#I’m not a Wanda and Vision shipper but I just felt so bad for Wanda

[justsomefangirlie]

Random Thought:

(Slight X-men 97 spoilers)

I know I’m not the first one to point this out or address it, but…

The parallels between the fifth episode of X-men 97 and WandaVision. The way both Rogue and Wanda look at their respective love’s deceased bodies, sobbing and both saying how they ‘can’t feel them’ in the exact same way!

The fact Marvel studios has now given us two tragic love stories at this point… (why must my favorite characters always be the ones who suffer!)

[graphicabyss]

I watched The Falcon And The Winter Soldier and I liked it more that I expected, although frankly I didn't expect much. Overall, I love the setting, the cinematography and the character development. The director and the writers did an excellent job. But it also sent me down an emotional roller-coaster and that's the thing I really need to talk about.

I know there are countless rants about TFATWS, Endgame, queerbaiting and poor MCU narratives but I've never really been hanging out in the fandom until recently so for me it's my first one and I need to get it off my chest. It's gonna be long.

It was interesting to see where the show's gonna take things but start to end there was an elephant in the room. It doesn't sit well with me the way they completely sidestepped the Steve Rogers issue. Like, "we didn't make this mess, so we're not gonna go there". And it's just wrong. You can't just avoid the subject altogether and pass it on for future writers to handle. Also, you see Bucky so sad and lonely it breaks your heart. And this inevitably made me think about Endgame and Cap's storyline. I didn't feel like writing it all down after Endgame but now all these thoughts and feelings came up again and I need to get it off my chest. If they ended it all at Endgame, and I thought they did, it would have been fine, sort of. We'd forgive some loose ends. But they didn't end it there and that makes them fully responsible for this mess. I mean, I didn't hate Cap's ending. After all, it could have been worse. Steve could get together with Sharon like in the comics and they probably considered it at some point but the reactions were so bad they backed down and dragged Peggy along. Still, the ending just felt forced, no matter how you look at it. The thing is, if I knew about it after the first movie, I'd rejoice. But at this point, after everything that went down after, it just doesn't feel right.  I love Peggy and I can't deny the dance scene made me flutter a little but now I wish this was Steve's way to keep his promise before going back. In the end, Peggy would be fine without him. She had a good life, she made a career and a family. We know that thanks to Agent Carter. And we got many cues that Steve and Peggy's relationship, as important as it was, was over. Her saying goodbye to him by destroying the serum, him carrying her casket... Yet, Endgame effectively undermined that basically erasing all of these events from existence and making Peggy just a prize for Captain America.  On the other hand, Bucky needed Steve the most. And the show made it clear how bruised and broken he was. Bucky and Steve's relationship was the closest of any relationship in the MCU. At that point it was clear Bucky was everything to him, the only one who could truly understand him. Steve lost him many times and every time he fought to bring him back, no matter how impossible it seemed. When Bucky was captured Steve went into an enemy base alone on a suicidal mission and saved him and everyone else. That's basically how he became Captain America. Then Bucky got killed in the war and it devastated him. Bucky returned as Winter Soldier and there was hardly any Bucky left in him but Steve nearly let himself be killed because he needed to save him and he trusted that James would not hurt him. When Bucky finally got to his senses, there was an ultimate war going on and in the Snap James fell to dust in front of Steve's eyes. It took 5 years to get him back. And as soon as Steve succeeded, he left him, along with the rest of his traumatized friends and the world in deep chaos, to be with Peggy in 1940's, thus throwing 12 years of his life away. It just didn't feel right. That does a disservice to both Steve and Peggy's storylines. But it's not just about Peggy or Bucky. Steve going back and living his life to return to that park as an old man has opened a rift with a host of questions. I tried to get to the bottom of it but it got me nowhere.  According to Russo, when Steve went back he created an alternate reality. He also retired as Captain America. First off, I think he just made that up after to cover up the mess. If that was the case, Cap would return to the designated spot and not be sitting on a bench like he was waiting there all along. But, like, even if it was alternate reality, it could not be that different, right? He wouldn't just live in Peggy's basement, would he? He knew about the things to come like, you know, the HYDRA thing, and being the man that he was, he couldn't just sit and do nothing. Especially when Peggy was one of the founders of the SHIELD. Captain America or not, Steve would do everything to make this world a

better place. Also, if Steve went back after he crashed that plane, that means there's another Steve still locked in ice, which Russo confirmed. Even more importantly, in Steve's timeline Bucky is still with Hydra being tortured. There's no way he could leave him there. So much for the 'quiet life'. Then there are the writers of Endgame who claim that Peggy's two children are fathered by Steve. Really? That directly contradicts the earlier version that the father is a soldier Steve saved, which is shown in Agent Carter. Seriously, guys, if you're gonna make up random bullshit at least get your stories straight first.   Fans love to make all sorts of theories to try and patch up the holes but the truth is, MCU is not just one mastermind's creation and the comics weren't either. It's bound to be a mess because it's created by dozens of writers and directors and each phase gets increasingly messier because it has to fit in with the 547 previously released movies and shows. I get that and I applaud the effort of Endgame but they really can't expect us to get involved with the characters only to see them being treated as an afterthought. And the thing is, I thought that it might be just me but after a quick survey of the fandom I realized that a lot of people feel the same way. If you look at the comment section of nearly any relevant video, you're gonna get top comments saying all these things. If Marvel listened just once maybe things would make more sense. And all these thoughts aren't necessarily what I wanted to see, but what would be right for the characters. And while I do love Stucky, I'm a reasonable shipper and I really didn't expect them to be canon gay or anything, I just wished they had at least spent some time together not fighting, just healing and catching up on their lives. Honestly, I don't always like the way people ship m/m characters in every show but this time it was really more than justified. The whole storyline going through Winter Soldier and Civil War was just massive queerbaiting. It was undeniably a love story, romantic or not. "Why do you ship male characters?" some people ask. Idk, maybe if the writers put half the effort into developing m/f relationships as they do m/m ones and not just randomly throw them together I might care about them. And MCU was terrible with romance. That traumatic kiss Steve had with Sharon Carter? In the comics, Steve did love Sharon but who cares? In MCU they met, like, twice. Mostly after Peggy's funeral. Peak romance. If they had to pick a new love interest they could go with Natasha. They cared about each other, they bonded in TWS and they were both dealing with some difficult issues. But they became just good friends, which I loved. Instead, Natasha got together with Banner? And then there's Wanda and Vision, which seemed like the most random of pairings with no buildup whatsoever. The wonderful world of heteronormativity where a witch/robot couple comes before a gay one. And the thing is, I only recently learned that there's some legit leverage to portray Bucky as gay. Bucky is based on two characters from the comics. Bucky Barnes was Steve's teen sidekick, kinda like Robin, so this origin was too weird for MCU. Instead, the writers used the origin story from a character named Arnie. It was a boy Steve grew up with, a boy who protected him from bullies, and a boy who kept inviting Steve to these double dates. A boy who was gay. Which wasn't explicitly stated but was pretty obvious. And this was in 1984. So making Bucky gay would be neither woke nor against 'canon'. It would be way overdue.  So with TFTWS it was nice to see Bucky recover and bond with Sam but to me the whole ending also felt a bit excessively positive and this time the queerbaiting felt even more intentional, almost as if the writers wanted to distract the discontent fans with a new shiny ship so they forgot all the things they were mad about. Like, of course I want Bucky to be happy but also I hate the way the show's pushing the idea that he just needs to get over losing Steve and move

on with his life already because surely all his problems come from his inability to trust people and not trying hard enough, and not from being brainwashed and tortured for 70 years and then losing the only person who loved and cherished him.

[andthelastgreatamericandynasty]

A Doctor Strange 2 Featuring Scarlet Witch Would Be Fucking Amazing: Here’s Why

Hello all!

So I reactivated my Twitter account the other day (you can go follow me there on @brielarsonage) and I came across a post about a potential Scarlet Witch cameo in a Doctor Strange film (pictured below).

Here are the individual pictures, too:

And, upon seeing it again AFTER watching Doctor Strange, I really warmed to the idea of Scarlet Witch featuring prominently in the second Doctor Strange film even more. And by that I mean ABSOLUTELY OBSESSING OVER IT!!

But how would Scarlet Witch fit into the Doctor Strange universe? You ask. Well, I was confused at first, too. But I did some research, and I’m ready to start discussing!!

Okay, so first of all, Kevin Feige has discussed Wanda/Scarlet Witch’s powers at length, and has confirmed that she indeed shares the same power set (maybe it’s a different wording then “power set” I’m not sure) as Doctor Strange, she’s simply untrained.

Here’s a quote:

“Her powers, she’s never had any training, I’m talking about Scarlet Witch. She never had any training; she’s figuring it out. Arguably, you could say that that’s why her powers are much more chaotic and much more loose in the way that we showcased those light effects. In [Doctor Strange], some of what you might see today, even the cover of Entertainment Weekly, it’s much tighter. It’s all about focus. It’s all about pulling energies from other dimensions in an organized and purposeful fashion, which is why they can do a lot more than she can in, at least, a much more precise way.”

So, duh, Doctor Strange could offer to help Scarlet Witch train her and develop her powers further. I see it going down like this:

After everyone has been brought back in Avengers 4 (cause DUH, of course they will), Stephen observes Wanda using her powers and says something douchey like “You’re talented. Untrained, but talented.” BECAUSE OF COURSE STEPHEN WOULD SAY THAT HE’S SUCH A FUCKING PRICK SOMETIMES.

(I say the above with all kinds of love for Dr. Stephen Strange)

So this altercation leads to Wanda and Stephen partnering up at the end of Avengers 4 and going off to train, which could lead right into you guessed it: Doctor Strange 2!

So Doctor Strange 2 has been confirmed by Kevin Feige while he was promoting Ant-Man and the Wasp. Full quote:

“Sometimes it's where do those characters pop up? [Doctor] Strange, you know, whenever we do another Strange one, which we will do, it will be a number of years from the first Strange, and yet he's a very big part of Avengers: Infinity War. So it is just a good problem to have when you have too many beloved characters that people want to see more of, whilst keeping to our core belief that we need to keep exploring nuance and keep doing different types of things."

But how would Wanda fit in? If my dream interaction between Wanda and Stephen goes down in Avengers 4, would we start right on her training or would there be a time jump and would Wanda already be partners with Stephen?

That all depends on the plot of Strange 2, which could be a number of things. We don’t have many confirmed ideas on what the plot would be, but ideas on whom the main antagonist will be have been floating around. Right now it’s a debate between Mordo and Nightmare. Doctor Strange Director Scott Derrickson said when asked about what bad guy he’d like to bring to the MCU:

“I really like the character of Nightmare and the concept that the Nightmare Realm is a dimension.”

So could it be Nightmare? Would they sideline Mordo? I don’t think so. At the end of Doctor Strange, Mordo says that there are “too many sorcerers,” so maybe he’ll being to start wiping out sorcerer’s one by one, only for Stephen and Wanda to find out and try to stop him.

That would be my preference, but maybe the first half of the film can be Wanda’s training and the second half can be about Wanda and Stephen trying to stop Mordo. That would also appeal to me.

So you’re probably also asking me: “Madeline (or Lena, whichever you refer to me as), what about Vision? Where will he be? Don’t you think he’ll come back?” My dudes, I am a big ScarletVision shipper, I mean they were what drew me into the MCU after declaring MULTIPLE TIMES I would never fall into the MCU trap.

With that said, I don’t think Vision’s coming back after Infinity War, which breaks my heart, but let’s face it guys, Vision’s time had come. His arc was pretty much done and moving forward he doesn’t serve much of a purpose in the MCU. But this has a silver lining in the way it’ll help develop Wanda’s character.

Yes, yes, the “My love interest died and it’s changed me in a very serious way” is an overused trope, but it fucking works. Plus, Wanda had to kill Vision herself, which takes the trope to a whole new level.

So let’s jump to Avengers 4, Wanda is back but Vision is not. She feels jaded, she doesn’t know what to do. She’s lost so much in this fight. Then, Doctor Strange offers her a place at his side training in the mystic arts.

I think Wanda would take this opportunity because where else does she have to go? Wanda didn’t really have a home outside of the Avengers until Vision, and now Vision’s gone. Why not move on with her life expanding her powers under Doctor Strange’s tutelage?

Plus, business-wise, this would be a great fucking opportunity for Marvel. Let’s face it, solo films do better when you add in another Avenger or two to compliment the main character.

Stephen’s a real asshole sometimes and Wanda could really balance him out. She could call him out on his bullshit and he could help her overcome her fear of her own powers. Wanda is already so powerful, imagine what how much she could accomplish if properly trained.

And, as much as I HATE to admit it because Wanda has a fucking cool origin story, we’re probably not going to get a solo Scarlet Witch film, so why not feature her in another film? She could be the Black Widow to Stephen’s Steve Rogers.

Elizabeth Olsen is also down for more Marvel films, as seen when she spoke about a potential Scarlet Witch spinoff:

“And it’s like, no, of course I would love the opportunity. It’s not about that. It’s about, is it gonna serve the universe, does it serve their larger story? I felt crazy and I was like, ‘Jesus, no, there’s never been a conversation about doing a spinoff.’ I’m not pushing one. That doesn’t mean I don’t want one.”

I could easily see Scarlet Witch fitting into Doctor Strange’s overall story and arc. Maybe he could learn more about himself and his powers through training her, and she could learn more about herself and her powers through being trained.

There’s also the romance aspect which people will obviously go to if Marvel tries the Scarlet Witch/Doctor Strange dynamic, which I’m going to leave up to you to give your input on below. Honestly, I wouldn’t care. It would be cool to explore. But it depends on whether or not Benedict and Elizabeth have that romantic chemistry. Plus, could we really move on from ScarletVision? :/

ANYWAYS, those are my thoughts on a potential Scarlet Witch role in future Doctor Strange films. What are your thoughts?! I’m dying to know if there are any others like me who LOVE this concept.**

**Sorry if this is messy, I sat down to write this at 2 A.M. so there could be typos a plenty for all I know.

[scarletphantom1704]

Scarlet Vision Playlist

Click here to listen to the playlist on Spotify!

Most of these are probably based off of the fanfictions and headcanons the Scarlet Vision has come up with but the songs remind me of Vision and Wanda so! I used a few songs from previous Scarlet Vision posts and I also incorporated my own songs.

Keep reading to understand my reasoning behind picking these particular songs on the playlist.

Fire N Gold by Bea Miller (Vision’s POV)

There is something different about you and I

And I feel like I have known you my whole life

There is beauty behind every tear you've cried

Sometimes it's just hard to realize

There is love inside this madness

We are walking on the moon

Reminds me of when he comforted her (or so headcanons and fanfics say) after Pietro’s death. Also the line saying, “I feel like I have known you my whole life,” can relate to the whole Mind Stone connection.

Fumes by EDEN (Both)

If all we have is time, then we'll be alright

It's not much, but it's better than nothing

All these dreams and all these plans

We shared under the moonlight

Relates to time that Vizh and Wanda spent together before IW and how they don’t have enough time, it always seems to be their greatest enemy.

The Scientist by Coldplay (Vision’s POV)

Come up to meet you

Tell you I'm sorry

You don't know how lovely you are

I had to find you

Tell you I need you

Tell you I set you apart

Nobody said it was easy

It's such a shame for us to part

Nobody said it was easy

No one ever said it would be this hard

Oh take me back to the start

Reminds me of what could’ve happened when Vision meets up with Wanda after the RAFT incident. It also kinda relates back to the whole Sokovia Accords thing when it says, “No one ever said it would be this hard.”

Unconditionally by Katy Perry (Wanda’s POV)

Unconditional, unconditionally

I will love you unconditionally

There is no fear now

Let go and just be free

I will love you unconditionally

Come just as you are to me

Don't need apologies

Know that you are worthy

I'll take your bad days with your good

Walk through the storm I would

I do it all because I love you

I love you

I have an idea in my head (that is universal, I think, to most ScarletVision shippers) that Vision is, and has always been, hesitant because he is not a true man but Wanda accepts him just as he is.

Please Don’t Go by Joel Adams (Wanda’s POV)

Most nights I pray for you to come home

Praying to the lord

Praying for my soul

Now please don't go

Most nights I hardly sleep when I'm alone

Now please don't go, oh no

I think of you whenever I'm alone

Wanda not wanting Vision to leave when he returns for the first time after CA:CW.

Sign of the Times by Harry Styles (Vision’s POV)

We never learn, we been here before

Why are we always stuck and running from

The bullets? The bullets?

Just stop your crying, have the time of your life

Breaking through the atmosphere

And things are pretty good from here

Remember everything will be alright

We can meet again somewhere

Somewhere far away from here

This reminds me of Vision’s final scene in IW when he keeps saying, “It’s alright.” And when it says, “We can meet again somewhere, somewhere far away from here,” I feel like that is Vision saying that they will meet again, whether that be in some sort of afterlife or they do revive him.

Make It To Me by Sam Smith (Vision’s POV)

My mind runs away to you

With a thought I hope you'll see

Can't see where it's wandered to

But I know where it wants to be

I know you're out there, we're meant to be

So keep your head up, and make it to me

So sick of this lonely air

It seems such a waste of breath

So much that I need to share

So much to get off my chest

This reminds me of how Vision must’ve felt when Wanda was on the run and he hadn’t found her yet. I feel like when he was searching to find her, he would try to reach out his mind and get her, with use of her telepathic abilities, to find him, hence the first few verses.

This Town by Niall Horan (Vision’s POV)

Waking up to kiss you and nobody’s there

The smell of your perfume still stuck in the air

It’s hard

Yesterday I thought I saw your shadow running round

And I want to tell you everything

The words I never got to say the first time around

And I remember everything

Similar to Make It To Me, this reminds me of when Vision was still looking for Wanda.

Over and Over Again by Nathan Sykes (Both)

From the way you smile

To the way you look

You capture me

Unlike no other

From the first hello

So don’t ever think I need more

I’ve got the one to live for

No one else will do

I’m telling you

Just put your heart in my hands

I promise it won’t get broken

From the heat of night

To the break of day

I’ll keep you safe

And hold you forever

And the sparks will fly

They will never fade

Just an adorable love song that shows the love between our OTP.

Here Without You by 3 Doors Down (Vision’s POV)

A thousand lies have made me colder

And I don't think I can look at this the same

But all the miles that separate

Disappear now when I'm dreaming of your face

I'm here without you baby

But you're still on my lonely mind

I think about you baby

And I dream about you all the time

I'm here without you baby

But you're still with me in my dreams

And tonight it's only you and me, yeah

Again, another about Vision missing Wanda. When it says, “A thousand lies have made me colder,” I think that is Vision being furious about how the government had treated Wanda at the RAFT. Then the next line would be him not trusting the government as much anymore.

If you have any other songs that would be good for the playlist, message me!

[koryuoftheriverflow]

Infinity War Opinion Time

So... I watched the movie yesterday.  I don’t really know what to think of it. I’ll write down my impressions to try and sort through my contrasting feelings. I had tried to lower my expectations, because I didn’t want to be disappointed. I certainly didn’t want a repeat of AOU, thank you very much. On the other hand, I love the Russos, and I love the writing team, seeing as they’re the ones behind all 3 Cap movies.  Still, I knew the risks were high, partly because of the huge amount of charaters involved and the possible lack of screentime for them all, and partly due to the scale of the fight and the power of this particular villain. I liked the movie per se. It’s not like I didn’t enjoy watching it in the theatre. However, based on my personal tastes, I would rather have had more dialogue, more interactions between characters (and yes, a specific set of them), and less action.  I feel like I can’t really state my opinion, though, because this really is only Part 1 of a very looong movie, whose second half we’ll only watch in a year. It lacks any sort of closure, basically. It does end, in what looks like a pretty permanent way, except the cliffhanger is there, because obviously, it cannot be curtain call on the whole story. But it is pars destruens, in a very literal sense, I’d say. Avengers 4 will be the pars construens, but I find it difficult to envision how that could pan out. We’ll just have to wait and see. Under the cut I’ll write a couple of things I liked/didn’t like, so if you haven’t seen the movie yet, tread very carefully, because there’s gonna be MAJOR SPOILERS.

Alright, so... I’ll start with: THE BAD - Like I said, I feel a lack of screentime on a few characters’ part has affected my appreciation. While I liked the parts with Thor and the Guardians, and even Tony and Peter had enough scenes, I felt kind of robbed of moments with the team stranded on Earth. I would have loved to see more #TeamCap, basically. Especially in light of Steve’s possible permanent death next year and the shield handover either to Bucky or Falcon.  *Little aside as a slightly bitter Stucky shipper: yes, I did get the hug before the pat of the back, but, in the words of one David Posner, “it was too fucking brief.”* - While I laughed for most of the movie, I felt like the tone should have been  more somber, or rather, that the juxtaposition of serious moments and cheerful ones was at times a little inappropriate: it downplayed important characters/plot development that should have been given more focused attention.  In general, I would say that this movie lacked a bit of heart, especially with regards to the scenes and characters on Earth. Thor, the Guardians, Tony and Peter, on the other hand, had deeper, more meaningful interactions. THE GOOD - I’ve been pleasantly surprised by moments glimpsed at in the trailers that I did not expect to happen in the way they ultimately did. I sure as hell didn’t think Thanos would obtain all 6 Infinity Stones by the end of this first movie. Other things too took me by surprise. See, for instance, the scene of Loki handing over the Tesseract, which I was for some reason convinced would be at the end of the movie, and was at the very beginning instead. And speaking of Loki, he was one of the people I thought was going to die. The question now is: did he really? Thor himself gives voice to what we all know: his brother’s come back before. There have been not so subtle hints at his Jotun heritage in the last couple of films, at his acceptance of it and the power he can draw from it. Will it play a role in his possible resurrection? Will we finally see Jotun!Loki? 

- The longed for kiss between Peter and Gamora, if not for the fact that their happiness (and mine) lasts literally 5 minutes. She then tries to kill Thanos, there is an agonizing scene where Peter uselessly keeps his promise to her, and she is captured by her father, only to find Nebula being horribly tortured for the location of the Soul Stone, and be sacrificed for it on Vormir. I think my favourite thing about the scenes between Gamora and Thanos were her tears after she supposedly kills him.  - The killings made in the name of the loved ones. Peter and Gamora were clearly the broken mirror of Vision and Wanda. And then again, Thanos himself succeds in killing the one he allegedly loves, where Peter could not. - Tony. Tony left standing alone on Titan, with the ashes of his teammates all around him and no hope at all, knowing he’s the only survivor. Wanda’s vision in AOU turned to ugly reality. He’s not desperate because everyone’s dead, but because he didn’t die with them. Tony’s desire for fatherhood, voiced to Pepper at the beginning of the movie, quite literally crumbles to dust when Peter dies in his arms, showing all the vulnerability of a boy faced with his inevitable death. Is it a scene meant to create pathos, longer than it should have been for the sole purpuse of making us tear up? Yes. Did I cry anyway? You bet your ass I did. I’m here for the pain.  - Other deaths were impactul, thanks to other characters reactions. Vision’s, of course. T’Challa’s. *Little aside as a slightly emotionally compromised Stucky shipper: Bucky calling Steve’s name, before vanishing in front of his eyes, and Steve kneeling on the ground where Bucky’s ashes remain, staring at nothing (just like he did in ca:tws after the “Who the hell is Bucky?” scene), kind of broke me.*  Still good but on a lighter note: -  Thor mourning all he has lost and still finding the force within himself to fight. The absolute epicness of his arrival on Earth with Stormbreaker. The theatre started clapping like mad for him. ICONIC.

- Okoye/Natasha/Wanda fight scene. YES pls.

- Shuri and M’baku. No more words needed here.

- The Bucky/Rocket team up. My two favourite raccoons.  - The Captain Marvel logo in the post-credit scene. THE WTF

The bloody dementor on Vormir who turns out to be Red Skull. TL;DR: there were things that I wish were done differently, mostly I would have liked more character development and less action sequences. On the other hand, I can’t say that I disliked the movie, despite my confusion as to the one way in which they can defeat Thanos in Avengers 4. To conclude, did I like the movie? Honestly...? [x]