The time is almost nigh, friends. It's been a little over two years since it was announced that Wanda "Scarlet Witch" Maximoff and her dearly departed boyfriend, Vision, would be getting their own Disney+ series. The premiere of WandaVision is in just a couple of days, and while there are still plenty of questions to be answered about exactly how this new show will play out, one of the things we know for sure is that it will be very much unlike anything Marvel has ever brought fans before. Now, Kevin Feige has revealed why he believes the "wacky" WandaVision is the perfect introduction to Marvel sitcoms.
While many shows have now come and gone which lean into the MCU timeline (We'll always miss you, Daredevil!) and characters from Marvel's long comicbook history, the company has previously stuck to creating dramatic series which have an occasional side helping of humor. WandaVision, though, is billed as an actual sitcom, and during a recent press event for the show, which was attended by CinemaBlend's own Sean O'Connell, Kevin Feige spoke about why this idea was perfect for Marvel's first foray into the genre, saying:
This was our test run. Marvel of course has had a lot of good, successful TV in the past. This was Marvel Studios’s first foray, and directly with cast and amazing characters that we've seen in movies coming on to television. And the idea always was to do something that could not be done as a feature, that plays for the format in place with the medium. And there were a lot of meetings before people actually sort of understood what we were trying to go for. We're only sitting here because Jac (Schaeffer) and Matt (Shakman) did, and were able to turn a wacky idea into a spectacular show. We've got lots of other things we've announced coming up, but as it all came together, I'm actually very happy that it worked out perfectly that this is the debut on Disney+ for the MCU.
As you may recall, WandaVision wasn't even supposed to be our introduction to the, now many, scripted Marvel shows which will be coming to the streamer. It was intended that last fall would bring fans The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, with WandaVision coming along sometime after, but 2020 reasons changed all of that. Kevin Feige sounds sure that the necessary switch was ultimately a good thing, and, at least, it does seem like the trippy comedy will have no problem setting these Marvel shows apart from those that have gone before in many ways.
WandaVision will focus on the titular couple as they live the sweet suburban life, but quickly come to find out that everything is not as it seems. Which is already clear to MCU fans, because the last time we saw ol' Vision, he was being well and truly murdered by Thanos so he could get his hands on the Mind Stone which gave the man-being life. A large part of WandaVision will see the twosome trip through a number of scenarios which will remind viewers of classic sitcoms, something the creatives behind the series leaned into by filming in front of a live studio audience.
Viewers can look forward to WandaVision merging all of this reality shifting fantasy goodness with superhero action and a lot of what we've loved from well-known sitcoms, which is the very definition of "wacky" considering what we've seen from most comicbook-based TV shows. And, as Kevin Feige noted, the show wouldn't have been what it was without creator / head writer Jac Schaeffer and director Matt Shakman fully understanding and diving into what Marvel wanted WandaVision to be.
We can all judge for ourselves whether or not this was the right show to start with, when Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, and others from the MCU join some likely new favorites on WandaVision, which premieres this Friday, January 15, on Disney+. For more to watch in the coming weeks, check out our guide to early 2021 TV premieres!
