I watched every episode of WandaVision like the Marvel fanatic I am–one who’s been cooped up for a year with no movies, no less. Of course, I’m always novel-writing and helping out with my elderly parents and spoiling my cats, etc.. But there’s always time for Marvel.

SPOILERS AHEAD — TURN BACK IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED

I enjoyed the series as a whole, and for me, the finale worked just fine. But naturally, people are taking to Twitter, etc., to vent their deep dissatisfaction with this or that. As far as I’m concerned, a lot of it is wildly overstated and unfair. I mean, I agree that some of the special effects looked a bit rushed in the finale. I also agree that even playful, well-intentioned stars should know better than to outright lie while hyping their show. IMHO, Paul Bettany’s co-star joke was cute and clever, but Elizabeth Olsen probably shouldn’t have cranked up viewers for a “Luke Skywalker” shock reveal. In Pandemic World, we take TV much too seriously to appreciate the humor.

Having said that, I think the best advice we can all take for future Marvel TV shows is a play on comic book Wanda’s famous command:

WHY EVEN CAST HIM?

There’s a substantial group of Fox X-Men movie fans who feel betrayed that Evan Peters, who played the Foxified version of Quicksilver in X-Men: Days of Future Past, was cast as Agatha’s possessed “Fake Pietro,” or “Fietro.” They feel like they’ve been jerked around, since Peters’ version of Quicksilver was one of the highlights in a series that had its ups and downs.

I have two ideas. I won’t call them theories, because obsessing over I-Know-What-Comes-Next theories is really counterproductive to truly enjoying a story as it unfolds. But now, after it’s done and we have all the information, it’s only natural to ponder the evidence and imagine where it might lead.

Idea 1:

Agent Jimmy Woo mentioned “his guy,” a person in witness protection. That person wasn’t revealed, and might not be important. But it could also be this guy, living under the hopefully fake name Ralph Bohner. Who knows–maybe he’s a mutant, too.

Idea 2:

Obviously, the editorial decision was made not to have Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Avengers: Age of Ultron) reprise his role as Wanda’s lost twin, Pietro. Since he’s revealed to be a fake, WandaVision‘s producers could have used ANY actor for the role. But if they had used someone completely random, I think we all would’ve been screaming at the TV, “Wanda, why are you so bloody stupid?” With Peters in the role, Wanda temporarily accepts this Fake Pietro and so, for awhile, do we. Casting Peters was a very deft way to make the audience respond to Fietro as Wanda does–with a mix of hope and disbelief.

WHY EVEN CAST HER?

The other legitimate complaint I’ve heard is, why cast the magnificent and frankly beloved Emma Caulfield Ford in such a small and ultimately unimportant role? I have one idea.

Wanda’s Mistake is Someone Else’s Origin Story

We know that Dottie (real name, Sarah) suffered mightily during Wanda’s lengthy mind control experiment. Yes, Wanda was psychotic with grief–she genuinely didn’t recall the full import of what she’d done until Agatha forced her to face it. But by Halloween, Wanda clearly had some idea that she was being cruel, based on her conversation with Fake Pietro. When he expressed admiration, she asked, “You don’t think it’s wrong?” in a tone that suggested she was well aware.

Someday, MCU fans will return to Westview. Agatha Harkness won’t be kept down forever. And perhaps we’ll see Agent Woo reconnect with his witness on-screen. Who knows how angry Dottie/Sarah will be after time to fully process the violation she suffered at Wanda’s hands? Especially with someone like Agatha at hand to facilitate that rage?

Okay, that’s all for me. Back to work! Have a wonderful weekend. And if you watched WandaVision and have thoughts, I’d love for you to comment below!

Emma