The Walt Disney Company’s new streaming service, Disney Plus, has been breaking surprising records with the instant success of some of its titles. It has already reached its subscriber target three years ahead of schedule, surpassing 94 million subscriptions.
One of the platform’s biggest hits is WandaVision, Marvel’s new series, which brought back the hype following Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
The series, which premiered on January 15, 2021, exceeded all expectations according to critics and comic book fans, alongside The Mandalorian, another Disney Plus success that left a great first impression.
WandaVision arrived with a completely different tone compared to previous films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, adopting a sitcom style inspired by popular American TV shows from the late 20th century.
In the first episode, the references include The Dick Van Dyke Show and I Love Lucy; in the second, Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie; in the third, The Brady Bunch and Mork & Mindy; in the fifth, Full House, Family Ties, and Roseanne; and in the sixth, Malcolm in the Middle.
This major shift in Marvel’s style caused a sudden surprise among viewers — and it may have left some people with a few questions.
Why does the series jump through different eras? Why is Vision alive if he died in Avengers: Endgame? How did Wanda and Vision get married?
All of these questions will likely be answered as new episodes are released weekly.
In the meantime, we’ve decided to bring you a list of comic books that inspired this new arc, which might help explain what’s going on — and even give a preview of what’s coming next.
X-MENS (1963) #4
To better understand the main character, there’s nothing better than starting from the beginning — the origin of the Scarlet Witch.
She first appeared in the original X-Men comic book, written by Stan Lee (former president of Marvel) and illustrated by Jack Kirby (The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Hulk, among others).
At the beginning of her story, she and her brother Quicksilver joined the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, led by their father, Magneto.
Although this specific relationship may not be explored in the series, her entire origin and connection to the X-Men are some of the most important elements of her character — and they’re definitely worth checking out to better understand her personality.
THE AVENGERS (1963) #16
It didn’t take long for Wanda and her brother to join the Earth’s mightiest heroes — The Avengers.
In this arc, also written and illustrated by the duo Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the siblings join the team shortly after the original group disperses.
Due to contractual limitations at the time, their origin story is told quite differently in this comic.
In this issue, we can see the beginning of the relationship between the two siblings and the team — something that is also touched on in the movies, but here it’s explored in a much more detailed way, with a different backstory and a deeper look into their connections with the group.
THE AVENGERS (1998) #10
In this other comic book, we get an incredible and comprehensive look at Scarlet Witch’s story and the complex nature of her powers.
This is a highly recommended read for anyone following the series, because in addition to providing a detailed account of the character, it also introduces us to Wanda’s magical mentor, Agatha Harkness.
Written by Kurt Busiek (Astro City, Marvels, Avengers) and illustrated by George Pérez (The Fantastic Four, Avengers), this comic offers an early glimpse into Wanda’s vast and frighteningly powerful abilities — and just how unbelievably incredible they truly are.
AVENGERS: DISASSEMBLED (1998) #500
An important factor in Wanda’s story is her abilities — and her often unstable anger — which are common elements across many storylines.
One of the best plots that most effectively highlights the destructive and explosive nature of her powers is Avengers: Disassembled.
In this storyline, the writer turns the entire Avengers team upside down, leading to She-Hulk going berserk and killing one of the group’s most important members.
By the end of the story, it’s revealed that all the chaos was being caused by Scarlet Witch, who had lost control of her reality-warping powers after believing she had lost her children.
This storyline was published between 2004 and 2005 by Marvel, written by Brian Michael Bendis (Daredevil, Alias, The Pulse, and his creator-owned series Powers) and illustrated by David Finch (Cyberforce, The New Avengers, Moon Knight, Ultimatum, and Brightest Day).
This incredible arc is considered one of the greatest Avengers storylines and, for many fans, paved the way for one of Marvel’s best superhero sagas.
Without a doubt, it brings strong influences to the series, which is packed with references to the comics.
GIANT-SIZE AVENGERS (1974) #4
Here, we finally get to see the relationship between Scarlet Witch and Vision, who end up getting married after Vision rescues Wanda from the Dark Dimension and the clutches of Dormammu.
This is an essential read for anyone wanting to understand how their romance began and where it all started — the marriage and shared life of two of Earth’s greatest heroes.
The story was written by Steve Englehart (The Avengers, Captain America) and illustrated by Don Heck (The Avengers).
DINASTIA M (2005)
After losing Vision and believing she had also lost her children, Wanda completely loses her sanity and uses her powers to reshape the entire world — placing the mutants, especially her father, as the great monarchs of this new reality.
Considered by many as one of Marvel’s greatest storylines, this is absolutely an essential read that cannot be left off the list.
It was written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel.
VISÃO E FEITICEIRA ESCARLATE (1985)
After the marriage between the two heroes, this short comic book series tries to expand their relationship, showing what family life (far from ordinary) is like for two superheroes.
It helps us understand each character individually, as well as how they function as a couple.
These comics explore some of Wanda’s most notable stories, including her relationship with her father.
Written by Steve Englehart and illustrated by Richard Howell, it’s one of our top recommendations to better understand this iconic duo.
These are the main storylines you should check out to better understand WandaVision and clear up some of the questions raised by the series, which is still just getting started.
And even though the show draws inspiration from the comics, Marvel always finds a way to surprise us with something unexpected.
So, keep watching the series — it’s absolutely amazing — and stay tuned, because this and the upcoming shows will have direct connections to the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, with all of these events being carried over into future films as well.
That’s it, folks! Thanks for reading all the way through! 🙌
Don’t forget to leave a like and comment your predictions for the next episodes!
Thanks a lot, and see you next time!
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