Finding Hope in Grief in the WandaVision Finale

The following article reflects on the final episode of WandaVision, titled “The Series Finale.” Spoilers ensue. You have been warned.

We made it. Wanda made it through. She’s stronger, wiser, yet more broken than before. But most importantly, she has accepted the reality of her situation. 

The climatic finale . . . did not feel all that climatic, and I think the series is better for it. Wanda and Vision both had their battles, but the important stuff took place after the fights. Wanda accepted her grief, and let her created world dissipate, saving the people trapped inside, while losing Vision again, as well as her children.

This entire series has been about grief, and its effects on a person and the effects that a person grieving can have on others.

Ecclesiastes 3:4 comes to mind as I remember where Wanda has been, and where she is going, “There is a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. . .” Much has been said about Wanda’s grief, but I think it’s important to remember she hasn’t had time to weep. She was blipped, came back, fought Thanos, then went to S.W.O.R.D., then New Jersey, all merely three weeks after the events of Endgame. 

What is grief, if not love preserving?

Wanda has loved so many things, and has lost them repeatedly. Her brother, her husband, her children. Vision’s brilliant line from episode 8 still resonates both within the show and with viewers. Social media responded to its beauty. Love and loss is something most people resonate with. Whether it’s a family member, a friend, or even a pet, we know what it is like to lose someone we love. Losing someone is not the same as losing something. 

The Bible verse I quoted above from Ecclesiastes is one you’ve perhaps heard before, maybe at a wedding or a funeral. Its message is simple: there is time and place for the deepest, most complex emotions in life. 

For Wanda, she is still in that time of grieving, but she has also accepted it. In a way she got closure. This is not something we have all been blessed with. Her closure with Vision as the Hex dissolves is one of the saddest scenes I’ve seen in a Marvel production. But for Wanda it was needed. She got to say goodbye, with and to her love, and even gain a little hope. Vision remarks how they have said goodbye before; maybe they will say hello again. We also see in the after credits scene Wanda studying the book of Darkhold and hearing the voices of her children. She has hope for both her husband and her children to see them again.

But in the meantime, she has accepted that they are not meant to be in her life now. This is a huge growth moment for Wanda. She had to take a big pill, swallow it, and press on.

We all have hope to see loved ones again. The very idea of Heaven speaks to it. We should be excited to see God, but for many, there is hope in seeing loved ones lost to us. Even alluded to in Scripture. We have hope. We, by our very nature, are hopeful creatures. What we place our hope in shapes us. Defines what we do and why we do it.

WandaVision was a fantastic show, a great character study on Wanda Maximoff, with a bunch of teases, references, and things to look forward to after the show. The MCU continues to grow, with more and more mystery (more skrulls?, witches?) and expanding on ideas already established, S.W.O.R.D., characters from various franchises being connected (Darcy from Thor, Jimmy Woo from Ant-Man and Monica from Captain Marvel respectively all now being buddy-buddy). Wanda is now accepting her role as the Scarlet Witch, and is studying the Darkhold, a terrifying looking book that I’m sure will have no consequences in the future of the MCU. 

I enjoyed the ride, the best love story in the Marvel cinematic universe, and the hope it gives. Love gives hope, nerd. I hope you find that kind of love in your life.