Originally posted June 29, 2021
If you aren't familiar with the character and haven't already, read Part 1 first.
If want a perspective on Wanda as an Avenger before the events of 'WandaVision,' be sure to read Part 2.
PART 3
A Perspective on Wanda Post-’WandaVision’
Wanda’s crimes against the community of Westview in ‘WandaVision’ goes so much deeper than inflicting the pain we see in their faces as they reveal all that Wanda has put them through.
This is HER pain. A pain that no one else could feel until now. A constant torture that she, unlike the residents of Westview upon her departure, will never be released from. She didn’t wish her pain upon them, but it must have felt good to let it out for just a moment, even at a terrible cost.
Wanda was not a bad person. She was a good woman who bad things were done to, and her immense pain in combination with undiscovered powers created chaos that Westview fell victim to.
Although cruel, it wasn’t necessarily selfish.
After years of moving cautiously within the bounds of what she knows about these unique and vast powers; after being patient and forgiving towards herself for every mistake; and after saving the world time and time again, it is as Wanda explains to Monica Rambeau: “It won’t change how they see me.”
To the world, Wanda is a fearsome monster that can only bring destruction. But we see how adamantly she denies being defined as the menace Agatha claims the Scarlet Witch to be. We see how desperately she seeks to be free of that narrative. To be free of something she didn’t understand and didn’t ask to be (until of course she understood and embraced it in an iconic turn of events during the finale).
As Rambeau reassures her, “They’ll never know what you sacrificed for them.” But Wanda knows that the same grace offered to other heroes would never be extended to her, no matter how many sacrifices she makes.
To retrieve all that was taken from her, to reconcile every cost she gave to protect the people around her, she had to hurt people. It was something she never meant to happen, yet acted as an inevitable fee for her to have what they have. And taking accountability for the pain she caused - or rather shared - is the most she can give as an apology for merely seeking what these individuals take for granted, and what is protected by heroes like her: safety, security, stability, and life.
And although it is unfair to her, that is ok.
While Wanda’s actions in ‘WandaVision’ are inexcusable, look to her with empathy.
The Mind Stone eternally connects her, Pietro, and Vision. While its power separated them, it also gave Wanda the ability to bring them back. Knowing all that her powers can give, to see it continuously take instead, and to still keep fighting is an act of immense strength. Wanda is extraordinary for her resilience throughout these films. These bottled up emotions being released upon Westview is an unfortunate consequence of having to conceal what she was going through so that no one would question whether or not she was capable of taking on the responsibility that came with autonomy over her own limitless powers.
I appreciate the vulnerability depicted in ‘WandaVision’ for showing an aspect of heroism that is often overlooked in the glorified stories we have historically shared about superheroes. Wanda’s grief, empowerment, command of her craft, agility to learn, and accountability place her even farther apart than her mentors and counterparts.
Wanda Maximoff, the most powerful Avenger, gave until she could give no more. If her reality cannot forgive her, perhaps we can offer her the grace these side characters never could.
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