It’s been a week since the exciting conclusion to “WandaVision” graced our screens. The Disney+ original series captured the attention of new and old MCU fans alike with its first bizarre and eye-catching premiere on January 15, and not much has changed eight episodes later. Every episode was wrought with fan theories, speculation, and nail-biting anticipation for the next week. And now, it’s over. The sun has set on yet another chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and “WandaVision” certainly went out with a bang. The finale featured some of the best action sequences and most crushing emotional moments in the entire (limited) series. The stellar acting from the cast, including Elizabeth Olsen, Kathryn Hahn, Teyonah Parris and Paul Bettany, only helped catapult the positive reception of the finale, and it helped cement “WandaVision” as one of the must-watch shows of the year.
It’s a shame seeing “WandaVision” go after investing so much attention into it, but if Vision’s words just before the series end are any indication, we’ll be saying “Hello again” to Wanda, Vision, and their tragic story of romance, heartbreak and grief once more very soon. What we definitely won’t be saying goodbye to however, is their love.
Wanda and Vision have always been the Marvel couple. More so than Tony and Pepper, or Spidey and MJ, and rivaling that of even the strongest comic book couples such as Jean Grey and Cyclops. As one of Marvel’s oldest pairings, Wanda Maximoff and her synthetic AI partner have certainly stood the test of time. Their love has proven to be one of the strongest magics to exist in the Marvel Universe, able to withstand any force that dares to try and come in between them.
Whether it be the actions of a nefarious supervillain trying to tear them apart or simply the test of time and a faltering in popularity, their separation never seems to stick. The Scarlet Witch and The Vision were simply meant to be together. But it wasn’t until “WandaVision” that we got definitive proof of how and why these two can never be apart for long.
If you’re a fan of “WandaVision,” or even if you’re not, you’ve probably seen a specific moment from the show. Namely, the moment from the show’s penultimate episode, where Vision proceeds to break the internet (and our hearts) with one philosophical line.
WARNING: Spoilers for “WandaVision” below! Also, topics related to loss, death, and other topics that may have a triggering effect.
“What is grief, if not love persevering?”
It is by no means a simple question, and upon hearing it, the internet went absolutely wild with appreciation and ponderation for it. Speaking about Wanda’s grief over the loss of her brother in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Vision managed to summarize and seemingly diagnose an enormous aspect of the human experience with just six words. His statement finally solved a huge and rather frustrating problem within the MCU, addressing its heroes’ unhealthy neglect of handling their own feelings of grief and loss, and allowing all of them (including Wanda) to face their emotions head on. It’s a deconstruction of the tragically beautiful line that you can read about in full here, thanks to the lovely words of Alisha Grauso for ScreenRant.
The treatment of grief in the MCU isn’t the only revelation we can glean from Vision’s words of wisdom. The heroic android’s lines also provide us with a potential answer for why he and Wanda have been so inseparable. To be clear, it was never really that perplexing of a question. Wanda and Vision’s love for each other was shown off pretty well in Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War/Endgame. But what Vision’s words — and “WandaVision” as a whole — finally reveals is why Wanda and Vision truly are the only beings for each other.
From the very beginning, “WandaVision” has been about Wanda’s grief over the loss of everyone she’s ever loved. We may not have known it at the start, but every aspect of every episode of “WandaVision” focuses on Wanda recovering a piece of her life and her soul that she’s lost. From the death of her parents when she was a child to her brother’s sacrifice in Age of Ultron, to witnessing her partner’s death more than once, Wanda has experienced more loss and devastation than most folks have in the entire MCU.
This is why it came as no surprise when it was revealed that Wanda was behind the creation of the fictional Westview, New Jersey all along (sorry, Agatha). In a moment of pent up emotional release, Wanda “rewrites” Westview’s reality, changing everything from the sidewalks to the buildings. She gave every resident new names and identities, a role in the new life that she had created for herself. It’s a morally gray act that serves as the major conflict for the show, and it puts Wanda and Vision’s love on full display for the very first time.
Up until “WandaVision,” previous MCU stories hadn’t really explored the concept of the two Avengers’ love. It made sense, after all, considering neither of them had a solo film before, and they were instead forced to share screen-time with an ever-growing ensemble cast of superheroes. We were only offered mere gazes into the minds of Wanda and Vision, and though the idea of their bond was present, it wasn’t until “WandaVision” that we saw how connected their minds truly are.
Wanda and Vision are two characters who struggle with what it really means to be human. For Wanda, the battle looks to be mostly internal. Wanda is technically a human, despite “WandaVision” blowing our minds and revealing that she’s actually a vessel for one of the most powerful witches in Marvel history (and possibly a mutant?) It’s her abnormal abilities and tragic upbringing — as we saw her deprived of any basic human connection apart from her brother — that represents her struggle with her own humanity.
For Vision, it looks to be a little simpler. Born out of dreams of a madman (Tony Stark or Ultron, take your pick) and made of synthetic, lifelike skin, the voice of Stark’s old AI, and the Mind Stone, Vision is not your typical “living being.” But the events of “WandaVision” and every action he’s made leading up to it have more than shown how human the cosmically powerful AI really is. He may not look like your average representation of a person, but Vision’s own understanding of humanity and emotion proves that he might be more alive than the rest of his teammates.
But Wanda didn’t fall in love with Vision because he knows what it’s like to be human. She fell in love with him because he knows what it’s like to feel like you’re not. After all, it wasn’t until after he and Wanda were already together that Vision finally started to feel like he was “alive” rather than just a robotic body comprised of extremely advanced vibranium technology. And it wasn’t until “WandaVision” that the hero, a version made completely out of Wanda’s own “will” no less, felt secure in his existence. I’d go further into explaining that, but I don’t own a waterproof keyboard.
The point is, Wanda and Vision were both on the same journey. They thought that this journey came from a desire to understand what it meant to be “normal.” But as the show and Vision’s iconic line demonstrates, they might have been looking for something a little different: to be understood themselves.
In a world where super soldiers, aliens, and talking trees exist, an android powered by a cosmic stone older than the universe and a witch with the ability to bend reality to her will are still two of the strangest concepts in the MCU. We can pretend to understand them, but even as viewers beyond the fourth wall, we are just as in the dark about their experiences as any of the civilian onlookers in these films and shows.
When we talk about death, grief, loss and other such heavy topics, we tend to fall back on a default mode of understanding. In all honesty, everyone deals with these topics differently. No two people experience tragedy the same way. It’s simply impossible, but it’s also part of the human experience. So instead of pretending we know how another person is feeling about such an emotionally heavy experience, we simply say “I understand.”
It’s not a false statement, but what it means isn’t exactly what we’re saying. We can’t really understand how the other person is feeling, because we’re not in their mind. We can just let them know that we know that what they’re going through isn’t easy. Wanda knows this, and given the amount of grief her character has been forced to encounter, she isn’t really looking for someone to tell her they understand. She’s looking to not be alone, to not have to deal with her grief and loss by herself. For a while, this was an impossible goal, until she met Vision.
The android’s thought-provoking words not only display his human spirit, but they also communicate a true understanding of what Wanda, and many of us, have had to endure. Rather than tell her unknowingly that things would get better, or that he knows exactly what she’s going through, he reminds her of her own humanity. Vision tells her that her grief is proof that love exists inside of her. Love being one of the most basic yet complex human emotions out there. With just six words, Vision was able to tell Wanda what she’s always known, but hadn’t heard from anyone else; that she is just as human as the rest of us.
It’s as if he’s taking the thoughts right out of Wanda’s head. Perhaps because, in a way, he is. As revealed by the series finale, Vision is made up of a piece of the mind stone that lives inside Wanda. Not just “Hex Vision,” but even the original Vision who uttered those words to Wanda years ago. They are both connected to the mind stone in a way, and are therefore connected to each other as well. It’s because of this that Vision is able to understand Wanda’s situation. And it’s this genuine understanding, not because he’s been through the same thing or because he’s trying to make her feel better, that Wanda falls for the android in the first place. And in return, she’s able to look past Vision’s vibranium plating and see him for who he truly is, which is why he loves her.
At the end of the day, “WandaVision” is an incredible look into the kinds of effects grief and devastating loss can have on someone. It reminds us that Wanda, like all of our favorite superheroes, are still human, and that just like us they would go to great lengths to preserve the things they love. Vision’s words in the penultimate episode resonate along with his final words in the series finale, where he reminds Wanda that he will always be a part of her. It’s these words that convince Wanda to let go of the Hex, because she knows that grieving Vision doesn’t mean he’s gone, it means her love for him was real and strong. And finally, it proves to all of us how eternal their love is, explaining why Vision and Wanda are the Marvel couple, no matter the reality. That’s a fact I’m sure we’ll be exploring the next time either character graces our screens again.
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