WandaVision's Paul Bettany & Elizabeth Olsen Called The Show The Forgotten Cousin Of Marvel

In early 2021, the "Marvel Cinematic Universe" released one of its most ambitious and unique entries with "WandaVision" on Disney+. The limited series took a unique approach to explore what became of Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) after Vision (Paul Bettany) died in 2018's "Avengers: Infinity War." The show was rooted in deeply emotional, mature thematic material and was creepier than perhaps any MCU property before it.

Thanks in part to its bold approach, both of its lead stars have called it "the forgotten cousin of Marvel," as revealed by Olsen on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." The actor then added how Bettany felt like their show was akin to a cousin that gets banished to a corner while the stars of the franchise rake in the glory.

Despite those initial apprehensions and the show's polarizing exception, it received critical acclaim and secured 23 nominations and three wins at the 2021 Primetime Emmy Awards. But the duo that led the experimental project once thought it might bring down the wider MCU due to its unorthodox storytelling.

The framing device that connects "WandaVision" to the MCU is shaped around a fictional TV program that explores sitcom tropes from the 1950s to the 21st century. Unsurprisingly, the classic anthology series "The Twilight Zone" influenced the program's creators since the initial comedy evolves into uneasiness as Wanda's true motives become clear. It was this progression that concerned both Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany.

Olsen told Stephen Colbert, "We loved what we were doing, we had so much fun doing it, but we really felt like it might potentially ruin us all. I think that's the stuff that feels the most fun to me. It's when you feel like you could fail at any second."

The host then added how he felt the show's superpower was how it approached the emotion of grief. The actor added that the limited series' writing was a gorgeous commodity since it touched upon how people mourn the loss of loved ones and the disorienting feelings that come with grieving. She highlighted how "WandaVision" was also much more than just the sentimental journey it took viewers on, but it did form the central focal point of the set.