Even before the show's release, it was common knowledge that WandaVision would share some DNA with Marvel Comics' "House of M" storyline. Written by Brian Michael Bendis in 2005, the arc is most famous for its ending, resulting in a colossal status quo shift for the universe's mutant population. While WandaVision may not explicitly mention Homo superior during its 9-episode run, the show's creators nevertheless incorporate some of "House of M"'s most compelling bits, tweaking some elements to better tell Wanda's story.

As in WandaVision, "House of M"'s Scarlet Witch manages to use her incredible reality-bending powers to create a utopia in order to escape her overwhelming grief. In the comics, the loss of Wanda's children Billy and Tommy (and other traumatic upheavals) led to her dangerous abilities spiraling out of control, despite Doctor Strange and Charles Xavier's efforts to gain control of the situation. Once Scarlet Witch reshapes the main Marvel timeline, heroes including the Avengers and the X-Men find themselves brainwashed and relatively happy, living in a new world in which mutants are the dominant race and Magneto rules as a benevolent overlord. Wanda, who spends much of the series in the background enjoying a new idyllic life with her beloved children, is eventually confronted and is forced to shatter her Wonderland, leaving her even more broken than before.

Related: Every MCU Theory WandaVision Debunked

The MCU's version of Scarlet Witch is ultimately saved from such a fate, largely thanks to WandaVision's willingness to give her more agency. Aided by Elizabeth Olsen's nuanced and astounding performance, Wanda's taking down of her artificial world is framed as her choice. Also notably, no Strange or Xavier-like presence attempts to swoop in and save her from her own abilities - powers that are inextricable from her identity and backstory. Instead, Wanda is able to adapt quickly when learning of her true potential from Agatha Harkness, ultimately using some of that knowledge to defeat her and win the day. While the comic book iteration of Scarlet Witch fails to take immediate responsibility for her actions and disappears after depowering much of the world's mutant population, the MCU's Wanda sticks around long enough to apologize to Monica and vows to learn more about her powers to avoid another incident.

House of M Scarlet Witch and MCU Scarlet Witch side by side comparison. House of M Scarlet Witch is shown to have a distorted face

Of course, WandaVision focuses on Scarlet Witch and makes her the narrative's central figure, unlike "House of M," which primarily follows Wolverine as he awakens the various Avengers and X-Men from their mind control. In so doing, the show more effectively (and respectfully) navigates some fairly complicated subject matter, including trauma, grief, and depression. WandaVision serves as something of a 6-hour therapy session for Wanda, a character whose incredibly tragic story had been so often sidelined during the sprawling Infinity Saga. Even more admirably, WandaVision walks the tightrope of painting Wanda as a complicated hero without ever reducing her to a hysterical woman.

The navigation around such tired tropes can likely be attributed to, at least in part, to showrunner Jac Schaeffer and her nearly-all female writers' room. The show effectively transforms Wanda Maximoff, previously relegated to the background and often used as a plot device, into one of the universe's most important figures as it enters a more mystical Phase 4. Thankfully, MCU fans can expect more female heroes to shine in the coming years. Kamala Khan, She-Hulk, and Kate Bishop are set to be featured in upcoming Disney+ series and WandaVision's Monica Rambeau will take to space in Captain Marvel 2 - to say nothing of Black Widow (another project penned by Schaeffer).

There may be some fans left a little disappointed that WandaVision didn't end with the opening of Marvel's multiverse or ushering in the long-awaited arrival of mutants. However, the show, in its way, managed to do something even more extraordinary. WandaVision proves that the power of superhero stories is not in the flashes and bangs, but the more intimate character-centric moments. Wanda's time in Westview has changed her, but it has also forever changed our relationship to the Scarlet Witch as we follow her story.

Next: WandaVision Ending Explained: Biggest Reveals & MCU Future Setup

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