Did the WandaVision series finale do justice for Wanda Maximoff and Vision? Going into the series, Wanda and Vision received the least amount of screentime in the MCU (about 30 minutes combined). After finishing the series, I’ve learned a bit more about each of their characters, but still feel like we have barely scratched the surface.
The series finale thrills users with action-packed CGI battles against the main antagonist Agatha Harkness, a Witch from centuries ago, and Wanda Maximoff, as well as Vision vs himself.
I found Agatha to be a larger-than-life supporting character in the sitcom segment of the series, but as a villain she was bland. Doing a perfectly satisfactory job of evil, but not displaying any strong sense of pathos for why she does what she does. Why is Agatha evil, is she evil, or does she merely want power? We know her coven attempted to eradicate her, but we never really saw what she did leading up to those moments.
Perhaps WandaVision never really had the time to explore Agatha’s backstory, after all, she appears to be setting up the next chapter of the MCU with Wanda Maximoff facing off or with The Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange, in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The finale revealed a few of the other mysteries left from the series, for instance, who is Ralph, Agatha’s Husband which was mentioned in the first few episodes? It turns out SPOILERS, that Ralph is the person who lived in Agatha’s house originally and that he was forced to portray Quicksilver through an enchanted necklace that mind-controlled him.
The best lines in the finale are once again delivered by Paul Bettany, as he challenges White Vision (the body of his former self which lacked his memories) to a mental argument. White Vision was programmed to eliminate Vision, but the Vision from Westview asked him to ponder which one of them is actually Vision? Both or neither?
They then face-off and debate the merits of the Ship of Theseus, a thought experiment that explores the nature of one's identity. Bettany’s performance as both Visions shined and the scene resonates as one of the most meaningful pieces of cinema in the MCU.
WandaVision leaves the MCU shaken up in a few ways. It ends with Wanda powered up in a new suit as The Scarlet Witch with the Darkhold Spellbook, Vision’s body resurrected with his memories restored, a new hero with Monica Rambeau, Quicksilver potentially revived and recast, and a villain trapped away in Westview (presumably to reappear at a later date).
WandaVision was a thrilling ride, exciting, passionate, a deeply personal look at grief, but at times fell flat with slow pacing that followed the cliches one would expect. The finale delivered on every expectation we would have for an MCU production and gave us glimpses of greatness. Every MCU fan can watch WandaVision with excitement, just sit back and let the story unfold at its own pace.