Ever since that idea to bring together a group of remarkable people came to fruition, Marvel Studios' solo installments have been questioned by fans.
Where was Captain America when a fire-breathing terrorist chained the United States' President on a container port? Did Hawkeye sleep in the day three helicarriers shot each other out of the sky? Was Bruce Banner incapable of getting angry when a barrage of dark elves invaded London?
While Phase 2's lack of crossover explanation essentially came down to expenses and scheduling conflicts, forcing viewers to suspend their disbelief a little, Phase 3 spoiled fans with the amount of mini Avengers-like movies. From Thor: Ragnarok's buddy team-up of the God of Thunder and the Incredible Hulk to Captain America: Civil War's Avengers 2.5 feel, fans have gotten used to big-name players making themselves known in other characters franchises.
With that said, where are the Earth's Mightiest Heroes now that Wanda Maximoff has taken "thousands" of Westview citizens hostage during WandaVision? While the business explanation could be as simple as other actors' schedules didn't line up, there is plenty of narrative reason as to why the Avengers have been absent during the Westview crisis.
WANDAVISION'S TIME PERIOD
Let's get the most important piece of information tackled right off the bat.
WandaVision takes place roughly three weeks after the Blip, consequently setting it seven months before Spider-Man: Far From Home. Families have only just been reunited, the world is beginning to rebuild, and our favorite heroes are focused on their own livelihoods.
Looking at the Far From Home side of things, Westview's current crisis was never once mentioned in that movie. WandaVision has been in development since fall of 2018, and knowing the lengths Marvel goes to maintain continuity, there is significant reason to suspect Far From Home was written knowing how this sinister sitcom played out. The lack of mention of Westview in Spidey 2 shows that the events are on a much more local scale than we realize.
As powerful as Wanda is, she's still got a ways to go before she creates an Avengers-level threat.
THE WESTVIEW BORDER
While WandaVision has been airing for seven weeks now, the argument could be made that the events would have only caught national attention in the past couple of episodes.
Before Wanda reinforced the border with a red hue, the clear, television static-like wall went virtually unnoticed by the outside world. After all, S.W.O.R.D. wrote it off as no more than a “missing person's case” and only got involved once Monica was roped into the anomaly. Canonically, the red border has only been in effect for a few days.
The most significant example of when the outside world would take notice is when the border expands. Beyond some S.W.O.R.D. agents entering the fold, there were undoubtedly a few civilians from neighboring towns that were also brought into Westview.
An event like the border expansion would likely get on the government's radar, but again, it feels too local to warrant calling in Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
SHADY S.W.O.R.D.
The lack of Avengers could honestly just come down to who's controlling the narrative here.
While Wanda is manipulating the events inside the Hex, S.W.O.R.D. Director Tyler Hayward and company are the ones orchestrating how the outside world sees Westview. S.W.O.R.D. has usurped the FBI in jurisdiction here, as Hayward is easily able to force Jimmy Woo to leave when he rubs him the wrong way. Considering this organization is in charge of the investigation, they are the ones who control what information about it goes public.
Tyler Hayward has been less than subtle in showing his disdain for superheroes. He classifies Wanda as a terrorist before emphasizing how difficult the five years between snaps were. His clear distrust in enhanced individuals gives him a bit of a chip on his shoulder, and he selfishly might be looking to prove that he can resolve this case without the help of the Avengers.
Beyond the assumptions about his motives, Hayward has proved himself to be an expert liar. While we as the audience know Wanda never stole Vision's body, just about every character on screen still believes that to be the case. If the acting director is able to conceal information from those looking for it, imagine what level of influence he has on what gets publicized to the outside world.
LOCATING THE AVENGERS
Nick Fury's roster of remarkable people has grown exponentially since six heroes circled up in New York City.
Looking at the OGs, Tony and Natasha have passed, Cap is retired (and might be dead?), Hulk is significantly injured, Thor is "off-world" with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Hawkeye is laying low with his family.
Far From Home also made clear that Captain Marvel is out of the picture, and Doctor Strange is "unavailable" (more on that later).
Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes are presumably off on their own mission (depending on when The Falcon and the Winter Soldier takes place), Spider-Man is back in school, and the entire Wakanda crew is working on assimilating their nation to the rest of the world. That only leaves Ant-Man and the Wasp, who we can assume have their own Quantumania-related problems to handle.
With all those names out of the way, there is a certain Sorcerer Supreme to circle back to.
A MISSION FOR THE MYSTICAL
At the end of the day, there is one Avenger that the Westview anomaly concerns: Doctor Strange.
Wanda's dream world has been birthed out of Chaos Magic. How would anyone other than the Sorcerer Supreme combat that? The solution to WandaVision's crisis is not one that can be punched out of. Excluding Wong, Strange is just about the only man for the job.
Keep in mind, Strange was claimed to be "unavailable" in Far From Home. Considering those events take place over seven months after WandaVision, what are the chances the former neurosurgeon couldn't make it to Europe because he's busy cleaning up Wanda's mess?
An Avenger appearance is not guaranteed, but the superhero team's absence is far from a continuity error.
The final episode of WandaVision is set to stream on Friday, March 5.
MCU Writer, Editor, Podcaster
