Marvel broke through in the Emmy nominations this morning with WandaVision scoring several nods. The MCU's first original streaming series premiered in January and was centered around Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany's Vision. Taking place after the events of Avengers: Endgame, the series followed Wanda as she grappled with her grief surrounding Vision's death in Infinity War. Her response to this grief sees her trap the town of Westview, New Jersey in what becomes known as the Hex. This Chaos Magic manifests in a trip through decades worth of sitcoms, paying homage to shows like I Love Lucy, The Brady Bunch, and The Office. 

Going into the 2021 Emmy nominations, WandaVision was the favorite out of both of Marvel's series to score a number of nominations. Loki premiered too late to make the deadline and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier wasn't as lauded as WandaVision. Critical praise centered around both Olsen's performance as the grief-addled Scarlet Witch and the overall writing of the series as an homage to the Golden Age of television. It was also seen as a break from what many call the "Marvel Formula," indicating a willingness to experiment with new things in the long-running franchise.

Related: Loki Hints Scarlet Witch Has Already Broken The Timeline

That experiment has paid off, as WandaVision is one of the most nominated series of the 2021 Emmy's field, scoring a total of 23. The series sits behind The Mandalorian and The Crown, both of which earned 24 nominations. Both Olsen and Bettany earned nominations for their performances, while Kathryn Hahn received her second Emmy nomination for her role as Agatha Harkness. WandaVision also earned a nomination for Best Limited Series and a slew of technical awards.

Wanda and Vision sit in a sofa and smile for the camera

In addition to WandaVisionThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier also earned several nominations. Don Cheadle was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, while the rest of the show's nominations are in the technical categories. This is the first time any Marvel series, including the various shows that aired on Netflix and network television, have been nominated in above-the-line categories for performances and series as a whole. Shows like Jessica Jones and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. have been nominated in technical categories, but were typically absent in other categories.

Now, it's safe to say that the MCU's first foray into streaming is a roaring success and Olsen in particular could be an underdog in a stacked category. The actress will go up against two odds-on favorites in Kate Winslet from Mare of Easttown and Anya Taylor-Joy from The Queen's Gambit. While WandaVision will likely walk away with some trophies, it will have to fight for the above-the-line awards. Still, the fact that Marvel is breaking into awards season at all is a triumph in and of itself and it will be interesting to see how their series and campaigning strategies evolve over the coming years.

More: WandaVision's End-Credits' Doctor Strange Link Is Better Than A Cameo

Source: Emmy's

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