How WandaVision is a thoughtful allegory of the five stages of grief

“What is grief, if not love persevering?” – Vision, WandaVision.

It’s difficult to think of another line that has had the emotional impact that this one had on those who has watched WandaVision. One single line that can cause even those with the hardest of hearts to break down in tears. One single line that encapsulates the entirety of this show.

Disney Plus‘ WandaVision has been a show about grief from the beginning and for that reason, it has truly resonated with nearly everyone watching it.

Spoilers for WandaVision follow.

How WandaVision portrays the five stages of grief

WandaVision is a thoughtful portrayal of the five stages of grief as Wanda Maximoff experiences all of them throughout the nine episodes of the series. With that in mind, let’s explore how exactly it addresses these stages.

Denial

From the opening scene of the first episode of WandaVision, it was clear that something was wrong. Vision was alive, he and Wanda were living in a 1950s sitcom, and there was no mention of anything that had happened in the MCU. Then comes the 1960s sitcom era and then the 1970s. These first three episodes of the series were, honestly, an immense ride of fun and excellent throwbacks to shows like I Love Lucy, Bewitched, and The Brady Bunch.

However, underneath those fun throwbacks, it was clear that things were not okay in this town. Vision’s job made no sense. Wanda and Vision’s guests suddenly seemed like they were in a horror film. There were strange voices on the radio. And once Wanda and Vision see the Beekeeper and Wanda rewinds time, it becomes clear that Wanda is in denial about her perfect little world. Her denial then comes to a head in the third episode when she realizes that Monica is not supposed to be there, tosses her out of the Hex, and then turns to see Vision as he was when he died. By then, the illusion had already cracked, but now, it’s been shattered completely.

These first three episodes really get at the heart of Wanda’s grief throughout the series, she doesn’t want to accept what’s happening and instead, she has created this entire world just so she doesn’t have to feel her grief and loss. It’s something that almost everyone would want to do at some point or another. Wanda truly embodies the grief that most people have felt at some point in their lives, whether it be a lost relationship or loved one. We’ve all been in denial at some point in our lives and we’ve all wished to have powers like Wanda’s where we don’t have to feel our grief. But once we can no longer be in denial, that’s when we give way to anger.

Anger

Once the illusion is shattered, well, that’s when rage kicks in. This rage doesn’t just come from Wanda though, it also comes from Monica, who is going through something similar to what Wanda is going through.

Wanda’s rage comes from the loss of Vision and her world begins to truly crumble around her no matter how much she tries to stop it. Like many people, she scrambles to try and change things, like constantly aging up Tommy and Billy, around her to distract both herself and others in order to keep the anger at bay. This only lasts for so long though as both her and Vision’s anger boil over and both of their true feelings are laid bare to each other. It’s incredibly sad and haunting seeing Vision yell at Wanda that she doesn’t know who he is, but that anger from Vision – who is in essence an extension of Wanda – is arguably the most necessary part of this series in order for Wanda to heal.

As for Monica, coming back to life where she was before being snapped, only to come to find out it’s five years later, her mom is dead, and there’s underlying issues with a childhood hero. Yeah, it’s reasonable for her to be angry. However, unlike Wanda, her anger is what drives her forward to get her life back on-track as best as she can. Her anger is not a crutch, but a motivator and while that anger that she holds doesn’t suddenly just disappear, once she finds a purpose again in saving Westview and Wanda, it’s almost like Monica becomes an entirely different character. She just wants to help and thinks that her own struggles can help Wanda with hers.

Bargaining

Now we get to the crux of the show. While the story itself begins with Wanda in the denial stage of her grief, the entire premise of the Disney Plus show is based on her bargaining for her love back and that desire to have a life similar to the sitcoms she grew up watching. The entirety of the show is Wanda re-writing reality in order to bring back that which she lost – and if that’s not bargaining, I don’t know what is.

That’s the tragedy of it all though. In real life, no matter how much we bargain with the universe, the God or gods you may believe, or just another person, it won’t bring something back, especially in the case of a dead loved one. However, Wanda can bring that person back and even build an entire new life around that. But like every bargain, there are consequences. Much like a wish on a monkey’s paw, what Wanda gets in this new reality is, like the shows she loves, entirely fictional.

Vision is just a figment of her imagination, her kids aren’t real, and she’s basically enslaved an entire town in her fantasy. At the end of the day, it’s a deal that a villain would make which is the arguably the most tragic thing about Wanda in Westview. She doesn’t want to hurt anyone, she’s just so enveloped by grief that she can’t see past herself and, like many people amidst their grief, hurts those around her in ways that are potentially unforgivable.

Depression

Once Wanda’s bargaining breaks down though, then there’s only one thing that she can do and it’s really not much of a choice. “It’s just a case of the Mondays,” as Wanda says or, as probably most therapists would say to her, she’s depressed. This in and of itself comes with its own denial in her consistently saying “I’m fine,” a phrase probably everyone in the world has uttered at some point or another when, in fact, everything was absolutely not fine.

Once depression hits Wanda, that’s truly when everything around her begins to crumble. Her house begins to glitch, looking like it’s Mitch Gerads’ captivating Mister Miracle art when it does so. She’s barely even able to work up the smile that has been almost ever-present on her face for the rest of the series. And, when push comes to shove, she doesn’t listen to the one person who is trying to help her, Monica. Instead, she listens to Agatha who, while portrayed as an antagonist toward Wanda, metaphorically, she’s closer to the inner voice that constantly tells you everything wrong with you.

Anyone who has ever had depression, no matter the severity, can understand what Wanda is going through at that moment. So often, you eschew those attempting to help you and instead, you give into your own inner demons. However, sometimes, giving into those inner demons, just for a bit, is what you need to do in order to heal.

Acceptance

After depression comes one last thing, acceptance, the hardest part of contending with one’s grief. WandaVision does the smart thing and spends an entire episode basically walking Wanda and us, the audience, through the most tangible therapy session that there’s ever been. Every bit of trauma that Wanda has experienced. Her fears, her loneliness, her pain, her love, and her loss are all laid bare. By the end, it’s no wonder that she finally broke down. She had been through so much pain in her life already and she just wanted one bit of happiness.

Her happiness came at the pain of others and once she finally realized that, she worked to make things right, or as right as they could be. The pain she’s caused isn’t easily forgiven and Wanda understands that. Beyond that though, her fight with Agatha is almost like how someone might fight with they’re subconscious.

The negative thoughts will constantly drain and drain and drain away until finally there comes a point where you can’t take it anymore and that’s exactly what Wanda does. She fights back against Agatha, becoming who she was always meant to be in the process, the Scarlet Witch.

And finally, at the end, she accepts Vision’s death with the hope that they’ll meet again. The sadness and pain are still present, but it is no longer destroying her life and she can finally move on, hopefully finding some form of peace. Like real life, there’s no sudden fix to make everything immediately better, but the steps toward healing are all present.

Is WandaVision and Wanda’s journey through it a perfect, one-to-one allegory for the stages of grief? No, obviously not. There are story and character considerations to take into account when telling a tale like this, especially within the confines of the superhero genre. However, WandaVision tells a story that has obviously resonated on an immensely personal level with a lot of people, including this writer. It is such a unique piece of storytelling that brings catharsis to both the characters and those watching who have also gone through what they went through.

WandaVision is an intensely personal tale that wears its heart on its sleeve and was unafraid of being true to itself and its characters at all times.

All episodes of WandaVision are now available on Disney+.