MAYvel 2021 (Streaming Edition); Wandavision (+1): Finally, a Scarlet Witch

Wanda Maximoff. She was experimented on by Hydra; an evil robot killed her brother, her city was destroyed by said robot who wanted to use it to destroy the world. She was the cause of the Sokovia Accords, labelled as an enhanced terrorist when her side lost a civil war and was on the run for years; she had to kill her boyfriend robot to stop a giant purple guy from completing his rock collection, then watched him be brought back to life only be killed again because the purple guy really wanted to finish his rock collection dammit! She was wiped out of existence for five years, brought back to life only to find out so much has changed... yeah, you'd be needing some therapy too after all of that. But well, there are probably better ways to do it than kidnapping a town to live out sitcom fantasies. Welcome, to Wandavision.

 

Marvel Studios does a sitcom, or rather a mash-up of every sitcom while throwing in a touch of existential horror that'll leave you asking, "what's going on?" most of the time. This is because most of the characters both in the show and in the show but also watching the show (it makes more sense in context) don't know what's going on either. Inside the town, thanks to the power of The Hex, Wanda can manipulate the town, turning it into a series of Sitcom settings based on iconic decades for the genre. The 50's with shows like the Dick Van Dyke Show, the 60's with Bewitched, the 70's with the Brady Bunch, the 80's with shows like Growing Pains and, hilariously ironic, Full House. There was an episode that was a recreation of Malcolm in the Middle. The final few episodes themed around modern fourth wall breaking sitcoms like Modern Family and The Office, an ideal time for the illusion to be shattered (which all the previous episodes had been building up too). Still, it does lead to the payoff of Wanda finally becoming the Scarlet Witch, something that only after watching the series did I notice that she had never been called that in any of the MCU movies prior. 

 
While inside The Hex, it's a traditional sitcom storey week to week, with stories changing drastically save for the underlining question about how this pocket world works. Outside the Hex is far more streamlined, focused, more Marvel like in presentation and storytelling. S.W.O.R.D., a new version of S.H.I.E.L.D., is observing the Hex, trying to figure out what's going on inside of it and what's causing it, resulting in the introduction of Monica Rambeau. She's trying to ease the situation between Wanda and her superiors in S.W.O.R.D. that view Wanda as too dangerous a threat to be left alive. Throw in witches, a philosophical battle between two Visions and what you have is a confusing roller-coaster of a story that is hard to describe without spoilers. The big issue I have with the series is that the ending feels rushed, but this is primarily because of how much there was to get through by the end of the show. While Falcon and Winter Soldier was relatively consistent and streamlined, Wandavision is more scattered in its approach. It's juggling a lot of things, and not all of them land well. But I appreciate the ambition, and though the finale wasn't as good as the show itself, that's primarily due to how good the show is. 

One thing I love about Wandavision is the attention to detail when it comes to the Sitcom settings. While Falcon was very traditional in terms of the Marvel aesthetic, Wandavision mixes it with the Sitcom aesthetics. Outside of the Hex is traditional Marvel in terms of presentation, inside The Hex fluctuates depending on the period, with the first two episodes even using the same practical effects techniques and editing tricks used for those original shows. The first episode even had a live audience. If you are curious, a documentary series on Disney+ called Marvel Studios Assembled goes into the production of both Wandavision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier. They're fascinating to watch, and I hope that it continues for future MCU projects.

 

Flawed but fun would be the best way to describe Wandavision as a whole. The ending was a letdown, but I was hooked all the way through, something many actual sitcoms don't manage to do for me partly due to the drawn-out endings. Like the previous review, Wandavision is a short, primarily sharp and mainly to the point series. The fun of sitcoms without all the fat, and some existential horror added in, fun for the whole family! For now, though, we need to take a step back. We need to rewind the clock, back to when Avengers was still new before Kevin Feige had complete control of the MCU machine, and the small screen outings were made for T.V., budget and all. Up next, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Seasons 1+2.

MAYvel 2021 (Streaming Edition!); The Falcon and The Winter Soldier: And you thought Black Panther was political

 With 2020 causing all the cinemas to shut, and movie schedules are still up in the air when it comes to getting a theatrical release, the world turned to streaming services, and for this MAYvel, so will I. No movies this year, instead it's all about the shows on Disney +. Two that are directly connected to the MCU, and two that are... well, they're there... maybe... kind of waiting on Ms Marvel to see what they're doing with them. Anyway, let's look at the newest of the shows, while it might still be possible to cash in on Google's Algorithm. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. 

 
While Wandavision (next week) was focused more on the after-effects of Endgame on a smaller scale, Wanda's reaction to what happened, Falcon and Winter Soldier focuses on the significant scale effects of Endgame. The world is a mess; refugees worldwide are without a home, thanks to all the people who disappeared after Infinity War returning and continuing as nothing had happened. Borders are returning, and because of this, a political extremist group known as the Flag Smashers is out to try and return the world to the way it was in the five years between Infinity War and Endgame. "One World, One People." What makes this group more intimidating when compared to similar organizations in the real world is that many of its members have been given a working version of the Super Soldier Serum, and have the powers of Captain America. There is one main difference, though, their physical bodies don't change in size, compared to Steve Rogers transformation in the first Captain America movie. What happens, though, in the chase to try and stop the Flag Smashers is a mix of parties with conflicting agendas. Sam and Bucky work alongside Barron Zemo (the main villain from Captain America: Civil War), which results in Wakanda sending in the Dora Milaje to recapture Zemo he killed King T'Chaka. The American Government promotes John Walker and turns him into the new Captain America, who, alongside his friend Battlestar, is trying to capture the Flag Smashers and the Serum. Zemo wants to destroy the serum. Another villain, MCU "newcomer" the Power Broker, who initially funded the creation of the new serum, wants to regain their lost property from the Flag Smashers, and that's all for the A Plot of the series. There's a lot of stuff in these six episodes. They're dense with story, and yet this mess of plot threads are held together, thanks to the B Plot. 

 

The B plot of the show focuses on Sam and his journey into becoming the new Captain America, as was Steve's intention in Endgame when Sam was given the shield. However, it isn't without its hurdles, thanks to John Walker having the shield and sinking further into madness resulting in him killing a Flag-Smasher, instead of the original intent of arresting them, in broad daylight, on international soil, with the shield. Encase that wasn't enough of a political message forced down your throat, we also learn of the darker history of the shield after Steve was frozen in the ice. These story threads are where the comparison to Black Panther is inevitably created. While that depicted a fantastic version of Africa, a city free of colonization in the form of Wakanda, this show tackles racism in America head-on to Isaiah Bradley. While his story is slightly toned down for the series, the only thing different between his comic book history and his MCU history was that he was a trial run in the comics before they gave it to Steve.

 

In contrast, here, he was already frozen, and they were trying to recreate it. While the exact specifics aren't something I can personally attest to, due to what minor differences there are between the racism of America and the racism here in Australia, this still hits hard because of the situation. The show is very respectful to the character and doesn't hold back in showing how badly black people were treated then, and even how bad black people are treated now as Sam himself interacts with racist people on screen. This series was initially meant to air in August last year, and I can't help but wonder how the previous year's events would have impacted how people view this character as the racial tension due to George Floyd's death would have only been two months old by then. 

 

The production values are surprisingly consistent, considering this was in post-production during COVID Lockdowns. It's what you'd expect from a Marvel movie. However, I will give an honourable mention to Madripoor. It's probably one of the most exciting places they've made for a Marvel production so far that doesn't lean heavily on the sci-fi aesthetic (compared to somewhere like Wakanda or Sakkar). The translation of Sam's Captain America costume from the comics to real life is also very impressive. It's a great looking costume, and I appreciate the white accents to break up the blue, compared to something like Steve's costumes from the movies, which look very monotone in retrospect. But, with how similar MCU projects are in terms of presentation (there have been 25MCU movies and two canonical shows. I think you can get a good idea as to how these things look and sound), I'll be ending the review of it here. This show was a great watch, thanks to the character interactions and how the world around the characters interacts with them. Would I recommend binging them now that all six episodes are out? No, these do feel catered to the release schedule Disney + has, that being one a week (most of the time). The show is worth a watch, though, and it's going to be interesting to see what happens next for these characters in the MCU.
 
The Mediaholics Toybox is joining in on the MAYvel fun this year with Marvel Legends reviews. For those interested in that, you can check them out at any time, with new ones going live on Sundays. In the meantime, I'll see you next week for Wandavision.