WandaVision Grief Theory Could Reveal How The Series Will End
Contains spoilers for WandaVision
WandaVision tells the story of a loving couple, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany), who just want to live a normal happy life in the suburbs with their kids. Unfortunately for them, life's not that simple.
In WandaVision's first and second episodes, the couple's picture-perfect life unfolds like a 1950s sitcom. Over the course of the season, the television series of their life slowly transitions through the decades and different styles of sitcom, while the mystery behind why and how all this is happening slowly reveals itself. Marvel fans are obsessed with WandaVision and, have been meticulously taking note of every little detail to come up with many brilliant theories — some of which have even come true.
Now that we're coming up on the last two episodes of the season, WandaVision fans are reflecting on Wanda's past behavior from the first episode up to now. In a new, very enlightening theory, fans propose that the different television sitcom periods represent Wanda's travels through the traditional stages of grief. The theory questions whether or not Wanda will ever accept Vision's death, and what it could mean for the end of the season.
Wanda's travels through the five stages of grief will end with acceptance
In a fan theory on Reddit, user IncubusART proposes that each time period represents a different stage in Wanda's journey toward accepting the losses of Vision and Pietro. The 1950s utopian experience represents denial, Wanda's forceful confrontation with Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) in the 1970s represents anger, and episodes 5 and 6, which go through the '80s and '90s, explores her bargaining stage.
There is a lot of evidence to back this up, especially as it pertains to the bargaining stage. Wanda and Vision spend those episodes debating their life in Westview in a way reminiscent of the mental horse-trading that often takes place during this stage of grief. This continues with the twins, who are beginning to branch out and develop their own powers, as well as with Pietro. Wanda is willing to pretend that this man is her brother in order to stay in this seemingly perfect world, but she can't deny the strange things going on.
The show's most recent episode, "Breaking the Fourth Wall," focuses on Wanda after she expands the barrier of Westview to save Vision's life. She barely wants to get up in the morning, intending to waste the day away in bed, and has no intention of going out to find Vision if he doesn't want to see her. Wanda is wallowing in her sadness, trying to figure out the meaning behind her own actions and what's changing in the world around her. To put it simply, she's depressed.
If WandaVision is following the pattern laid out in this theory, then there's only one stage left — acceptance.
Fans theorize that Wanda may finally accept her powers ... and what happened to Vision
With Agnes (Kathryn Hahn) — or as we now know, Agatha Harkness — pulling back the veil on all of her manipulations over the course of the season, and essentially threatening Wanda's family, there's no doubt that Wanda will step up to defend those she loves. Even before Agnes takes Wanda to her basement, fans can see Wanda leaning toward accepting reality thanks to Monica's pep talk. Agnes is the one who pulls her back under her influence, and stops her from taking that final step — at least for now.
We haven't seen the acceptance stage yet, but the theory on Reddit references an image from WandaVision trailers of Wanda with one of the Infinity Stones. u/ZapBranniganAgain shared their prediction of the endgame for Wanda's story, stating that they "think [she's] going to pull the atoms of the mindstone [sic] back together and resurrect vision for real." Wanda's acceptance could come in many different forms, though it will likely have to deal with her finally destroying the Hex. Wanda will then enter the modern period and take the final step in her grief journey.
Obviously, this goes against some already extant theories predicting a total breakdown from Wanda, leading to a House of M-like event that would set the stage for Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. But considering how many people think WandaVision will end that way, it wouldn't be surprising if Marvel pulled a 180 and went in an entirely different direction. With only two episodes of WandaVision left, fans will just have to wait and see.