TV Show of the Week: Wandervision

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has come a long way since 2008, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. Wandervision is the first piece of media within Phase 4 of their gigantic (and ever increasing) plan. I’m writing this article after watching the fifth episode of the series. I wanted to wait until after the final episode had aired to give my verdict and praise, but the shocking ending of the fifth episode enticed me to voice my opinion sooner.

Whilst also following the storyline of the series, I also kept up to date with as much information as I could regarding what was happening behind the scenes, and it was mentioned that Wandervision, Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness, and the currently untitled Spider-Man sequel can be regarded as one trilogy as they share similar traits or is a part of one storyline. I couldn’t find any more information regarding whether this was true, but considering all the rumours Spider-Man 3 that are circulating around the internet, as well as the actual title of Doctor Strange’s sequel, the evidence does point in the right direction. The fifth episode of Wandervision is the strongest piece of evidence we have that references a multiverse.

Warning: The next paragraph contains major spoilers if you haven’t seen the fifth episode.

I want to start off my saying that Wandervision is currently the best thing on TV. A couple of sources state that each episode cost an incredible £25Million to make. With a planned 9 episode run, that means the entire series cost £225Million to make. That’s more than some feature length films, and £5Million more than Captain America: Civil War. And with each passing episode, you can see exactly why it costs that much for each episode, especially episode 5. I won’t go into too much depth about the special effects as my main focus is highlighting the recasting of Wander’s brother, Pietro. Within the concept of the story, recasting her brother does make sense with the context of a sit-com scenario that each episode focuses on, but it’s specifically who has been recast to play the role of her brother that is what is shocking. Evan Peters, who played Quicksilver in the X-men films. X-men was made by 20th Century Fox, which is now owned by Disney, which owns Marvel. We have a brother from another universe suddenly showing up on Wander’s doorstep. It would be rather weird if that is not meant to be a direct reference to a multiverse.

Whilst you do have to have a subscription to Disney+ to watch Wandervision, which is an understandable turn off for some people as they may already have several subscriptions to other streaming services, I do recommend watching this show. I’d recommend waiting for each episode to air before signing up so you can enjoy the free trial whilst binge watching all 9 episodes because it is certainly a show that deserves to be watched in its entirety. After each episode airs I simply cannot wait for the next one the following week.

No one, not even Marvel themselves could have foreseen how massive the MCU would become. They teased us with the multiverse with Spider-Man: Far From Home, only to be told it was all a ruse, but it appears that they are really going ahead with the multiverse, and if the rumours surrounding Spider-Man 3, with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield joining the film playing their version of Peter Parker respectively, then Phase 4 might just be one heck of a rollercoaster ride.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)