The iconic Marvel Cinematic Universe has experienced more ups and downs in recent years than ever before. A large part of the ups revlves around the inclusion of MCU TV series made exclusively for Disney Plus, but those shows are also part of the reason for the downs, too. The truth is that, ever since Marvel Studios launched the Multiverse Saga, fans have been critical of the franchise's overexposure, with many feeling that the increase in quantity of titles has resulted in a decrease in quality.
And yet, the TV side of the MCU continued to produce gems, showcasing that the cinematic titan was capable of telling stories on the small screen too. Stories that spotlight underrated MCU characters who didn't often get the spotlight that they need from the movies, or new characters important to the future of the franchise. Those are some huge wins, as are the very best of the programs that have kept us all on the edges of our seats.
As with every film series and television saga, there has been plenty of discussion about which of the MCU shows is the best. Some have put forward the very first of them in the Emmy-winning WandaVision, while others adored Loki. Ms. Marvel held the highest-positive score on Rotten Tomatoes while Agatha All Along received levels of acclaim the shows hadn't seen in some time.
But the truth is that there is only one choice for the best MCU show, and we have to go right back to the beginning to pick it.
Four years later, WandaVision remains the best MCU show
If you watched WandaVision the first time around (when it premiered new episodes weekly), you likely remember the absolutely wild theories that it spawned each and every week because of the all-engrossing mystery at the center of the series. It was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience; a compelling, somewhat eerie mystery series wrapped in a delightful, aesthetically-pleasing, and nostalgic sitcom. It shouldn't have worked, but it absolutely did, making us laugh, scratch our heads, and even cry when it wanted us to. It was, well, magic.
Another element of WandaVision's enduring success that isn't spoken about as often as it should be is its rewatchability factor. Even now, four years after the mystery of Westview and the Hex confounded audiences for the first time, it's so easy to go back and relive it all over again. The show isn't harmed by knowing the outcome; in fact, it's enhanced, for now you get to appreciate the beauty of the writing and the seamlessness with which Wanda Maximoff and Vision's arc was put together. You can appreciate that Wanda was somewhat unknowingly behind all of it, the change in her personality when she figured out that she was, her desperation to hold onto her happiness, and the revelation of the extent of her immeasurable power. You can also really appreciate how it really was Agatha All Along, as the reveal (that the friendly-but-nosy neighbor Agnes was responsible for many of the shenanigans in Wanda's life) holds up extremely well.
It's a true rarity that the standard and quality of writing can be appreciated on your first watch, or your 100th. You can enjoy those first episodes for what they are - fun, hilarious and clever tributes to the sitcoms of yesteryear - or you can appreciate the series as a whole for the sensitivity with which it handles Wanda's grief. There are many ways to watch WandaVision, and all of them result in nothing short of sheer awe.
Its strength lies in how it's nothing like the MCU franchise that it is a part of. Sure, it's the same versions of Wanda and Vision who took on Ultron, Thanos, and more alongside the Avengers, but it's also a comedy series, a tragedy, a nuanced look at the depths of despair that grief can take us to and the desperation to hold onto those beloved nostalgic memories as a form of escape. It's a series that complements its core superheroes; but it's not a superhero series.
Elizabeth Olsen is a force to be reckoned with from the get-go. Her effortless ability to channel Elizabeth Montgomery's Bewitched character Samantha Stephens in those first few episodes is a thing of beauty, while her gut-wrenching performance in the back half of the series is one of the best that this franchise - and indeed genre - has ever seen. She's divine, highlighting the complexity of the Scarlet Witch as a character and showcasing that all of those fans who fought for more screen-time for the character were right for doing so. Wanda is the MCU's crown jewel now, and Olsen's phenomenal outing here solidified that.
Paul Bettany is equally as charming as Vision, taking all of those new and unexpected opportunities to show us different sides to the character's personality that the linear MCU films simply wouldn't have allowed him to. And Kathryn Hahn, of course, is a scene-stealer, as her Gladys Kravitz-esque portrayal of Agnes the neighbor is as engaging as her thrilling performance as the villainous Agatha Harkness in the back half of the season.
It isn't a coincidence that these three earned Emmy nods for their performances, for they delivered some of the greatest acting the MCU has ever seen. In terms of quality, they are quite possibly the best in all of the Disney Plus shows, and the competition in that category is stacked!
WandaVision effectively welcomes the MCU to TV by functioning as a TV series (not a multi-part movie)
The more straightforward, linear world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe can make for compelling television. Look no further than the likes of Loki season 2 or Hawkeye, but more often than not, some of the more MCU-esque shows have faltered along the way. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, for example, told a thrilling story, but the six-episode format didn't work particularly well for that as there were issues with the pacing, and the reason for that is simply down to the fact that it functioned as a six-part movie; not a TV show. Similarly, the first season of Loki struggled with the same issues, because even though it attempted to have a more episodic approach, it spent too much time on dialogue, which left audiences feeling a little short-changed when the occasional episode ended without much happening.
Why WandaVision works so well is that it effectively manages to bring the world of the MCU to television by simply being a TV show. From the light-hearted sitcom episodes that give Wanda and Vision a hilarious shenanigan to overcome in each one of them to the heartbreaking trip through Wanda's memories that show us how - and why - she became the Scarlet Witch, this format allows each episode to stand on its own, while also serving the overall narrative.
That is a balance that very few of the others have managed to accomplish, as most are designed as multi-part movies, resulting in some of the episodes simply bridging the gaps to the more entertaining ones. That is not a problem for WandaVision, as each episode is designed as a wholly entertaining entity all of its own.
Only its own spinoff series Agatha All Along has successfully replicated that, as its core narrative also lends itself well to the television format, revolving around Agatha's coven encountering a new trial on The Witches' Road in each episode. Like its predecessor, you simply never knew what kind of adventure the show was going to provide you with each week. That's the beauty of television. That's the beauty of both of these shows.
WandaVision used the conventions of television to enhance its own narrative, but it also ensured that Marvel Studios started its television era on such a high that it has rarely come close to recapturing that aura since. There have been some fantastic TV shows produced in the years after it, some great and compelling mini-movies, but WandaVision (and indeed Agatha All Along) will always be in a league of its own.
A masterclass in storytelling, an art form in motion; WandaVision is everything you could want from both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and television as a medium, successfully evolving one of the franchise's most underappreciated characters into the leader we've been waiting for her to become while also producing a true gem that will be studied for its brilliance for years to come.
It never, ever gets old.