A new trailer has been released for Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and one scene has us questioning whether or not this will be the film to finally address the consequences of a superhero’s choices?

Certain things are required for a superhero to differentiate from a villain in these films, and while we’ve spent plenty of necessary time in the more human grey areas, there are several elements that still need to be properly addressed so the “timey wimey” details within Marvel make more sense than they actually do.

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I just feel you. It starts off slowly and it starts with a quiet look. One glance, one exchange. It’s opposing teams and it’s mutual pining, but more than anything, it’s two people (souls?) who find themselves connected in a way that is everlasting, healing, and lovely. The fascinating part about Wanda Maximoff and Vision as a couple is seen in the unlikeliness of their acquaintance, and it is entirely what works best. A synthezoid and a witch—one with an indescribable form of experience and one with darkness tied to her growth. And yet, all it took was conversations, listening to each other, and allowing them to feel every ounce of the emotions that burned through them.

Wanda and Vision weren’t particularly one of my favorite couples in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I liked them, yes. I thought they were precious every time they were on screen, but seldom did they make me cry and that’s often what it takes for me. (What does this say about me as a human?) It’s about the *feels, and while they provided us with plenty, nothing could have prepared me for how much I would care about them in WandaVision the series.

The saddest part about couples in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that what often happens to them is so far from fair, it is heartbreaking. And with the two of them especially, the films took them through treacherous paths of hiding and running then straight into the hands of death. It was so far from fair that Wanda had to destroy the mind stone and later have Thanos reverse it with the time stone only to kill him for good. Then Wanda had to go in and see his dismantled body—to feel nothing and too much at darkness at the same time.

In our Wanda character deep dive, we discuss the profound weight of grief and the engulfing adoration that inadvertently created Westview and a version of Vision in order to get a chance at happiness. And what it comes down to, is so often the idea that the two of them, in every way just loved so simply and so deeply, it persevered.  

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Before we begin, first this will contain major spoilers from WandaVision the series, second, I have not read the comics, third, this will not be addressing wrongs and rights of the cinematic universe. We all know how deeply flawed a majority of things within are. We all know there should have been different actors cast. And going forward, hopefully that is something the universe is more mindful of. This deep dive will focus solely on the films and the TV series while primarily diving into emotions and why they’ve mattered through Wanda’s arc.

Superheroes on film or TV always look good—even when they’re battered and bruised, they still look good. Primarily because it is fiction and the hair and makeup department, etcetera. But also, because they are superheroes. They’re supposed to look good (or so that’s the assumption), but one of the things the Marvel Cinematic Universe has done an exemplary job of is showing women in the midst of their struggles because our emotions matter.

When a woman like Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) lets her roots grow out without dying her hair for five years, you feel the weight of how these losses have shaken her.

When a woman like Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) stays in bed all day and remains in sweatpants for the duration of the show, you feel the weight of her aching bones.

I love Peggy Carter, anyone who knows me knows there will never be another heroine like her, but even while Agent Carter allowed her to grieve, because of the time period she was in, she was not allowed to dawn sweatpants for hours or leave the house without high heels.

WandaVision took Wanda from an adorable fifty’s housewife to a woman in the 21st century barely getting by. And one full year after we’ve all been living through a global pandemic that’s been refreshing to watch in the form of an Avenger.

That is where this deep dive is headed—it will be digging into fatigue, heartaches, and the power of creativity along with the true marks of selflessness. It will be digging into female complexities and why a character like Wanda Maximoff’s arc matters for viewers and critics, as a woman first, a superhero second.

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In honor of March being women’s history month, here at Marvelous Geeks we are going to take the time to highlight and celebrate some of our favorite ladies in TV and Film. This week, we’re taking a closer look at the ladies from Marvel’s WandaVision.

For six weeks, WandaVision was the largest series discussed all over social media—week by week uncovering the stunning layers behind each of its leading ladies and concluding the series with the hopeful narrative that everything will be okay. Week by week it stirred discourse about too much power and not enough power, too much grief and not enough of grief—too much of this and not enough of that has yet to leave the mouths of people, and well, the only thing there’s been too much of is unfair biases.

The women of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have easily been some of the strongest and most engaging characters, but their stories have often been sidelined by action and catering to the narrative that a male superhero should stand tallest. And fine, whatever—so be it, we adore a lot of the men too, but the TV series between Agent Carter, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and so forth have often focused on the women in a way that’s been most memorable. The same goes for WandaVision perhaps even more so because it’s allowed a great many of us to connect with one another at a time where we’re all likely feeling just as tired and as worn-out as these women are.

Powerful, resilient, sincere, and so utterly vulnerable—the women of WandaVision are representative of the fact that no two of us are the same and yet somehow, we can connect to one another beautifully by openly living out our truths. We can watch women who would’ve otherwise been in more recognizable comic costumes stick to sweats and basic uniforms to remind us of all of the fact that super women are within each of us.

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February 28-March 6 “The Series Finale” | WandaVision

*Once again, this review will contain spoilers from the WandaVision series finale, if you have yet to see it, do not proceed further and return when you have done so.

There are so few words—so few things to say and how to highlight the weight of grief and the colossal impact of a quiet story told through the eyes a woman.

There are the moments of aching tenderness between Vision and Wanda that I legitimately cannot rewatch because my eyes physically hurt from crying too much. The unbelievably vulnerable and most beautiful sentence throughout the episode: “thank you for choosing me to be your mom,” which Elizabeth Olsen delivered with such palpable sadness, it actually broke my heart. To convey such harrowing sadness with as much sincerity was unmatched. (Believing we’ll get more of Billy and Tommy someday in the future is getting me through this.)  

But I suppose, if I have to choose, if we look at this through one scene—one moment, it’s not the rise of The Scarlet Witch and the defeat of evil or the tragic goodbyes that will hopefully find hellos. It’s the ambiguity and the hope found in two women sharing grief and not knowing where they’ll go from here.

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February 20-27 “Previously On” | WandaVision

It’s been a great way on television starting with the incredible season finale of Miss Scarlet and the Duke. Black-ish gave us a hilarious episode about the relationship between mothers and their favorite sons. And A Discovery of Witches gave us more glimpses into present day London. But nothing could have prepared us for the emotionally breathtaking episode of WandaVision.

It can’t all be sorrow can it? […] But what is grief, if not love persevering? This show. I say this every week, but I had no idea just how much it would make me feel and just how organically it would tackle grief. I had no idea just how beautifully it could take the most complex, devastating emotion we all feel at some point in our lives and bring it to life with bits and pieces that are captivating and almost cathartic.

Elizabeth Olsen has been bringing her A-game throughout the season, and we discussed some parts of her performance that’s tied directly to this, but with this—how exactly do you choose a single scene to call most exquisite from an episode that dived into so much trauma? An episode that was full of one exquisite scene after another. We took a different route with this one, and chose to pick the one that most authentically showcased both Wanda’s grief and Olsen’s most powerful moment as a performer throughout the episode.

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February 20-27 “Previously On” | WandaVision Elizabeth Olsen

PSA: This article will be full of spoilers—if you have yet to see the new episode of Disney’s WandaVision, stop reading right away and return once you’ve done so.

I kept putting off a performance review for Elizabeth Olsen because we all knew something large and explosive was coming. (But really, she has been the most noteworthy performer since episode one.) We knew that every look, every move was leading to culminating moments where she’d have to bare it all, stripping herself bit by bit. As Agatha tried to figure out how Wanda did what she did in creating the show and bringing Vision back to life, she forced Wanda to live through her most painful life events, which led to Olsen’s revolutionary work in telling viewers the harrowing story of grief.

This is ultimately what WandaVision is about—it’s the story about grief and it’s the story about a woman who is tired. It has been from the very beginning, long before Wanda even uttered the words this week to tell us; it’s what Olsen has been showing the audience with her expressiveness tucked deep beyond the act Wanda is putting on. We see it in the memory of her parents, her love for The Dick Van Dyke Show, and we hear it in her words: “I’m …  I’m so tired. It’s just like this wave washing over me, again and again. It knocks me down and when I try to stand up, it just comes for me again.”

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January 24-30 “We Interrupt This Program” | WandaVision

The week started off with a riveting episode of Miss Scarlet and the Duke. Black-ish returned from its winter hiatus. Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist focused on David’s (relatable) struggle in his career path. The Expanse continued with its crew separation, which hopefully means we’re headed toward reunions. A Discovery of Witches took us back to present day London with a focus on Marcus and Phoebe that felt rightfully placed mid-way through. But it is WandaVision’s acutely titled and exquisite “We Interrupt This Program” that delivered in more than one way this week.

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Avengers: Endgame Spoilers Ahead

Natasha Romanoff is a complex, remarkably strong, incredible Avenger — the first female one to be exact, and an impeccable leader at that. And most importantly, Natasha Romanoff is a woman worth celebrating. She’s a woman who’s never left others alone and with that choice, success has often followed the battles she’s taken part in. Avengers: Endgame did a lot for Natasha’s character growth, but most importantly it reminded us of the heart and the nurturing spirit that’s always been beneath our Black Widow. I would’ve wished for the story to end differently, it’s safe to assume we all would have, but the legacy she’s left behind as a woman who believes and fights for others will always be worth celebrating.

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Film Friday | Avengers: Age of Ultron

Released Date: May 1, 2015 Written and Directed By: Joss Whedon based off of Stan Lee’s comics Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson // Paul Bettany as Vision and James Spader as the voice of Ultron

Superhero movies are meant to be fun -- an escape from our day to day lives. A reminder that in an alternate universe, caped heroes with epic gear can save us from confused robots or alien invasions. And when it comes to the Avengers, they do it in style. At this point is it pretty much a well-known fact that Marvel films are always the best. And if that’s simply my opinion then so be it. I can honestly say my biggest problem is that the film wasn’t longer.

Age of Ultron was captivating -- the film you’d want to watch over and over again. Beyond the gripping storyline, performances were exceptional, and with an ensemble cast like this, it’s rare for each actor to hold their own while shining masterfully as a group.