2020 is going to be a year that nearly everyone will want to forget. MCU fans specifically will look back on this year and see nothing more than a gaping hole in Marvel Studios' vast assortment of releases over the past 12 years (the biggest gap in the MCU slate since 2009).
The world is still struggling to get a grasp on the COVID-19 pandemic, so things are still far from being back to normal. Because of this, there doesn't seem to be an exact opportune time to jump back into the MCU, considering most movie theaters are either still shut down or only allow a limited capacity for audiences.
Coming up on a new year, though, fans have plenty to look forward to as the MCU's Phase 4 will get going just two weeks into January with WandaVision, the first ever MCU TV series, streaming exclusively on Disney+.
It's a little strange, having to watch the start of the MCU's Phase 4 from the comfort of your La-Z-Boy, but the executive producer for WandaVision believes the timing of the show's release couldn't be more perfect.
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WandaVision showrunner Jac Shaeffer spoke to SFX magazine in preparation for the release of Marvel Studios' first Disney+ series, and she took a moment to acknowledge the timing of WandaVision's release, saying she feels "grateful and thrilled" that WandaVision is releasing in January 2021. She explained that, although it wasn't done on purpose, "WandaVision is suited to this moment in time," adding that the series "offers a lot of comfort... solace and respite."
"I feel really grateful and thrilled that we're coming out when we are. I think that WandaVision is suited to this moment in time. I think that our show offers a lot of comfort and a lot of solace and respite in many, many ways. And many of them are not entirely intentional, but fortuitous."
Shaeffer went on to say that she and Marvel Studios see WandaVision as a "reflection of a lot of the anxiety" and "chaos" that the world has experienced throughout the past year, saying that she and the other producers "feel great" about the "special" timing of WandaVision's release.
"The series is a reflection of a lot of the anxiety that we're feeling, and a lot of the pathos and the chaos of this last year, so it feels very right to me. I believe that Marvel feels the same way as well. Mary and I, we talk about it all the time and we feel great about it. There's something special about the timing."
WHAT THIS MEANS
When your MCU project is the first one to be released in over a year and a half, it can be difficult to view the timing of a new MCU project as "special," when it probably feels more overdue than anything else. But what Shaeffer explains is that WandaVision is going to hit home in a very special way for people all over the world, specifically after the year we've all had. That's something to be proud of, and definitely something to look forward to.
To add to that, the most buzz around WandaVision is how whacky and twisted it's supposed to be, so to hear that the series will also offer some comfort is interesting (and exciting). If anything, fans can be sure that the "comfort" they can look forward to in WandaVision is a sort of familiarity, finally having the MCU back in the present day.
What's also enticing is that Shaeffer describes WandaVision to be as much of an escape as it will be "suited to this moment in time." Seriously, is there anything this show won't do?
It may have been awhile since the last MCU project hit theaters, but the mind-boggling WandaVision series is going to be a great way to step back into the MCU after an extended break. And now knowing that fans can also find a sense of solace in the show is even more encouraging, and should be more than enough to make the MCU's Phase 4 kickoff worth the wait.
