WandaVision‘s creator and head writer Jac Schaeffer has revealed that she initially planned for the show to explore the topic of xenophobia.
WandaVision debuted on Disney+ on January 15 and became an instant hit amongst fans, thanks to the outstanding performances by Elizabeth Olsen and Kathryn Hahn.
Now in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Schaeffer has said that there was a xenophobia plotline planned for WandaVision, which never made it to the final cut.
She further pointed out that the expression was a recurring theme in many old comics and thus wanted to incorporate it into the series.
The theme would have quite normally presented itself as Wanda hails from a different country that being Sokovia. The pitch was to have Wanda’s heritage and Vision’s robotic existence raise conflict between the couple and their neighbors.
They would later be chased away from Westview after the latter’s aggression towards them would make things go awry. Read Schaeffer’s full statement below:
“…In the beginning, we were thinking we would explore the issue of xenophobia, which is very present in some of the older comics…There’s the couple in the comics that make their lives kind of hard; they’re neighbors who like them because he’s a robot, and she’s Sokovian. And so the world would kind of fall apart, and those people would turn a little bit aggressive, and Wanda and Vision would be chased out of town.”
Check out some Twitter reactions to the new reveal:
Some fans believe WandaVision made all the right choices as they clearly feel the final storyline captured the titular characters’ narrative well.
Schaeffer’s story arc does seem interesting and could have easily fit into the context of the show. Wanda’s diluted Sokovian accent is a clear indication of how she tries to pretend to be American to fit in.
But Elizabeth Olsen has revealed in the same interview that her thick accent will return in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where she is set to play a major role.
Furthermore, as Schaeffer notes, the plotline on xenophobia would have been way too literal. Although in the finished series, they are acknowledged to be different as Wanda is a witch and Vision a robot, and both struggle to fit in their surrounding environment.
However, the xenophobia story wouldn’t have fit well in the series’ psychological horror theme and thus had to be omitted from the final product.
While the plotline didn’t get to see the light of day, Schaeffer’s idea is not the first Marvel story to touch on deeper societal issues. It is also reminiscent of Black Panther, which was the first MCU movie to celebrate Black excellence and touched on the debate between violent and peaceful means of revolution.
Guardians of the Galaxy, too, has broached the topic of discrimination against individuals who are different and the significance of acceptance.
These storylines, along with Schaeffer’s proposed one goes to show that the creators and producers behind the MCU are finally using their massive platform to engage in meaningful conversations with their audiences and hopefully will continue to do so.
About WandaVision
WandaVision is a Disney+ MCU miniseries created by Jac Schaeffer featuring the Marvel Comics characters Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch and Vision. Cast members include Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn, Teyonah Parris, Randall Park, Kat Dennings, Evan Peters, Debra Jo Rupp and Fred Melamed.
The series takes place three weeks after the events of Avengers: Endgame, Wanda Maximoff and Vision are living an idyllic suburban life in the town of Westview, New Jersey, trying to conceal their true natures. As their surroundings begin to move through different decades and they encounter various television tropes, the couple suspects that things are not as they seem.
Source: Rolling Stone
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