As the first Marvel Studios television show after Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision has two things going for it. First, it’s excellent, taking a deep dive into characterization while parodying the American sitcoms that Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) watched as a child. Second, though it builds a bridge between Phases 3 and 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it stands strongly on its own. Any metatextual vibes you get come more from Olsen having sisters who grew up as sitcom actors than from comics.
All that said, at this point, if you were going to watch WandaVision, you probably already did. So you know, and wanted a handsome collectors’ edition blu-ray to have on your shelf. If you haven’t watched it, a handsome collectors’ edition blu-ray to have on your shelf is the way to go without committing to Disney+.
The series has lost little of its fun or its emotional punch. But as Disney backtracks from a rumored policy of no more blu-rays, it seems that they’re doing it begrudgingly. For a high quality steelbook edition, you don’t get much beyond having the series on both 4K HD and regular blu-ray discs.
Marvel Studios had already created a behind-the-scenes documentary for their sporadic Disney+ series Assembled. That’s included here. There’s a gag reel, but those devolved long ago into just shots of cast members cracking up. Seen one, you’ve seen them all. Two deleted scenes are thrown in, but neither are long nor change a plot direction. The best new extra would be “Through the Eras,” a different angle on the different show styles each episode mimics. But it’s cursory, until the last minute or so where it suddenly shifts to a quick tease of Harkness: Coven of Chaos, the sequel series coming sometime in late 2024 to Disney+. Its title has already been changed to Agatha: Darkhold Diaries.
Gone are the days of playing with the interactivity of discs. No vision of maybe a short featurette picking out easter eggs. Why not a supercut of just the commercials? These days Disney leaves it up to the fans to create the ancillary content they want. (Thanks, Fangirl’s Diaries, for creating exactly what should have been on this set.)
Is it still worth having at home? The transfer is pristine, and for a show that presents many different visual styles, that’s key. What’s there is great; it’s just a shame even these deluxe editions have started to feel bare bones.
Fanboy Planet is an Amazon affiliate. We may earn a commission from purchases made through links on this and other pages on this site.
