How WandaVision Has Progressed Through the Stages of Grief
Marvel’s WandaVision may be a sci-fi fantasy series set partially in a show-within-a-show in the form of a sitcom spanning seven decades, but at its core, the show is about grief—specifically, Wanda Maximoff dealing with the aftermath of losing all those she ever cared about most.
The show has directly brought this up a few times, mostly via Monica Rambeau, whose own story of losing her mother without being there to say goodbye has been an important part of the series. In addition to Monica trying to reach out to Wanda and help her deal with her situation, Wanda herself has mentioned her feelings a few times, most notably in Episode 6, when talking to the person she believed to be her brother, Pietro.
Even when it’s not directly being discussed, however, Wanda’s grief has greatly shaped the story of WandaVision. Its trajectory seems to be following a certain pattern: the five stages of grief, with each being covered by an episode or two.
Denial: Episodes 1 and 2
The first two episodes of WandaVision are firmly rooted in the sitcom world of Westview, to the level where some viewers were wondering why there weren’t many connections to the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was obvious that something was sinister, and the show was slowly building up to its reveal, but now it’s clear there was another reason for this: Wanda’s denial of her situation.
As we later learn, the Hex was a result of Wanda’s loneliness and despair; she created this world to avoid the real one, so it makes perfect sense that she’s basking in its quaint cheeriness in these early episodes. That simple “no” at the end of the second episode says it all: Wanda Maximoff is not here for anyone’s attempts to burst her bubble and is content to live peacefully in denial of reality.
Anger: Episodes 3 and 4
Things in Westview really start to get weird when we hit the ’70s. Wanda is pregnant, Vision starts to recognize something’s up, and “Geraldine” blows her cover. It’s that last moment that propels Wanda into the anger stage; as the reality she thought she’d run away from seems to have found its way back to her, and she is not here for it.
Rather than take the time to fully process the reminder of what Vision did to Pietro in a healthy way, she “shoots the messenger” (she doesn’t literally do this, thankfully) by throwing Monica out of Westview.
Bargaining: Episodes 5 and 6
It’s in these two episodes that Wanda is forced to truly start grappling with the idea that what she is doing may be morally wrong. She has brought Vision back from the dead against his wishes, but when presented with the opportunity to do so for Sparky the dog, she declines and says it wouldn’t be the right thing to do. She seems to know she is being hypocritical by preaching this lesson to her children, but she appears to be trying to “make up” for bringing Vision back and keeping him alive by not reviving anyone else.
Later in Episode 5, Vision confronts her on trapping everyone in town and forcing them to live in the manner she wants them to, something “Pietro” also brings up during Episode 6, but in a much more positive light. It’s as if he’s explaining her methods of making the scenario the most palatable it could be for those she is forcing to live in it, such as families and couples remaining together. Wanda is grappling with the morality of the Hex in these episodes, but isn’t ready to let it go and is trying to find every way she can to make its existence not seem so bad.
Depression: Episodes 7 and 8
At this point, Wanda can’t even be happy with the dream life she has created to escape her real one and just wants to be left alone. The moral implications of the situation are still on her mind, as evidenced by one of the cutaway interview segments, but she’s past trying to justify it and simply feels defeated now.
However, she’s still not ready to let go of Westview, even after Monica tries to help her once again. She doesn’t try as hard to fight her this time, though, and ends up passively allowing Agnes to remove her from the confrontation.
Wanda subsequently finds out Agnes is really the villainous Agatha Harkness, who then forces her to relive her most traumatic moments throughout her life. Honestly, who wouldn’t be depressed after watching all those scenes play out back-to-back?
Acceptance: ???
As I’m writing this, there is one episode of WandaVision left. We last saw Wanda in Agnes’ basement, with the latter revealing her true identity as fellow “magical girl” Agatha Harkness. It has yet to be seen how this will affect Wanda and her grieving process, but the betrayal of someone she believed to be a friend can’t be good for her.
If Wanda is going to reach the stage of acceptance by the end of this show, a lot of ground is going to need to be covered in the finale. But it’s very possible that she won’t have fully dealt with her grief when WandaVision is over; she’s going to be in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and it’s possible this storyline will continue in that movie.
I have to imagine, though, that there will be some sort of emotional closure on the matter before WandaVision ends, even if some things remain unresolved. It has been fascinating to watch Wanda’s emotional journey throughout the series, and hopefully she can find some level of peace before she enters into her next chapter in the MCU.
(images: Marvel Entertainment)
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