After eight weeks of unpredictable drama and action, the end has come for Marvel Studios' first venture into Disney+ with WandaVision . Taking the story from Wanda Maximoff's sitcom-style reality into the full-blown MCU adventure fans have come to know and love, the series utilized unexpected plot twists in nearly every episode as the MCU's story expanded into Phase 4.
WandaVision became a TV show unlike any other by presenting a story through six different eras of American TV sitcoms. This was later revealed to be intentional on Wanda's part due to sitcoms being one of the strongest ties back to her family in Sokovia, and the production team did everything possible to emulate these shows from numerous angles.
Included in these episodes was the use of in-universe commercials , which were a recent topic of discussion with the show's director.
MARVEL CREATIVES EXPAND ON WANDAVISION'S USE OF SITCOMS
Update: In a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine , Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige shared that WandaVision's commercials were originally intended to be subtle messages sent to Wanda by Doctor Strange, who would've been attempting to get through to the Scarlet Witch from outside her sitcom reality madness. Feige unfortunately did not expand into specific details of how this alternate approach would've altered the series itself.
This reveal came after Feige confirmed that Benedict Cumberbatch was initially set to make an appearance as the Sorcerer Supreme in WandaVision's finale .
Original: In a new chat with Marvel , WandaVision creator and showrunner Jac Schaeffer gave some insight into the way the team used commercials as a part of the early sitcom-centric episodes in the Disney+ series. Just as "a lot of fans have guessed," these short ads were a look into Wanda Maximoff's subconscious as her journey continued past the Infinity Saga.
“There's so much speculation about what they mean and we went around and around about what we wanted them to be. And ultimately, they are about [Wanda’s] subconscious, which a lot of fans have guessed.”
Director Matt Shakman also touched on a small detail that can be seen in multiple episodes of WandaVision : the heart drawing on Wanda and Vision's deed to the Westview property. Referring to the heart as "the big one" in terms of hidden clues, he makes it clear that the story "is about love," as well as "the dance between love and loss." :
"This show is about love. It is also about loss, and it's about both of those [things]. It's about the dance between love and loss. So the heart on the calendar is the heart on the deed. We brought it back in the intro to Episode 7."
A HEART FULL OF LOVE
Fans of WandaVision have noticed a handful of hearts scattered throughout various episodes, although it was largely unclear what exactly it meant. There was the heart on the calendar in Episode 1, which turned out to indicate the couple's dinner plans with the Harts, and it appeared again on the calendar in the opening credits of Episode 7.
This turned out to be real as it appeared on the deed to the house Vision had gotten in Westview for Wanda. The deed featured a small heart with the message "To grow old in, V". This was the emotional turning point for Wanda seconds before her Chaos Magic unleashed, creating her own new reality in Westview.
It's clear that love was one of the most important themes of the show, as well as having to deal with the pain of loss for Wanda. Even though she built an entire world for herself and her family, going through the various stages of grief was a necessity for her to help her cope with her immense pain.
As for the commercials, it makes plenty of sense that they were based on Wanda's subconscious mixed set to the tone of each specific TV era presented. These ads made reference to major players in her life like Tony Stark, Hydra, Baron Von Strüker, and more , giving viewers a look into the memories Wanda was apparently suppressing as she tried to live through her new life with Vision.
This was a fascinating way to look at the MCU's history as well in this project, as was indicated in The Direct's exclusive interview with the commercial's star Victoria Blade . With references to nearly every MCU movie that has starred Wanda Maximoff, it was illuminating to see just how much those past events truly affected her psyche.
All nine episodes of WandaVision are now available to stream on Disney+.
