role for Wanda and Vision's extremely friendly and quite nosy neighbor Agatha. She seemed to appear in the house all the time, she knew about the sitcom being broadcasted, she calls Vision out for being dead, and we haven't even mentioned her "naughty" pants.
So it was a great surprise when, in episode seven, Agatha reveals herself to be another magical girl in town, Agatha Harkness. Along with her revelation came one of the best songs of the MCU, "Agatha All Along," and fans were definitely left fulfilled by the purpose.
4 Underwhelming: Where Was This Big Cameo Everyone Was Talking About?
It is quite common for the MCU to have big crossovers and cameos in their movies. Nick Fury appeared at the end of Iron Man, Captain America was used as a school gym teacher in Spider-Man: Homecoming, among many others, so it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that another big MCU star would turn up in WandaVision. And when cast members came out saying there's a Luke Skywalker-level cameo, fans were excited.
Many fans predicted a Doctor Strange cameo, or perhaps a first look at Reed Richards, who is popularly fan cast to be played by John Krasinski. Another prediction was the reveal of a huge villain like Mephisto or Nightmare, so when the big cameo was Paul Bettany as White Vision, disappointment was an understatement.
3 Lived Up To The Hype: Wanda Had A Massive Power Up & Became The Scarlet Witch
Although known as Scarlet Witch in the comics, Wanda Maximoff had never been called that in the MCU until Agatha did in episode 8. When it was revealed that she was using chaos magic, and was one of the most powerful beings in the Universe, fans couldn't have been more excited. Her fight against Thanos in Avengers: Endgame gave us a glimpse of her powers, but this limited series highlighted it.
In the WandaVision finale, Wanda got a massive power upgrade as well as a new awesome suit. We see her revisit her mind-controlling powers from Avengers: Age Of Ultron, where she shows people their nightmares, and she used witch runes to defeat Agatha, just like she used on her at the end of episode 7. Oh, sweet revenge.
2 Underwhelming: Both Agatha Harkness & Hayward Became Pretty Bland Villains By The Finale
Creating compelling villains for the big screen is a difficult task, and over the years, Marvel has had some pretty incredible villains. From Thanos and Loki to Killmonger and the Winter Soldier, the MCU is capable of making successful enemies, but WandaVision doesn't live up to this. By the end of the final episode, Agatha became a predictable enemy desperate for power and willing to steal Wanda's powers, while Hayward and S.W.O.R.D were nothing more than a military villain trope.
This was disappointing, but it is worth remembering that the real villain of the show was Wanda herself as she battled with her grief, which as it turns out, made the predictable and bland villains okay to watch.
1 Lived Up To The Hype: The Post Credits Scene Is Teasing A Connection To Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness
Even though there was no Doctor Strange cameo in WandaVision, the post-credits certainly hinted towards a big connection to the film. Fans already know that Wanda will appear in that movie, but in what capacity remains uncertain. This scene could give us some clues, however. As Wanda is busy taking in the scenic lake view, her astral self is seen reading the Darkhold.
While Doctor Strange can use his astral self to read, his body has to be unconscious to do so, so is Wanda already more powerful than the Sorcerer Supreme? As she reads the book, just before the screen goes to black, we hear the twins scream. Is this the key to her role? Is she the villain so desperate to get her children back that she opens up the multiverse?