WandaVision Might Be Doing Marvel Without a Supervillain

WandaVision isn’t as black-and-white as the sitcoms that inspired the Marvel show’s earliest episodes: creator Jac Schaefferhints there might not be a traditional supervillain by series end. In Episode 4, “We Interrupt This Program,” S.W.O.R.D. Agent Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) seemingly uncovers the mystery behind Westview, New Jersey, when she realizes that “it’s Wanda. It’s all Wanda.” After the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) ousts Monica from her sitcom-inspired reality where she’s married to Vision (Paul Bettany) and the mother of newborn twins, Wanda is almost sinister when she reassures her dead husband: “Don’t worry, darling. I have everything under control.”

“We’re trying to explore the full spectrum of human behavior, and it maybe isn’t so simple as good guy and bad guy,” Schaeffer told Black Girl Nerds. “I think what makes characters interesting is when they’re flawed, and what makes a story is compelling is when you fully understand a character’s motivation — even if you don’t agree with it.”

Schaeffer points to Erik “Killmonger” Stevens (Michael B. Jordan), who clashes with cousin T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) when he attempts to seize the throne of Wakanda in Black Panther.

“Working in the Marvel space, I think about Killmonger so often, because he’s probably my favorite MCU villain. You understand him so fully, and so many of the points he makes, you actually can’t really argue against,” Schaeffer said. “I think when something is that good and so fully realized, the sort of good guy, bad guy, falls away a little bit. I feel like with our show it just continues to have nuance to it.”

Because WandaVision appears to pull from Darker than Scarlet, a classic Marvel Comics storyline that turns the Scarlet Witch into a villain after compounding traumas trigger a nervous breakdown, Wanda herself could be the as-yet-revealed threat behind the Marvel Studios original series.

“Someone said to me when you watch any of these hero movies, you know when the villain’s about to show themselves, and you also have an idea of who the villain is,” Olsen teased when interviewed by Elle. “With our show, you don’t know what the villain is, or if there is one at all.”

Starring Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn, Teyonah Parris, Kat Dennings, and Randall Park, new episodes of Marvel’s WandaVision premiere Fridays on Disney+.

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