How ‘WandaVision’ Turned Wanda & Vision Into the Perfect (Tragic) Couple
[WARNING: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for WandaVision Season 1, Episodes 1-6.]
WandaVision‘s Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) might not have been your favorite MCU romance after the first hints that they were a couple in the film Captain America: Civil War, and that’s completely understandable. While both are great characters, their romance felt a bit hasty — aside from a sweet scene where they cooked together, there wasn’t a whole lot of lead-up or romantic tension. They didn’t even get to spend much time together (at least on-screen) before Viz died in Avengers: Infinity War.
So, if you weren’t utterly heartbroken when Wanda had to destroy Vision to get the mind stone, all in hopes of stopping Thanos (Josh Brolin), again, we get it. But now, thanks to WandaVision and all the screen time it has given both halves of its lead portmanteau, Wanda and Viz feel like the tragically beautiful couple the movies always wanted them to be. In honor of Valentine’s Day, here’s why we’ve fallen for the love that this android and the all-powerful, reality-manipulating witch share.
They Have Chemistry!
The movies never spent enough time with Wanda and Vision to let the attraction between these two show through, but it’s certainly there. In fact, it’s glaringly apparent that they have real heart-eyes for each other. If you need evidence, just re-watch the scene in the premiere where a clueless Vision asks Wanda about her revealing “Sokovian” dress. He certainly wasn’t opposed to that outfit! And just as her hubby quite liked that outfit, she was plenty pleased to see him in his “Mexican wrestler” Halloween costume.
There’s something sweet and heartfelt about this duo now that wasn’t quite there in the films. When Wanda creates wedding rings for them, it feels like a genuine reflection of the love they share and less about having a symbol of their marriage. When Vision asks his wife to “get the light,” the chemistry and affection feel believable. One only needs to watch Wanda looking at Vision to see how much she feels for him.
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Wanda’s Love is Deeper Than the Grave
We’re still not sure who first called “action!” on Wanda’s sitcom (she says in Episode 5 that she doesn’t even know how it started, and she doesn’t know why her brother is there in episode 6), but one thing seems certain: Wanda’s love for Vision, and her grief at losing him, was powerful enough to raise him from the dead. There’s something romantic and tragic about that — the depth of her heartbreak brought her love back to life, but even though they’re together, they still can’t have the life they always wanted.
For Wanda, though, it’s close enough. In fact, Wanda’s so happy with Vision and their children that she tells Monica (Teyonah Parris) that she has everything she wants, and there’s nothing more that government agency S.W.O.R.D. could offer her. Wanda doesn’t need fancy clothes, unlimited money or even modern conveniences. She just needs the man — er, android — she loves by her side. Isn’t that sweet?
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They Want the Best for Each Other
You might think Wanda wiping Vision’s memory isn’t “wanting the best for him,” but hear us out. We’re not going to defend Wanda’s choices (assuming she had a choice and isn’t under someone else’s control), but since she won’t let her hubby remember the world outside of Westview, the argument could be made that she’s doing it because she loves him. Not only does she want to keep him close, but she doesn’t want him to remember dying. Much like Agatha Harkness wiped Wanda’s memory of her deceased children in the comics, Wanda has erased Vision’s memory of the world beyond to keep him from experiencing the pain and trauma of his past experiences. And, well, also probably to prevent him from leaving. When he does try to leave in episode 6 and almost dies in the process, a worried Wanda expands the Westview borders to draw him back in and save his life… even though her magic also swallows up the entire SWORD base. Again, we’re not saying she’s doing the right thing!
Vision, on the other hand, cares for his wife enough to try to save her soul. When he argues with her at the end of Episode 5, he’s trying to get her to see the error of her ways. He wants her to come to her senses and lift her spell, so she won’t hurt anyone anymore. If he loved her less, Viz might have tried to leave much earlier — right after the first moment he noticed inconsistencies in the town. But because he knows Wanda’s not a bad person, he wants her to redeem herself and he wants to help her in the process.
In the end, it might wind up being Vision’s love for Wanda that inspires her to break the spell and set Westview right again. Hopefully, they’ll still be together in some form after the “season finale credits” roll.
WandaVision, Fridays, Disney+
