Enhanced: Scarlet Witch.
Super bot: Vision.
Two of Marvel’s most intriguing characters take the spotlight in the new Disney+ series WandaVision, which aired its first two episodes Jan. 15.
The series has a main cast of Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Teyonah Parris, Kathryn Hahn, Kat Dennings and Randall Park.
Wanda Maximoff, also known as Scarlet Witch (Olsen), was enhanced with superpowers that allow her to read minds and use telekinesis as well as many other things. Basically, this chick is super awesome. Vision (Bettany) is a super-bot created by Tony Stark, Bruce Banner and Ultron. He has an Infinity Stone stuck in his forehead, which gives him his own set of superpowers.
These two are just about the last people one would expect to be living ideal suburban lives, yet here they are. Wanda and Vision are settling into normal life–or as normal as a robot that walks through walls and a woman with mind powers can be.
In episode one, Wanda and Vision bicker over a strange abbreviation on their calendar and try to host a dinner party for some important guests. Episode two featured Wanda and Vision trying to fit in with the neighborhood ladies and neighborhood watch group respectively as Wanda starts to notice strange things are happening in her and Vision’s picture perfect life.
Right off the bat as I started watching the first episode, I was a bit caught off-guard by how it was filmed. Marvel is known for their big special effects and amazing sets. Instead, I got the opposite. While I’d been picturing the series to be more like Agent Carter or SHIELD, it was a pleasant surprise to get a more historical vibe.
The first two episodes reminded me less of a typical Marvel show and more of a 1950’s comedy series. This felt very different from ordinary Marvel movies and TV shows where it’s action-packed and the characters are trying their best to not get killed. It was a nice change of pace from what I usually expect from Marvel, though I did find myself missing a bit of the heroes versus villains vibe. It’s too soon to tell, but some expertly placed cliffhangers did aid the “something’s not right here” feel I usually expect from a Marvel movie or TV show.
At first glance, it seemed more like a sitcom where it just followed a continuous set of characters. However, I won’t be so quick to write this series off as a fun-loving comedy when only two episodes have been released.
So far, I can’t find any negatives. Being a die-hard Marvel geek, I know that there’s definitely going to be more to the series than meets the eye. I’m excited to see what’s in store for a Marvel character that I personally believe has a lot of untapped potential.
There’s only one thing that I would change about this series: the release dates of new episodes. I have high expectations for future installments to the series. Whether you prefer the more action-packed Marvel media or more fun-loving shows for the whole family, I definitely recommend this series.
