WandaVision S1E9: Can the finale live up to the hype?
*** WARNING: This review contains spoilers for all episodes of WandaVision ***
So we arrive at the finale of WandaVision. If you’ve been following the series, or these reviews, then you’ll know that the previous episode has caught you up with everything you need to know. We’ve found out the identity of Agatha (Kathryn Hahn), the true source of Wanda’s (Elizabeth Olsen) powers, Director Hayward’s (Josh Stamberg) plan, and how she came to create Westview. All that’s left is to have a big ol’ fight about it…
We’re back on Wanda’s street, where Agatha has the twins by their necks. It’s revealed that Agatha can absorb powers (“I take power from the undeserving, it’s kind of my thing”) and wants Wanda’s power for herself. Just as Wanda begins to be drained. White Vision (Paul Bettany) interrupts the party, and attacks Wanda, only for Hex Vision (also Bettany) to make the save, starting a Vision V Vision fight.
They’re all watched by Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), who is being detained by Fake Pietro (Evan Peters). Elsewhere, Hayward helpfully informs Agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) of his dastardly plan to pass off White Vision as the true Vision, while Woo secretly calls for FBI back up.
So far, so Marvel. After a mysterious first few episodes, the second half of WandaVision has been devoted to explaining almost every single details. Agatha reveals that she has The Darkhold, the magic book foretelling her arrival as The Scarlet Witch, who is said to be more powerful than The Sorcerer Supreme (Doctor Strange to you and me). It’s clear, as if there was any doubt, that WandaVision is The Scarlet Witch origin story.
It’s been a topic of discussion in these reviews as to who the real villain of WandaVision is – yes, Agatha manipulated some things and of course killed Sparky, but Wanda enslaving a town is supervillain territory on paper. This is handled very well as Agatha shows Wanda the extent of her damage, releasing the citizens of Westview, who explain the pain and anguish they’re experienced under her control. Distraught, she has a burst of emotion/power and finds that the citizens all feel what she does. It becomes clear that villainy is a matter of perspective, and whatever Wanda intended, she’s hurt people with what she’s done. Wanda releases the Hex, allowing the citizens to escape and Hayward to get in.
Oh, back in Agnes’ house – Monica overcomes Fake Pietro, and realises he’s an actor who has been mind controlled by Agnes to pose as Wanda’s brother and his real name is… Ralph Bohner. Yep, one of the biggest twists in the show was leading to a boner joke. Let’s never discuss it again.
Wanda realises Vision and the twins can’t live outside The Hex, and Agatha offers their survival in exchange for Wanda’s powers. Restoring The Hex (for now), Hex Vision battles White Vision, and the twins take on Hayward’s forces, with an assist from Monica, who seems to have embraced her new powers. The Pietro Incident aside, there’s not an awful lot for Monica to do until the credits roll. Ditto Darcy (Kat Dennings), who drives a truck into Hayward’s vehicle, trapping him to eventually be arrested.
The Visions fight on, until Hex Vision presents a theoretical argument – something about a ship in a museum… it sounds very clever when Bettany says it. Basically, White Vision is tasked to destroy The Vision, but Hex Vision argues he is not the true Vision, just his memories. Both Hex Vision and White Vision are The Real Vision, and not The Real Vision at the same time. Our head hurts, but the jist is Hex Vision restores White Vision’s memories, making him more or less the original with both body and mind together.
This will be divisive, but we’re very disappointed. Yes, you can make an argument that the True Vision is dead and any future incarnation is a new character, but if it looks and talks like Vision then it’s basically like he never died. Death should mean something even in The Marvel Universe, and we can’t help but feel the existence of a version of a dead character cheapens the events of Infinity War and Endgame, while also undermining the point of WandaVision as a projection of grief.
Back in the skies above Westview, Wanda eventually hands over her power to Agatha in exchange for her children’s life. Cackling, Agatha reveals once a spell is cast, it can’t be undone, and the twins will die along with Hex Vision once The Hex comes down. In a double twist, Wanda reveals the power handover was a ruse, and that Agatha is in fact powerless as Wanda has put runes on the walls of The Hex. Wanda changes into her full Scarlet Witch persona, and traps Agatha in her ‘Agnes’ persona as punishment. Once again, it seems like a villainous punishment even for Agatha, but perhaps fitting for someone we know see presented as well-intentioned but flawed.
Accepting their fate, Vision and Wanda put the twins to bed, and say a tearful goodbye as The Hex closes in and Westview, and Wanda’s perfect family, disappears. Logic gaps aside (New Vision will almost certainly return), it’s a gorgeously acted moment by two stars who haven’t had the chance to shine until now. These were both award-winning independent film actors prior to entering the world of capes and energy beams, so it’s nice to see them sink their teeth into something emotional.
With Westview back to normal, Wanda walks through town and is stared at by citizens, who rightly view her as an awful person. Accepting this charge, Monica greets her and argues that she would have done the same to bring her mother back. Wanda leaves, saying that while she doesn’t understand her power, she will. We see that in a post-credits scene, where she is seen in a remote cabin learning from The Darkhold. As for Monica, she’s called into a movie theatre by an FBI agent who is revealed to be a Skrull, and says that “he” wishes to see Monica. Is it Nick Fury? Is it Doctor Strange? We’ll find out!
That’s a wrap for WandaVision and the MCU for… two weeks, until Falcon and The Winter Soldier debuts on Disney+. In many ways, the current situation has been ideal for Marvel, as a lack of movies has allowed us to take in one story at a time without being overloaded. WandaVision began as a mysterious and quirky style exercise, where nothing was certain and everything could be a clue. It ended as a familiar, thrilling Marvel adventure, that sets up a powerful Avenger of the future. We met unforgettable characters, gasped at big reveals, and still can’t get that Agatha theme out of our head.
We didn’t get everything we wanted from WandaVision – dead characters should stay definitively dead, otherwise what’s the point of the struggles they go through? However, it establishes this new level of Marvel (miniseries/long movie), and proves that even thirteen years on from the first Iron Man film, we’re still eager to find out what happens next with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Stream all episodes of WandaVision now on Disney+