Wandavision: She’s a Badass Witch & Mom

Wanda’s Transformation

So you know the Marvel series Wandavision, I was expecting swirling magic and action-filled witch fights but instead, I got more than that! Wanda a.k.a Scarlett Witch is, of course, the main protagonist and she is one of my favourite Marvel superheroes since I love myself some chaos magic and mysterious sorcery. Thematically, her whole design with her scarlet red magic to her mesmerizing incantation made with her hand gestures, aah! It’s everything I need right now. Other than those simply amazing VFX and telepathic abilities, I get to see the development of her self-actualization. You know when I see her fall in love with a sentient robot and the desire to start a family, I thought it would go kind of stale, but in fact, it was an emotional rollercoaster. The series really goes in deep with its philosophical meaning of love and Wanda’s relationship with Vision empowers Wanda as a mother.

Let’s start with my obvious love for this character, the development of her superpowers! I think nowadays, the awareness of feminism has improved the female representation of superheroes. Many films and TV shows portraying superheroes in the past undermines female superpowers to be inferior to male superpowers, like female superheroes always must fight alongside their male counterpart to succeed in defeating villains. An omnipotent witch that can easily obliterate thousands of enemies with a single gesture, that’s more like it! Seeing Wanda overcoming her fears and realizing her responsibilities is symbolic to me. In conventional reality, I see women underestimate their skills and hold back due to men’s belittlement of women’s self-esteem. But like Wanda, women can forge their own destiny and stand up against gender inequality. The scene where Wanda transforms into her hero outfit was so memorable, it still gives me chills! The way she looks at the camera, fully confident of her abilities and free from her traumatic shackles. Like, you better don’t f*** with me b****!

I see feminists depicted in popular culture always finding it hard to become a mother, like being a mother erases their independent feminist identity. But here, Wanda retains her feminism despite starting a family. Wanda cherishes her children yet her life was full of death and sorrow. She is portraying a role of a woman that is so distraught in grief and loneliness that she seeks companionship, essentially her loneliness is what makes her grateful for the existence of her children. I think that in itself is feministic. A famous quote by Vision which states:

“I’ve always been alone, so I don’t feel the lack. It’s all I’ve ever known, I’ve never experienced loss because I have never had a loved one to lose. But what is grief, if not love preserving?”

Vision’s quote scene

In my opinion, the quote illustrates how ‘love’ surrounds us, even though the thick and thin. Wanda thinking she is alone in this world, yet the grief and her loneliness are what gives her strength to move forward. From magic to love, the show has exceeded my expectations. It taught me some valuable lessons, what could I ask for more?