WandaVision 1×09 “The Series Finale,” is a realistic and satisfying ending to this chapter of Wanda Maximoff’s story. The incredible creative team behind WandaVision used the intimate medium of television to tell a story about a woman’s life, love, and loss. We’ve spent six weeks in the trenches of Wanda’s grief, going through every stage to lead us to this: acceptance.
The beauty of WandaVision is that it’s not just the acceptance of grief but the acceptance of the woman she’s become through it all. Wanda Maximoff leaves this series finale surer of herself than we’ve ever seen her, but there’s still plenty to explore. This is not the end of her story. In fact, it’s the beginning of a whole new era for Wanda Maximoff — the era of the Scarlet Witch.
Anyone Can Be a Hero
The pay-off of this finale is so high for characters like Wanda and Vision, as it should be, but it is unfortunate that some of the other characters didn’t have more to do in this episode. Darcy gets her moment with trapping Hayward but that’s it. It’s odd that Darcy was such an integral part to discovering the truth about Hayward’s plan at the beginning of the season and becomes someone the show turns to just to deliver exposition in a digestible way. Kat Dennings is good at that and great at being someone the audience can relate to, but she is capable of more than that.
As for Jimmy, his hero moment comes when the FBI backs him up to help the citizens of Westview. But it doesn’t go further than that on screen, and just a little bit more could have cleared up some questions. Then again, WandaVision could be purposefully leaving certain avenues open for other Marvel properties to explore later. Jimmy and Darcy’s final moments of heroism are short, sweet, and fitting for the supporting characters. This is even more true considering there’s an extremely high chance they’ll pop up in the MCU somewhere else.
An Unspoken Bond
On the other hand, Monica Rambeau was always more than a supporting character. She had a personal connection to this case and to Wanda. Despite the knowledge that we would see Monica again in Captain Marvel 2, it is such a letdown that she is on the sidelines for a lot of this episode. The Darcy moment was great and everything, but Monica should have been the one to catch Hayward. That was a missed opportunity.
It is understandable that the show doesn’t want to totally prioritize Monica’s prospective in a final episode that is trying to put a bow on this part of Wanda’s story. It’s also understandable that WandaVision would want the final battle between Agatha and Wanda to be one that Wanda does on her own. Both of those things can be true alongside the disappointment that a new superhero is underused. It would have been nice to have a couple more scenes of Monica using her powers because they would have been fun. More so, those scenes could have provided a little more clarity for what Monica’s powers actually are as represented in the MCU.
Similarly, the anticipation of an instant friendship between Monica and Wanda when the Hex came down fizzled out pretty fast. It’s not that simple. Instead, there is a mutual respect by the end of all of this. Both of these women have been through a lot within the last few weeks. Through it all, Monica never wavered in being Wanda’s ally, and that still didn’t change when the Hex came down. Monica and Wanda changed as people though — they both discovered a powerful side of themselves that was only unlocked because of the Hex. That’s a connection they’ll share forever.
There’s a moment before Wanda takes her family home for the final time when Monica and Wanda share a knowing look. Both women knew what needed to be done, and both of them knew how much it would hurt when it happened. That small moment is further proof that these women are connected through an unspoken bond. We didn’t get a traditional friendship between Monica and Wanda in this episode, but it gives us hope that there could be room for one down the line.
Consequences
This episode is very vague about who faces what kinds of consequences for their actions. Beyond seeing Hayward escorted off in handcuffs, we have no reason to believe that everyone involved in his plan is removed from S.W.O.R.D. It could be this was left intentionally ambiguous for a story that has yet to take place. WandaVision doesn’t give us a clear picture of what the future of S.W.O.R.D. looks like beyond the fact that Hayward isn’t a part of it. That’s a win in anyone’s book, but hopefully Marvel doesn’t take S.W.O.R.D. in the same direction it took S.H.I.E.L.D..
Agatha meets an ironic end for someone who tried to steal someone else’s magic. She’s alone and powerless, which fittingly parallels Wanda’s ending of being alone and powerful. Most importantly, Agatha’s demise comes at a pivotal moment in Wanda’s journey of self-acceptance. Agatha, especially in this episode, blatantly gaslights Wanda into believing she will only be worse with the full power of the Scarlet Witch. Wanda stands in direct opposition to that, uses runes to turn the tables, and ends their battle with more confidence in her power than she started. In that moment, Agatha becomes the last person who will ever tell Wanda who she should be and how much power she should wield. It’s also a conveniently open ending for the character that essentially confirms this won’t be the last time we see Agatha in the MCU.
As for Wanda, she doesn’t face any consequences from law enforcement of any kind in this episode. She flies out of Westview before anyone else can show up. Wanda is clearly remorseful for everything she did. The ending of this episode suggests that this is the beginning of Wanda’s atonement for Westview. This will be something that sticks with her hopefully. WandaVision delivers an epic evolution of Wanda as the Scarlet Witch that will be an integral part of her story moving forward. Alternatively, the damage she’s done (albeit unknowingly at first) in Westview could be forgotten as the plot turns to a larger scale in the movies. It’s a good thing that WandaVision doesn’t have the Westview residents immediately forgive Wanda. Hopefully this isn’t the last time we see Wanda reckon with or face repercussions connection to the events of WandaVision.
A Love That Perseveres
We always knew how this was going to end, whether we liked to admit that to ourselves or not. There was no way Westview Vision was going to make it out of the Hex alive. WandaVision shows as us much when he tried to leave the Hex earlier in the season. As nice as it would have been to keep Vision, whether it be through magic, a merge, or whatever, it’s more fitting that he doesn’t survive this. Wanda told the twins that they have to fight the urge to run from the things in life that hurt the most. Wanda had to face that truth herself. Like Monica said, Wanda needed to be the solution. In order for that to happen, Wanda had to experience the complexities of life, love, and loss on her own time in her own way.
In of the best scenes from the series, Wanda tells Vision that he is a lot of things but mostly, he is her love. He is her love persevering, and that doesn’t disappear with his physical form. That will live on in her forever. Vision even says in Age of Ultron, “A thing isn’t beautiful because it lasts,” and that is no truer for this duo than in this moment. This is the end of them for now and that’s hard but it’s okay.
Simultaneously, this ending offers more hope than may have been expected in such a jam-packed finale. Vision’s line “Who knows what I might be next,” is too on the nose for this couple not to reunite in some way down the line. After all, there’s still the question of where White Vision flew to with Vision’s memories. Plus, that end-credits scene leaves us with more than hope but assurance that we’ll see Billy and Tommy again. Who knows what Vision might be next? Who know what Billy and Tommy will be like when Wanda finds? Those are questions for the future and more likely for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Once again, WandaVision is not the end of Wanda’s story.
Even though this show wasn’t intended to be the first project of Phase 4, it’s impossible to ignore the significance of a show about grief airing now of all times. WandaVision raised the bar for the level of storytelling expected in the MCU moving forward, and it connected to audiences in a powerful way. This bodes well for the future of the MCU and the series that will stream on Disney+. Ultimately, WandaVision did the MCU a major favor by giving a character they sidelined for more than half a decade a full story. We’ve always known that Wanda Maximoff is the most powerful Avenger from her brief scenes in the movie, but now there is no denying it. The Scarlet Witch is here to stay, and we couldn’t be more excited to see where she goes next.
Other Dazzling Moments:
- Jimmy brought “Flourish” back!
- Billy and Monica complimenting each other’s powers was so sweet.
- They brought back Wanda’s creepy sneak attack from Age of Ultron.
- The Wizard of Oz moment when Agatha’s boots are under the car is so good.
- Wanda’s Scarlet Witch costume is INCREDIBLE.
- Wanda created a forcefield to protect her family, and we cried.
What did you think of the WandaVision finale? Let us know in the comments below!
Season 1 of WandaVision is streaming now on Disney+!
