WandaVision’s season finale is a surprising action-packed adventure of closure.
We’ve finally come to the end of the WandaVision finale and wow was it a doozy. We laughed, we cried, and more importantly, we got confused by all the unanswered magic in the air that left us questioning if Doctor Strange’s Multiverse Of Madness is really all about M.O.M., the devil, and a certain Agatha Harkness.
But what’s special about this series finale (yes, that’s the actual name of the episode) is that Wanda really solidifies her character arc in this story. She’s a woman who has suffered a great loss and crafted something Pleasantville-like out of it, whose super-powered sorceress origins, are only coming to fruition now.
Wanda needs to learn how to control her magic. Her destiny lies as the Scarlet Witch. She’s even got herself an archnemesis here now. And though Agatha Harkness is no Baron Mordo, Loki, or even Red Skull, she is, for the most part, Wanda’s match when it comes to magic. It’s that age-old battle conflict of experience over raw talent. Though in this case, Agatha was less of the series villain as much as she was an opportunist looking to prey off an out-of-control super-sorceress in mourning.
The series concludes with some closure and explanations leaving all of its main cast with a good deal of agency. As heroes triumph with tiny little payoffs and well intentions are turned on its head. On the negative side, the series does overall play it safe. And while the tragic emotional beats do get met in this one (Wanda might be the character I sympathize with the most now, sorry Post-Endgame Thor), fans are ultimately a little upset that the series ended in traditional Marvel fashion.
We breakdown everything in our recap and final podcast below.
The End Is Nigh
We pick up where we left off from last week in the finale, where Agatha holds Wanda’s children hostage forcing the Scarlet Witch into battle to steal her lifeforce. But when the original Vision (now reprogrammed by S.W.O.R.D. as a weapon) arrives along with Wanda’s Vision, a final throwdown occurs where Wanda and Vision battle Agatha and (white) Vision.
Elsewhere, director Tyler Heyward and Jimmy Woo are conflicted. As Jimmy cleverly lockpicks his escape, it’s up to him to call for help. While that happens, the series sees a final showdown between Wanda and Agatha — where the old witch confirms Wanda is the Scarlet Witch. A naturally gifted chosen one whose power surpasses that of the sorcerer supreme. Someone whose destiny is to destroy the world, at least, according to the prophecies in the Darkhold.
Wanda horrifically learns that all of the denizens of Westview were held under her spell under powerful mind control. Wanda is forced to make a choice to save the people of Westview by opening the hex or save her family (as the geographical Hex is the only thing keeping them alive).
Sword breaches the town once the wall is opened and together they begin their assault just as Wanda puts the Hex back up to save her family. Agatha takes the opportunity to drain some of Wanda’s life energy. When Sword arrives, the boys battle the soldiers while Agatha and Wanda duel, and Vision talks to his original self.
The Final Showdown
Soon in, Quicksilver prevents Monica from interfering though she ultimately is able to break him from Agatha’s spell by snapping his necklace and thus setting herself free. She also then learns that his real name is Ralph Bohner (Ralph is the name Agatha kept calling her husband).
Back in the heart of Westview, Vision encounters Vision and philosophizes him to death. Yes, by arguing about the ship of Theseus, both conclude that neither is the true ship (the original Vision). Thus finding peace as Vision’s memories are restored. The white/albino original Vision chooses to leave with his newfound knowledge and uncertain sense of purpose. While this is happening D’arcy makes a final ploy to crash her car into Heyward’s taking him out of play.
Getting the jump on Agatha, Wanda enters her mind and brings her back to old memories to try and torture Agatha’s mind. She stresses the dIfference between her and Agatha is Wanda didn’t do any of this intentionally — emphasizing a cruel maliciousness in Agatha’s heart. Yet, when the resurrected coven witches go on the attack they don’t chase after Agatha and instead target Wanda. Chanting that she’s the Scarlet Witch.
Agatha tells Wanda that Power isn’t her problem it’s knowledge. She promises she’ll fix Wanda’s original spell and will give them all peace. In their final showdown, Wanda offers her power willing and attacks relentlessly. Agatha absorbing parts of Wanda’s powers causing the walls to slightly break around them.
But where Agatha missed out, was that Wanda was intentionally distracting her. Because while the surrounding Hex walls were coming down, Wanda was able to place runes all around them — thus blocking Agatha from her own magic using the same track she had on Wanda in the last episode. Agatha’s powers are absorbed by Wanda and the true Scarlett Witch outfit is revealed.
The Aftermath
As punishment, Wanda forever casts Agatha into the role of the nosy neighbor in town never able to remember her true purpose as punishment. Agatha warns Wanda that she has no idea what she’s unleashed (possibly hinting at Mephisto).
In the final moments of the show, Wanda takes her kids and thanks them for choosing her to be their mom. Slowly, her hex rescinds and the world is slowly reverted back.
In a final tearful goodbye, Vision asks Wanda what his purpose was and what he was to her. She shares that he was the piece of the mind stone that lived inside of her. A manifestation of her sadness and her hope, but mostly, her love of Vision. As the wave engulfs the home everything is undone, including both the boys and Vision.
As Agatha seeks to leave town, we see the townsfolk surround and hate Wanda for trapping them in there. She apologizes then takes leave, but before she can Monica emphasizes with her. Wanda says sorry for all the pain she caused she wants to seek to understand her abilities. She bids her new friend farewell.
Picking up the pieces of clean-up the town, Jimmy Woo leads the team as the Sword agents working for Heyward are captured. Monica is then called into a private theatre to speak to a special director, revealed to be a Kree. She comments on knowing that she’s been grounded for this time and then is told ‘he’d’ like to meet with you. Heavily implying Nick Fury given that he’s the only Sword/Shield affiliated agent we know of in space.
STINGER: Wanda, alone in woods in a single cabin, reads the Darkhold and studies spells. She hears a scream in the distance of her boys crying for help.
It’s Over
Intentional or not, WandaVision was the most popular TV series in the world with Disney+ scoring back-to-back hits in both The Mandalorian and then WandaVision. The series has been nothing but excellent with fans excitedly guessing every meaning and easter egg behind every episode like it was Lost circa 2007.
Though many outlets are somewhat upset over how the series may have not stuck the landing (I thought it was fine), I do firmly believe that WandaVision did something different from your traditional Marvel movie. It had heart. It pivoted towards loss. It made Wanda, and really Wanda’s grief, the real villain of the series. Something that could only be defeated by conquering what it was that made her sad.
There’s something powerful about that message. Especially in today’s world. Which is why I think WandaVision will always be known as the time Marvel decided to do something I think most superhero franchises struggle to address:
The Battle Within.
