*All photos, characters, and storylines belong to Disney and Marvel Studios*

What exactly makes someone a superhero? Is this title determined by their powers, or rather by how physically and emotionally strong they are? Often we perceive the best of the best to look a certain way- muscular and powerful, with many great abilities. However, sometimes movies and television will try to break away from this common stereotype. This is exactly what Marvel Studios did with WandaVision. Many heroes are defined by their tragic backstories, like Batman or Spiderman, but Wanda, a commonly overlooked character, began to explain her story directly to the viewers. 

Warning: SPOILERS BELOW! 

Summary: After Vision died in Infinity War, a heartbroken Wanda eventually finds the small town of Westview, New Jersey. There, she finds the home that she and Vision were planning to buy together and grow old in. With her incredibly strong powers, Wanda traps the town of Westview in a ‘bubble’ and finds a way to reincarnate him. As seen in later episodes, Wanda grew up watching classic sitcoms like I Love Lucy and The Brady Bunch. Using her love for these shows, she adjusts the trapped town to a certain decade, with each week representing a different time. In the first episode, placed during the 50s, Wanda and Vision are shown as an ordinary newly married couple who are beginning a life in Westview. The first episode was very dull for many viewers, but started the plot. 

Then, in episode 2, inspired by the 60s, the fourth wall was finally broken. While at a pool club, Wanda hears a voice over the radio saying “Who did this to you?”. 

In episode 3, Wanda has two twins with the Vision, named Billy and Tommy. Besides this event, nothing else major happens. 

Episode 4 was when the show completely changed and ‘flipped’. It was discovered that S.W.O.R.D., a government agency, has been camped outside of the hex/the bubble. The message shared on the radio to Wanda was from an agent, Jimmy Woo, trying to get Wanda out of her fantasies and back into reality. Monica Rambeau, another important character was shown as she attempts to get into Westview, and was discovered by Wanda when she mentions Ultron (the cyborg who killed Wanda’s brother, Pietro). After Wanda banishes Monica, she becomes more protective over the hex. She threatens the soldiers and S.W.O.R.D. and demands that they leave her alone. 

In episode 5, Wanda begins to become a little suspicious of her neighbor, Agnes. When Wanda uses her powers to create a tag for their new dog, Agnes does not seem to notice and instead makes a joke. She also asks Wanda, “Should we take it from the top?” at the end of a failed scene. Vision also becomes curious about her, wondering why she was treating life so differently than the other residents of Westview. At the end of the episode, Wanda hears a knock on her door to see her formerly deceased brother, Pierto, on her doorstep. Looking a little bit different, Pietro and Wanda reunite. 

Next, episode 6 was a special Halloween special based in the 90s. As Pietro grows closer with Billy and Tommy, Wanda starts to realize how much her brother has changed. He remembers no part of their childhood, or about who Ultron was. A key aspect of this episode was how Vision was beginning to grow suspicious of not only Agnes, but about Westview overall. He finds Agnes in her car at the town border, still and frozen. He places his hands to her head and almost “woke her up” from the fantasy Wanda has created. Agnes then asks if Vision was there to save them, and wonders why he was there, as he previously died. Vision was unaware of the fact that he passed away, and became confused about how the people of Westview are suffering. He finds the border of the hex and tries to leave the town. He begins to deteriorate in front of the S.W.O.R.D. agents and was saved by Wanda as she expanded the hex, resulting in more prisoners and confusion. 

Episode 7 rolls around with a theme similar to The Office. In this episode, Monica plans her return to Westview, Vision becomes friends with a S.W.O.R.D. agent, and Darcy and Westview begin to resist Wanda’s powers. Her home was constantly changing to show furniture and times throughout the decades without her control. At the end of the episode, Monica makes it back in and it was revealed Wanda was not the only “magical girl in town”. Agnes (or Agatha) Harkness was a witch who has secretly known about everything the entire time. She has put on an act to make her seem like another Westview resident. 

In episode 8, Agatha takes Wanda on a trip down memory lane, showing her the events that have led up to the recent occurrences. It was revealed that Wanda did not steal Vision’s body, but had instead created the entire world herself. Agatha continues to ask Wanda for her power, Wanda continues refusing to tell her more information. 

The final episode was a head-to-head battle between Agatha and Wanda. However, it seems that S.W.O.R.D. has brought the real Vision back online, with the purpose of him fighting and destroying Westview’s Vision. The battles continue until Agatha allows the town’s residents to “wake up”. The citizens swarm and question Wanda and beg her to allow them to see their children or family. Wanda and her family fight the S.W.O.R.D. agents (minus Jimmy, Monica, and Darcy) and succeed. Monica was then shown to have obtained superpowers. At a library, the Vision vs. Vision fight has concluded, with both androids discussing their past and time in Westview. While they were up in the sky, Agatha demanded Wanda to give her powers. Wanda finally agrees, and a red beam of light comes from her body. When Agatha was prepared to strike and kill Wanda with her new powers, she appeared to be powerless. Wanda has tricked her, and has officially become “The Scarlet Witch”. Agatha then pleads for mercy from Wanda, but Wanda decides to reassign Agatha’s chosen role- the nosy neighbor. At home, Wanda says goodnight to her children for the last time and her and Vision watch Westview deteriorate. Wanda then finds herself back at the beginning, the empty lot of what was going to be her and Vision’s home. She then apologizes to Monica and flies away. At the end credits, it was shown that Wanda was training with a magical book in a remote cabin, strengthening her powers when necessary. 

Through the nine episodes of WandaVision, Wanda was portrayed as someone who can commonly be related to. She does not share the similar confidence and joy as most heroes, but was instead was shown realistically. For example, Superman was always made out to be in a strong position, and had a beaming smile. For many who may have never enjoyed superhero shows or movies, WandaVision redefined the genre. It portrayed the pure heartbreak and grief of a relatable character, and her struggles to cope with her hardships. Superheroes have almost never never been seen with raw emotion and sadness, but WandaVision incorporated this and many more themes.  Through thick and thin, Wanda and her family remained strong and showed how family will be stuck together like glue. WandaVision will hopefully become a template for the way superheroes should be, instead of the run-of-the-mill, confident hero.