With WandaVision having come to an end last week, cast and crew are now able to reflect on the series as a whole. The show is very much a jumping off point for several characters and their future in the MCU, which makes perfect sense given that this was the first Phase 4 project to be released.
There's been a lot of talk about where the show left Wanda Maximoff (now the Scarlet Witch) and what might be next for the character, and one of the project's writers recently shared her thoughts on the matter.
WHAT WANDA NEEDED
In an interview with The New York Times , WandaVision showrunner Jac Schaeffer was asked whether Scarlet Witch's fate at the conclusion of the series was the one she deserved.
Schaeffer explained that the character "got to say goodbye on her own terms" and why that was "what she needed" in the end.
"I don’t know if she got what she deserved. She got to say goodbye on her own terms. That’s what’s important to me. Everything that she’s been through has been forced upon her, and things have been wrenched from her. It’s all been in this frenzied, stakes-of-the-universe way. She has to make really big decisions with no time for processing. This goodbye moment is her choice and she got to do it in her own way. That is what she needed to process everything she’s been through and reach acceptance."
Schaeffer also spoke about the final post-credits scene in the finale, commenting on "the duality of it" .
I love the duality of it. I love the real Wanda, sitting on her porch, making a cup of tea, doing her ruminating and reflecting. And the super-lady in the back room who is astral-projecting and functioning at a level that we have yet to understand. I love that.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE SCARLET WITCH?
One of the biggest post-finale fan debates is whether Wanda gets what she "deserves" at the end of WandaVision , though ideas of what would have been a deserved ending for her vary greatly. Some fans are disappointed she had to lose Vision for a third time, as well as her twin boys Billy and Tommy. Others feel that she should have faced stronger consequences for her actions of trapping a whole town and controlling its citizens' minds.
However, the show is ultimately about Wanda learning to accept and deal with grief, so it's understandable why the writers seemed to prioritize giving the character the opportunity to do so on her own terms. They certainly left the door open for other things to happen down the line, though, by making her appear to be a fugitive hiding in the mountains and leaving the door open for a reunion with both Vision and her children as well.
The "duality" of the final shot that Schaeffer mentions encompasses WandaVision as a whole. This is a show about magic and mystery, as displayed by the astral projection of Wanda studying the Darkhold in her Scarlet Witch outfit, but also about a woman learning to accept her grief and find a way to live with it, as shown with Wanda wearing cozy clothing and drinking tea.
All episodes of WandaVision are now available to stream on Disney+.
