WandaVision finale recap: An action-packed, emotional exit

In the WandaVision finale, “The Series Finale”, it’ll take an epic battle to save Wanda’s family and the people of Westview.

Viewers finally get an answer as to who the real villain is of this Disney Plus show. In the previous episode, it was revealed that Wanda Maximoff created Westview out of her extreme grief at losing Vision.

The people of Westview were unfortunately trapped in this grief—quite literally. As the WandaVision show played out, Wanda’s grief was roiling in the minds of the citizens. That explains the pain Norm told Vision about way back in Episode 5.

Agatha Harkness uses this knowledge against Wanda. By applying her powers, Agatha brings the Westview residents out of their Wanda-induced funk and they immediately turn on Wanda. These people have been suffering, but it wasn’t Wanda’s fault—her power erupted out of her involuntarily.

Nevertheless, Wanda’s actions will have consequences, if she can defeat her new nemesis, Agatha.

WandaVision Finale – The Scarlet Witch

Through the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and WandaVision, we have seen Wanda grow into her powers. The WandaVision finale ups the ante even further.

As Wanda faces off against Agatha in the WandaVision finale, she quickly realises that the experienced witch is nigh-unstoppable. Agatha can siphon off Wanda’s powers—that’s why she’s here in Westview. Agatha wants Wanda’s unbridled power for herself.

Every blast of power from Wanda not only boosts Agatha’s abilities, but they weaken Wanda. If she’s to win this battle, Wanda has to get creative.

Wanda uses her powers to make Agatha relive her worst fears. This is an ability that Wanda hasn’t used since Avengers: Age of Ultron. Interestingly, Agatha’s worst fear is from her witch trial where she killed her coven, including her mother.

Unfortunately, the plan backfires on Wanda—she tries to make the dead witches attack Agatha, but they turn on Wanda instead, decrying her as the Scarlet Witch. This new attack activates Wanda’s chaos magic even further—Wanda begins manifesting the tiara of the Scarlet Witch.

Agatha may be powerful, but Wanda is a fast learner—she aims her spells at the Hex walls and creates the runes Agatha had told her about. Agatha can’t use her powers in the runed zones. Wanda wins the battle—and transforms into the Scarlet Witch, new suit and all—and leaves Agatha in her Westview state.

WandaVision Finale – The Ship of Theseus

Wanda and Agatha’s battle isn’t the only one in WandaVision finale—the Westview-Vision faces off against White-Vision, Hayward’s weapon created out of Vision’s body.

A few hits in and Westview-Vision realises something about White-Vision—they’re essentially two parts of a whole. Mid-battle, Westview-Vision asks his counterpart about The Ship of Theseus philosophy—it applies to the two Visions.

White-Vision is the original, but he’s been altered—and he doesn’t have the Mind Stone, which was such an important part of Vision’s birth and his connection to Wanda. Westview-Vision has nothing of OG-Vision’s body, but he does have the essence of the Mind Stone.

They are neither the real Vision, but they are both Vision. This realization challenges the way White-Vision views his mission—how can he kill Wanda when she meant so much to OG-Vision?

Westview-Vision uses his powers to access OG-Vision’s data files about his life and White-Vision recalls everything. The question is: does he feel anything about those memories?

The White-Vision arc in the Marvel Comics had a similar flair—while this altered Vision may remember his life with Wanda, an absence of emotion will make it difficult for the pair to rekindle their romance. As if Wanda hasn’t been through enough.

WandaVision Finale – Sadness, Hope, Love

After all the excitement of the day, the WandaVision finale ends on an emotional note. Wanda lifts the Hex from Westview and it comes towards her home to claim what’s left of her family. Wanda and Vision praise their children for fighting Hayward’s goons and then bid them goodbye.

As Wanda goes around her home turning off the lights, Vision asks to leave one on. He says its superstition, but its really because he wants to look at Wanda as he disappears.

With moments remaining, Vision asks Wanda what he really is. He was made from the Mind Stone that remained in Wanda, and he embodied all her sadness, and her hope. But what this Vision really was to Wanda was her love.

The Mind Stone had made it possible for Vision to exist, for him to die, be reformed, and even reimagined. As the Hex closes in on Wanda and Vision, they promise that they will “say hello again”.

Agatha is defeated and White-Vision has a change of heart. Meanwhile, Monica realises that Fake-Pietro is really Ralph Bohner—aka Agatha’s ‘husband’. Turns out he wasn’t Peter Maximoff/ Quicksilver of the X-Men Universe after all.

Monica’s powers are also growing—she successfully saves Billy and Tommy from Hayward. The bullets bounce off her and go through her. What are these powers she’s got?

Darcy deals the final blow to Hayward. Realising he’s outnumbered by Monica and the kids, Hayward tries to escape—he’s not only the worst, but a coward, as well. Darcy makes short work of that exit plan—she rams her funnel cake van right into him. Hayward will be spending a lot of time in prison.

Wanda leaves Westview under the suspicious gazes of the residents. Monica is so understanding about Wanda’s actions—and the sacrifice she has had to make. But the people of Westview won’t care about that. Wanda will be a villain to them.

Once Wanda flies away, a Skrull agent arrives to inform Monica that someone is waiting for her. She points above so this could be an indication that Monica will be meeting with Nick Fury, who was last seen on Mar-Vell’s spaceship in Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Where does Wanda go? There is no location card in the end credits scene, but it looks a lot like New Asgard in Avengers: Endgame. The interiors of Wanda’s isolated home also share some similarities with Thor’s in the same film.

But it isn’t so much where Wanda is that’s of interest in this scene—it’s what’s happening inside. As Wanda tops up her tea, the camera moves inside another room where the Scarlet Witch is astral projecting as she studies from Agatha’s Darkhold.

This book is the source of a great deal of magic—and even Vampires—in the Marvel Comics, and we could see some of that crossover into the MCU. Because as the Scarlet Witch reads further, she hears the very familiar sounds of her children calling to her for help.

How can these constructs from Westview be real and alive? We might have to wait till Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness to find out.

Final Thoughts – The WandaVision Finale Keeps Us Guessing till the End

These last two months have been quite the ride thanks to WandaVision. In the midst of the global pandemic, the show gave us a much-needed reprieve from the horrors of the real world.

In the same vein as the MCU, the WandaVision finale featured huge fight sequences. While it may come across as boring, the battles in this episode felt more nuanced to me. It wasn’t just CGI, characters firing at each other, and dodging blasts. Every action meant something here.

Monica, Jimmy, and Darcy appearing on screen for just a few minutes is a weird choice. It felt like they were forgotten—Monica, especially, could have been involved in the battles rather than be a bystander. Here’s hoping Marvel does right by this trio who have won fans around the world.

I’m not sure how to feel about the Fake-Pietro fake-out. It was completely unexpected, and this show has been excellent with surprises, so kudos for that. But with a Multiverse on the horizon, it does seem a strange decision to use Evan Peters in a random role. This is Disney, so who knows?

I do love Wanda’s new suit, though I wish it was a brighter shade of red, ala the Halloween costume. White-Vision’s design is stunning. The way Bettany embodied the aggressiveness of White-Vision against the gentleness of Westview-Vision was a thrill. White-Vision has a future in the MCU, we know that.

More than anything else, WandaVision has showcased the breadths of Elisabeth Olsen’s talents. Even if I wasn’t a fan of Scarlet Witch, Olsen has so brilliantly expanded Wanda’s personality and empathy, that she has fast taken over as a fan-favourite among MCU fans.

WandaVision has set a high bar for the Marvel-Disney shows. It was entertaining, emotional, and it connected with and expanded the MCU in so many exciting ways. The upcoming shows have their work cut out.

What did you think of the WandaVision finale? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

WandaVision is airing weekly on Disney Plus.