What Disney+'s WandaVision Says About MCU Phase 4

While it wasn't originally supposed to be this way, Disney+'s WandaVision is the first entry in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With the COVID-19-related delays of the movies Black Widow and Eternals, as well as Disney+ original series Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the pseudo sitcom about Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) is introducing the next chapter in Marvel Studios' epic story. What's more, it's also the first new Marvel Studios project released in well over a year.

That means a lot of fans are looking to the new series to give them some idea about what to expect from the upcoming slew of Marvel movies and TV shows. So, as the first entry in this new phase, what does WandaVision have to say about what's to come? Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige was asked that very question during a press conference for WandaVision.

"I hope it says get ready for the new and the different," he said. "I hope all of our movies have said that one after the other over the years. But certainly, the Disney+ opportunities [have] allowed us to expand creatively what we do."

Based on the first reactions to WandaVision, "new and different" certainly seems to apply to WandaVision. We also know it will have an impact on at least some of the Phase 4 movies on the way. The series introduces an adult version of Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), the character first introduced in Captain Marvel who will also appear in that film's sequel. And, of course, the events of WandaVision lead directly into Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. From there, we know it's been reported that Doctor Strange star Benedict Cumberbatch will appear in the next Spider-Man film.

That said, the tone of WandaVision isn't likely to inform the future of the MCU in a major way. While the series isn't simply a sitcom with Marvel characters in it, a majority of the series will play out that way, if the trailers are any indication. Yet Marvel Studios isn't about to turn its franchise into a series of comedies.

However, Feige said himself that the Disney+ shows are allowing Marvel Studios to "expand creatively on what we do." If this show's legacy is that it helped steer the MCU into the unknown, leading to Marvel taking more chances with the types of stories it likes to tell--tonally and otherwise--it's hard to argue that it would be a success. It would also mean exciting things are ahead for the large number of Marvel movies and TV shows that have been announced.

The first two episodes of WandaVision premiere Friday, January 15, on Disney+.