Tonight marks the finale of VisionQuest, and the end of an era for Marvel Television. VisionQuest isn’t just wrapping up a trilogy that began with WandaVision and Agatha All Along; it also marks a shift in Marvel Television’s storytelling strategy. Next year will mark the end of Daredevil: Born Again, while 2028 will debut an entirely new series, Zodiac (which some fans believe will be the long-awaited resurrection of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). Now that Marvel Television is shifting gears, it should look to the WandaVision trilogy for inspiration with its future efforts.
For starters, don’t forget that some of the lesser-known characters in Marvel’s stable can anchor some truly compelling stories. WandaVision works because it centers on Wanda Maximoff’s grief over losing Vision, and the actions she takes to recover her loved ones – and how the fallout of those actions affect others’ lives. Agatha All Along follows in those footsteps, using the Witches’ Road as a way for Agatha Harkness to come to terms with the wicked actions she’s committed over her many years. VisionQuest has been a “quest” for identity, showcasing Paul Bettany’s Vision recovering his memories, his emotions, and most importantly, his family.
These moments prove that Marvel doesn’t always have to lean on explosive fight scenes to deliver great stories. Part of the reason why Marvel Studios became a pop culture juggernaut, and led to the development of WandaVision and other television series, is because it put in the work to make these lesser known characters resonate with the audiences. Considering television is a weekly investment, it’s a lesson that the higher ups – particularly Marvel’s television/animation/comics head Brad Winderbaum – should keep in mind.
WandaVision, Agatha All Along, and VisionQuest also haven’t been shy about wearing their comic book inspirations on their sleeves. Whether it’s the Darkhold, the cursed book of spells that warps people’s souls, in WandaVision; the appearance of ‘J.I.M.” – or as comics fans better known him, Jim Hammond (a.k.a. the original Human Torch) in VisionQuest; or Lady Death herself in Agatha All Along, these elements make for a richer story and remind viewers that they’re traveling into a world of monsters, mutants, and marvels. If Zodiac is really bringing back elements from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., it should definitely bring back some of the superpowered characters – particularly Chloe Bennet as Daisy Johnson/Quake.
Perhaps the strongest element that’s made the WandaVision trilogy stand out is that most of its installments are building upon previous MCU events, rather than setting the stage for future movies. While Wanda and Vision’s children Tommy and Billy eventually evolve into their comic book counterparts Speed and Wiccan, the focus is less on whether they’ll join the Young Avengers and more about rediscovering their identities.
VisionQuest shows Vision dealing with the fallout of WandaVision, and the messiness of human emotion, not to mention his own homicidal “father figure” in Ultron. WandaVision came close to hitting those same heights, until Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness decided to have Wanda go full villain and cast aside the more complex character traits that made her series so compelling.
Ironically, Marvel might have hit upon a formula for success in its animated shows. X-Men ‘97, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, What If…?, Eyes of Wakanda, and Marvel Zombies have managed to be standalone stories that embrace the sheer comic booky goodness that makes Marvel’s characters worth watching. It doesn’t take tapping into chaos magic or a collection of artificial intelligences to see that Zodiac and future Marvel shows should tap into that energy. And the so-called “WandaVision trilogy” leaves behind a compelling blueprint for how to do so in live action.
