By David Betancourt
The season finale of "WandaVision" has some 'splainin' to do.
This story contains spoilers about Episode 9 of "WandaVision."
Last week's cliffhanger ending of Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) declaring Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) the one true Scarlett Witch -- as well as a post-credit scene that gave us Paul Bettany's all-new, all-white Vision -- set the tone for a double main event.
If you thought this season (or series?) was going to end any other way but a superhero/villain brawl with capes flapping, hands and eyes glowing and lots of flying, zapping and destruction, well, you haven't been watching Marvel Studios for the last decade.
The showdown between Wanda and Agatha was imminent the moment we learned Wanda wasn't the only witch in town.
Agatha identified Wanda as the superior witch, despite Wanda not fully understanding what she really is, and Agatha wanted that power for herself.
The Vision v Vision: Dawn of Robot Superheroes battle ran parallel to Wanda and Agatha's magic quest, with the colourless "real" Vision following his orders to destroy both Wanda and the "other" Vision she magically created.
So who wins? Hey, the show isn't called "AgathaVision" -- the victor in the first face-off should have been obvious.
But at what price was Wanda's triumphant turn from darkness to heroics?
Every magical move she has made over this season has had an emotional consequence, from recreating her own Vision to brainwashing an entire town against their will, and her win over Agatha (which came from Wanda using a trick that Agatha taught her) was no different.
Wanda is an Avenger, after all. And that means she needed to do the right thing to save the day.
And the right thing to do was lift the magical hex she cast over the town of Westview and give everyone the freedom of their own minds again.
But to lift that hex she would have to let go of the things she loved the most: Vision and their twin boys, whose existence was connected to the power of the hex. No hex, no family.
Agatha sneakily played along inside Wanda's spell, pretending to be the nosy neighbor who was always conveniently around. In the finale, Wanda uses her chaos magic to trap Agatha within that same personality. But not before Agatha says, "You have no idea what you've unleashed....you're gonna need me."
To which Wanda replies, "If I do, I know where to find you."
That last line is the biggest clue to a potential return of Agatha, whether it be in the upcoming "Doctor Strange" sequel,in which Olsen is set to guest star, or, potentially, another season of "WandaVision" (no word from Marvel Studios yet).
Wanda is still learning about her magic, and there may be some questions only Agatha knows the answers to.
The recent 15-issue Scarlett Witch comic book series written by James Robinson and illustrated by various artistscould serve as inspiration for these two brujas to return to the screen.
Vision meanwhile, is trying to control, alt, delete the white Vision, convincing him that if his orders are to stop "The Vision," he should take a look at that chalky white face in the mirror.
Because despite the colourful Vision being the hero here, white Vision is the reprogrammed real deal.
The discussion between them (after a lot of brawling in the sky) is filled with witty robotic banter that leads the white Vision to stand down.
Somehow, despite two battles going on at once, there are other loose ends to tieup.
Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) just might be the next great Avenger now that she's displayed some life-saving super powers in this episode's final battle.
The first of not one but two post credit scenes lets us know when we might see her next on Disney Plus.
Oh and Quicksilver/Pietro? Ahem ... Fietro (Fake Pietro). Turns out he's just the Ralph guy Agatha was blabbing about while under her spell. A total red herring.
But then came time for the big goodbye. Wanda needed to move on.
And that meant releasing the hex, including letting go of all who were born from it.
Her and Vision's twin boys are put to bed and a tearful goodbye is said with only the parents knowing it is seemingly permanent.
What little remaining hex is left over their magically built house remains just so that Wanda and Vision can say goodbye again.
Vision knows his time is almost up but before he goes he wants to know how he came to be.
Wanda reveals he is part of the Mind Stone that has lived inside her since her initial contact with it.
They share one last kiss and then Vision, and the house Wanda built for them, are gone.
The only thing remaining is the empty plot of land that was the genesis of the emotional breakdown that led to Wanda casting such a heartbreaking spell to begin with.
A spell that was doomed to fail at some point if Wanda were to reclaim her compassion and humanity. Which she did.
So what about the controversy of "WandaVision" director Matt Shakman saying he was worried some fans might be "disappointed" in the finale?
The only explanation for that is the unlimited amount of rumors and theories that "WandaVision" spawned online. All of which fell flat on their face.
"WandaVision" put such a spell on us over these last nine weeks, the internet had many of us believing and hoping that the show was a portal to satisfying the hopes and dreams of Marvel Studios fandom.
The Fantastic Four. The X-Men. A Doctor Strange cameo. The devil of the Marvel Universe: Mephisto.
The script to "Spider-Man: No Way Home." All of that and the kitchen sink was supposed to be in the "WandaVision" finale. Except that none of it was.
Josh Stamberg's evil Director Hayward? A secret bad guy? Turns out he's just a jerk.
"WandaVision" was everything it was supposed to be.
A superhero love story packed into the next big Marvel Studios event, with the second post-credit scene hinting that even after a Doctor Strange sequel, we may not have seen the last of Wanda. She's now the most relevant Avenger around.