Both of these original mini-series via Disney+ did a pretty great job scratching my MCU itch during the Pandemic since Black Widow and other movies were pushed back until it was safe to sit in a theater. I also think the evil Mouse prefers to show its tent-pole superheroes in large venues given how poorly WW84 did through HBO Max. AT&T’s fumbling streaming service did us all a favor, the long-awaited sequel was uneven and needed more work, definitely not worth a $75 Alamo trip.
First is WandaVision. Up until the ending, the series delivered on what the trailers were enticing, making two members from the Avengers’ B-team more interesting! I loved how most episodes were a journey through American SitComs decade by decade, with all characters being reflected through the tropes:
- The frenemy neighbor
- The boss coming to dinner cliché
- The whacky co-workers
- Opening credits summarizing the premise
- The annoying and precocious offspring
- The fads, namely how the Aughts had the tiresome, breaking the fourth-wall confessional segments
I did love how the show was a puzzle for the audience to solve. Although I’m a bigger geek for DC, it certainly tested my Marvel knowledge on figuring out how Jessica Hahn fit into the overall plot. It’s not a spoiler, everyone knows she’s too big of a star to be delegated an insignificant role. Obviously the people overseeing the larger MCU made sure WandaVision incorporated all the events after Avengers: Endgame, maybe the last Spider-Man too. The crossover characters demonstrated this continued commitment:
- Jimmy Woo from Ant-Man & the Wasp
- Darcy Lewis from the first two Thor flicks
- Monica Rambeau from Captain Marvel
The finale was a push sadly. Once again, there was a giant energy beam shooting into the sky as the heroine has an epic battle with her nemesis, blah, blah. We’ve all seen it numerous times on the big screen and it’s unimpressive on TV. WandaVision only redeems itself by hinting at Vision’s return for future movies (Thanos killed him by removing the Infinity Stone in his forehead) and when the credits conclude, there’s a prologue to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Second is the shorter The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, two more B-team Avengers yet I’ve always had a soft spot for the Falcon since I was a kid in the Seventies; he was Captain America’s partner for several years. After a couple episodes, I wasn’t sold because the show was playing out like every crappy Action movie made by Tom Cruise. There just weren’t many superhero touches happening to warrant the MCU label: punching, kicking, shooting, running and meeting contacts aren’t exclusively superheroic attributes. It can be countered…then what about Batman and Captain America? Their movies still involved fantastic elements implausible to the Action genre I’m comparing this to: the gadgets and comic-book villains (Arnim Zola digitized, the Red Skull). One day I hope they bring Batman’s more fantastic foes to movies: Clayface II, a better Poison Ivy, Mad Hatter, the Manbat and Killer Croc.
Falcon & Soldier did rescue itself later by incorporating the uncomfortable subject of American racism into the arc by asking: Why can’t a Black American be Captain America? Why are Black Americans, even superheroes, stiffed by banks? Lastly, the Super Soldier Serum was secretly used in a Tuskegee-like experiment after WWII. Surprise! It didn’t end well. The Wakandan warrior cameos at the half-way point got matters turned around since Baron Zemo is an underwhelming villain compared to his comic book source.
This series’ finale ended better than WandaVision. No giant sky beam or aliens pouring out of a portal. The heroes prevailed, another gets redemption and the seeds are sown for a new HYDRA-esque infiltration (yawn). What sealed it for me, Disney allowing matters to go forward and not reset by letting someone truly worthy continue Captain America’s legacy. Falcon & Soldier didn’t give any hints about which upcoming MCU movies they helped push forward beyond the fallout from The Blip we may see in all of the upcoming features but Black Widow.