This article contains spoilers for WandaVision episode 8.
WandaVision is ramping up to an exciting conclusion. This week's episode really honed in on what makes the show special in that it strictly focused on our central characters and the show's overall themes of grief and loss. It also highlighted one of the previously noted weaknesses of the show, which is that at times it is so focused on teasing elements of the upcoming phases of the MCU that it does a disservice to the characters it is supposed to be the most about.
While it is certainly fun to speculate about the future of the MCU, fans can sometimes get a bit over-excited and end up missing the point. Every story within this universe is meant to serve as a part of the greater tapestry Marvel weaves; not to simply serve as a stepping stone to the next Avengers team-up. Taking a look at the series thus far as well as the fan reception to the presentation of this story serves as a bit of a cautionary tale. The pitfall of giving too much information ahead of time can lead to soaring expectations at even the smallest crumbs of information, crushing disappointment, and ultimately franchise fatigue.
Starting with Marvel's announcements for the entire slate of upcoming television shows and movies, fans have begun speculating on every single thing that has occurred within WandaVision. Part of this is due to an overall lack of Marvel content due to the pandemic. It's important to keep in mind that the world was supposed to receive many of these titles like Black Widow and Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings last year. Fans came into WandaVision practically starved for MCU entries, especially after bombastically fun and epic films like Avengers: Endgame as well as Spider-Man: Far From Home. These films left a lot of lingering questions in fans' collective consciousnesses and the fervor around these questions has only grown the longer such projects have been delayed.
It may not have been Marvel's intention, but by announcing the next slate of shows and films so far in advance, they essentially loaded the gun of fan expectations. Fans look at these tantalizing titles like Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, Blade, and The Eternals and can't help but wonder about how the MCU gets to these points. However, it's also important to remember the joys of not knowing as well.
Take for example the first phase of the MCU. As there was no guarantee at the time of release that these movies would take off in the way that they did, Marvel was able to hold off on showing the cards in their hand. The world didn't get a restaurant menu of titles on the horizon. Instead, they had to show up to each movie and wait until the end credits rolled for even the slightest hint of what was coming next. This made speculation more fun as it forced fans to imagine the possibilities up ahead based on the pieces of information given along the way. Now, the audience is conditioned to speculate based on expectations by making correlations between upcoming announced films and the comics history that these properties are based upon.
This sort of expectation can be toxic for the mindset of the fanbase. Sure, it's very cool that WandaVision doubles as an origin story for Monica Rambeau as Photon. However, the other end of this double-edged sword can also be seen with her earlier mention in the series about having a friend that's an "aerospace engineer." Pages upon pages of speculation erupted around the internet, with fans going so far as to expect the debut of Reed Richards in the show and an overall lead into the upcoming Fantastic Four movie. What did the show actually bring? A minor character that really seems to just be one of Monica's friends from her past work with S.W.O.R.D. There's still an episode left in the show, so it's possible that this could still be a big reveal, but if not then this is a clear example of expectations blowing up over a small plot detail.
Back to this week's episode, it was nice to be reminded that the show is centered around Wanda and the grief she feels over the deaths of those close to her. WandaVision has given MCU fans a story that has more emotional depth than any MCU entry has been able to produce on its own. Even the callbacks to the style and plots of old sitcoms show the depths of Wanda's grief; that she wants to escape to simpler times and bathe in the short-lived happiness of nostalgia. While the amount of speculation and hunting for Easter Eggs is undoubtedly fun and is a part of the experience, much like Wanda, the audience also needs to take the time to process their feelings and focus on the here and now of each episode. After all, it's possible things can be missed if viewers are always looking to the past or the future instead of fully experiencing what's right in front of them.