WandaVision: Why Wanda Maximoff Shouldn’t Be Punished

SPOILERS for WandaVision. And everything in the MCU that relates to Wanda Maximoff.

CONTENT WARNING: This post has mentions of verbal and sexual abuse and women’s trauma in general.

WandaVision was a fun, fascinating ride, and I enjoyed every minute of it, even the emotionally tough bits. I loved everything about it: the sitcom parodies and references, the cast’s performances and chemistry, the balance of comedy and drama, all of it. I felt a little let down by the final episode, but finales are hard to nail, especially when you build up a show as much as this show was built up week after week. Overall, it’s a great show.

My favorite part of the show, though, is Wanda Maximoff herself. Elizabeth Olsen gives a fantastic performance, of course, and that’s part of why I love Wanda so much. But Wanda’s whole journey through her grief and trauma resonated with me a lot on a personal level.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Wanda Maximoff, the Strongest Avenger
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Alternative Masculinity: The Cinnamon Roll

A certain type of masculinity has been in the news recently, and really, it’s been in the news ever since a certain orange fellow decided to run for President in 2015. It’s a type of masculinity that is brash, bold, angry, vicious, and really doesn’t account for the wants or needs of anyone except of the person performing it. It’s a macho masculinity for guys who’d love to have thrown a punch, but are afraid to actually fight anyone.

This post is NOT about that type of masculinity.

Today, I’m writing about an alternative masculinity that can pop up in fiction and in real life: the masculinity of the Cinnamon Roll. And I don’t mean the breakfast pastry.

Thor Cinnamon Roll Meme

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Avengers: Infinity War: A Blockbuster Tragedy of Shakespearean Proportions

The more I think about Avengers: Infinity War, the more it reminds me of Shakespeare’s tragedies.

Avengers Infinity War Poster.jpg

Yes. You read that right. I just compared an overstuffed superhero blockbuster to the works of the Bard, the greatest playwright of them all. How could I compare pedestrian schlock to high art?

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The MCU: A Modern Mythological Cycle

Like many other moviegoers, I felt ALL of the feelings when I saw Avengers: Infinity War earlier this year. When I got home from my screening of it in late April, my brother (who had seen it earlier that day with a friend) asked me what I thought of it. I told him, “That was upsetting.” After all, I’d been invested in these characters for nearly a decade, and I just had to sit there and watch them suffer for over two hours. And yet I still love the series, and I will gladly re-watch my favorite installments every so often.

Avengers Infinity War Panoramic Image

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