WandaVision creator Jac Schaeffer says she understands the criticism of the show’s pacing. In its first scripted Disney+ series, and in its first outing in more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has offered audiences a very different type of adventure. WandaVision centers around the two title characters, portrayed by Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, and places them in a sitcom setting.
It’s an inspired way of utilizing two of the MCU’s most powerful heroes, both of whom have been underserved by their appearances on the big screen. But not everyone has been charmed by WandaVision’s initial batch of episodes. That’s largely because the format has strayed from a formula the MCU has perfected, discarding big action sequences in favor of gradually building up its mysteries. Schaeffer, who also serves as the showrunner for WandaVision, admitted in a new interview she was well aware the series would fly in the face of fan expectations.
Speaking with Digital Spy, Schaeffer addressed criticism of the show’s pacing and revealed it was one of the things she’d worried about. Still, the writer noted WandaVision will eventually resemble more of what general Marvel fans tend to enjoy. Schaeffer’s quote has been included below.
Yeah, I understand it. I was worried about that, especially because Marvel fans show up with an expectation, and we are bucking that expectation quite a bit. But I think that anyone who invests in the show will find satisfaction. We do take the show to places that a traditional Marvel fan will enjoy.
Schaeffer’s remarks, which fall in line with what Marvel head Kevin Feige has promised about WandaVision, speak to the difficult balance the Disney+ series seeks to maintain. Some critics have argued that, if anything, the show is revealing its mysteries too quickly and failing to truly investigate classic sitcoms in the way the premise advertised. These arguments point out that, perhaps in WandaVision’s haste to conform to a more recognizable Marvel narrative, the sitcom homages suffer and fail to rise above a surface level. This criticism has been specifically directed at WandaVision episode 3, which was a throwback to 1970s comedy series like The Brady Bunch.
Regardless of the pace of WandaVision specifically, though, it’s unhelpful for fans to be so loudly discouraging when it comes to inventive storytelling. Marvel has several projects lined up across film and television in the coming years, from Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk on Disney+ to a potential Young Avengers adaptation. If the franchise hopes to maintain its dominance, it shouldn’t abandon a formula that has proved to be fruitful. But, in the same vein, it also shouldn’t be afraid to embrace different kinds of narrative which suit different characters. For a lot of fans, at least so far, WandaVision has made great use of its heroes, regardless of the show's pace.
Source: Digital Spy
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January 30, 2021 at 06:21AM
