WandaVision Shows How To Center Women Without Pandering (Like Endgame)

The MCU has historically had a problem with its female characters, a problem that it appears WandaVison aims to address in a much better way than Avengers: Endgame‘s A-Force moment managed. They’ve often been mishandled or excluded from major storylines, and although this has generally gotten better over time, Avengers: Endgame featured one of the most egregious examples of this often clumsy approach. WandaVision changes the game by finally finding a way to center its story around women without these moments feeling contrived or otherwise without a link to the plot itself.

The women of the MCU weren’t really part of the conversation until a couple of years ago. The sole female Avenger, Black Widow, (Scarlett Johansson) was introduced in Iron Man 2. But there’s only now just a solo Black Widow film on the way — and that’s after she was killed off in Endgame. Women weren’t included as title characters until a decade into the existence of the MCU, with Ant-Man & the Wasp‘s Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Captain Marvel‘s Carol Danvers (Brie Larson).

Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) is a peculiar case. She was introduced in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron and was regularly referred to as one of the most powerful Avengers. But in spite of that, she really only acted as a side character in each of her appearances. Phase 4’s WandaVision changes that. Wanda is a highly complex character, and the show finally gives Olsen space to explore that. The Marvel series adds more power to that by backing Wanda up with equally complex female characters — namely, wacky neighbor/potential enchantress Agnes (Kathryn Hahn), astrophysicist Dr. Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), and S.W.O.R.D. agent Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris). It’s one of the first times Marvel puts its women in the spotlight, as fully-formed characters running the show. It’s a sign of the much-needed inclusion and steps forward that Marvel fans can expect in the current phase of movies and television shows, instead of women serving as largely love interests.

One of Marvel’s most recent attempts at giving the women in the cast important scenes came in the form of Endgame‘s cringe-inducing “girl power” moment with the female Avengers, set up when Captain Marvel takes Thanos’ gauntlet off of Spider-Man. When Parker weakly muses that he doesn’t know how Captain Marvel will get through the field on her own, suddenly every female Avenger magically appears by her side to assist her. It was a weak and low-effort way to show fans that women were a valued part of the team, without actually giving them scenes together beforehand in order to give the moment a sense of genuine catharsis.

WandaVision‘s brand of feminism is far more organic. The show doesn’t have to tell the audience its women are strong and capable – instead, the Marvel series shows the audience with ease. Wanda is able to immerse herself in her grief without being labeled weak. Darcy makes sure the men working aside her are aware she’s a doctor. Agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) plainly states that Monica is a boss lady. Agnes is shaping up to potentially be one of the MCU’s few powerful female villains.

Women’s powers and strengths are able to live side-by-side with their emotions, making them rich characters worth watching. In an inversion to traditional Marvel roles, men such as Woo and Vision (Paul Bettany) often play supporting roles to these women. That’s not to say men shouldn’t continue to hold central roles in the MCU, but WandaVision shows that women can be at the forefront of engaging content. WandaVision hints that fans can expect that in Phase 4 and beyond.