TV Show review
Review basis: 1 season · through March 5, 2021
January 15, 2021 · TV-14 · Ended
Woke Score
Lower is better
Not currently streaming in United States
Review
WandaVision follows Wanda Maximoff and Vision living an idealized suburban life in the town of Westview that slowly reveals itself as a grief-fueled alternate reality created by Wanda after major losses. The nine-episode first season (the only one available at the March 2021 review date) mixes classic sitcom parodies spanning the 1950s to 2000s with a psychological drama about trauma, motherhood, and accepting reality. Light elements include a diverse supporting cast in the modern segments and subtle nods to changing gender roles in television history, presented through personal storytelling rather than activist messaging.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for WandaVision.
Woke representation / casting
Diverse supporting cast including prominent Black character Monica Rambeau and Asian agent Jimmy Woo fits the modern S.W.O.R.D. setting and MCU norms, with era-appropriate white casting in 1950s–1980s sitcom segments; no heavy signaling, mismatches, or swaps of legacy characters.
Woke political dialogue
No explicit activist, political, or identity-based dialogue; story stays personal and mystery-focused.
Identity-driven story themes
Emphasis on motherhood, female grief, power, and autonomy shown through personal trauma and sitcom-era gender role shifts; light and non-activist, with no queer elements or identity politics framing.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Subtle meta on television history and evolving media gender norms; nostalgic tone with no modern activist critiques of patriarchy, capitalism, toxic masculinity, or Western institutions.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Minimal and not widespread; occasional general MCU commentary but no significant 2021-specific claims of pushing woke messaging, DEI, or identity politics.
Creator track record context
Head writer Jac Schaeffer has advocated for marginalized representation and values-aligned storytelling; casting director Sarah Halley Finn pursues diversity recasts; classic comic creators and other staff show little to no such patterns.
Production
