10 Lessons Future MCU Projects Can Learn from WandaVision
WandaVision is by far the MCU’s most creative masterpiece. But how can future projects learn from its writing & special effects techniques to assure their successes? Here are 10 lessons that WV can teach to other films/shows.
10. Storylines Spanning Over Multiple Time Periods
Instead of solely focusing on the present time, WandaVision brought us back to the ’50s, then the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s before returning to today’s world. That made everything more creative, right? With Loki‘s stories showing us life in the 1500s up until 2050, following in WandaVision‘s footsteps with an even broader time scope, we hope that other MCU projects will do the same thing instead of constantly remaining a story of modern superheroes.
9. Cross-Genre
Who ever expected the MCU would travel over to the lovable sitcom genre? WandaVision awakened many memories of lovable old family sitcoms such as The Dick Van Dyke Show, Bewitched, The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family, Family Ties, Growing Pains, Malcolm in the Middle, and last but not least, Modern Family and Happy Endings. Tying the story of the Hex being a big sitcom bubble into Wanda’s grief and recollections of the sitcoms she had watched as a child was pleasantly unusual for audiences of all kinds; other MCU projects could also find captivating genres to excite fans like WandaVision did.
8. Slowly Give Clues to the Main Mystery
Don’t give away the mystery so quickly! WandaVision showed that it was important to slowly give clues to the main mystery, giving people the fun of making wild fan theories (even if they don’t turn out to be correct in the end), and unraveling more of the plot’s center as the episodes progressed. All of these clues should also add up and support each other so that there are less complaints about a story that doesn’t make sense.
7. Characters with Secret Identities
It always gets people ready to theorize and eager to see what happens next when there are characters with hidden identities. Agatha Harkness’s big name reveal through “Agatha All Along” was a memorable TV moment nobody will ever forget, and Wanda becoming the Scarlet Witch she was destined to be are both great examples of character identity reveals. Loki has already listened to this lesson, disclosing its cloaked variant to be a female version of Loki (Enchantress?), but what about more? We’re excited to see what the MCU can do about this one!
6. Be Creative in the Credits
The episode itself isn’t the only time to get creative: WandaVision packed its credits sequences full of details alluding to its TV show format, such as the RGB (Red, Green, & Blue) pixels forming various objects like wedding rings (the ones Wanda created for her and Vision in Episode 1), the outside of the Maximoff home, a staircase, etc. Even the names of the cast and crew glitch like the WandaVision broadcast signal! Packing the end credits with a memorable tune and Easter eggs is never a bad idea.
5. Add Some Extra Humor
MCU movies always have their way of inserting some humor into the script, but why not take it to the next level? WandaVision showed two previously serious characters being genuinely silly with Agnes’s overall funny personality added on top of it all. How can you say no to some extra laughs… they always make the show/film more enjoyable to watch!
4. Cliffhangers & Suspense
Every episode of WandaVision had a big cliffhanger to create some serious suspense. This important detail goes hand-in-hand with slowly unraveling the main mystery and also plays a huge role in keeping fans interested! Cliffhangers at the end of each episode make you wait anxiously for what next week will bring.
3. Character Development That Doesn’t Slow Things Down
Many shows have been slow and boring because of its lengthy character development, but WandaVision showed that expanding the characters’ backstories doesn’t have to be so tedious. Wanda’s tragic history in Sokovia, Monica Rambeau’s unbreakable bond with her mother, Agatha’s experience with the other witches in her coven, and Wanda and Vision’s heartfelt first meeting as they watched The Brady Bunch together were all character development scenes filled with excitement and emotion. To keep people interested, it’s extremely necessary to flesh out on character stories while continuously captivating the viewers.
2. Memorable Music (With Lyrics) & Smooth Intros
One of the things that made WandaVision especially unique was its memorable music. The Lopezes composed catchy jingles – can anybody ever forget “Agatha All Along”? – with meaningful lyrics for each sitcom episode. Combined with Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany’s excellent performances and excellent format copying after the main TV shows of the decade, all of WandaVision‘s theme songs turned out awesome…kicking off the episode with an amusing beginning is one of the most important steps in getting the fans interested!
1. “Think Out of the Box”
Like we said, who ever imagined the MCU shifting to…a sitcom? There was nothing more important in WandaVision‘s script and creation than thinking out of the box. Mixing comedy with traditional action/adventure in the form of S.W.O.R.D. was something no other film or series had ever done: future projects, the main lesson to be learned from WV is to BE CREATIVE!
Directed by Matt Shakman and written by Jac Schaeffer, WandaVision stars Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Paul Bettany as Vision, Kathryn Hahn as Agnes, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, Randall Park as Jimmy Woo, and Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis. All 9 episodes are now streaming on Disney+!
