1 00:00:05,339 --> 00:00:06,966 I'm the youngest of four kids. 2 00:00:08,676 --> 00:00:11,512 And we had a ladder that went up to this attic. 3 00:00:12,388 --> 00:00:14,098 The attic was the playroom. 4 00:00:15,349 --> 00:00:19,729 That's where all the imagination came in, all the make-believe stories. 5 00:00:21,272 --> 00:00:24,567 I would want to play with my sisters and my brother. 6 00:00:25,359 --> 00:00:27,320 But I never had a speaking part. 7 00:00:29,781 --> 00:00:33,576 So I would therefore be the pet of the family. 8 00:00:35,620 --> 00:00:39,165 But I had so much emotion 9 00:00:39,165 --> 00:00:42,710 and wanting to be heard as the youngest. 10 00:00:46,964 --> 00:00:51,302 When I was seven or eight, I started doing these camps with my friends. 11 00:00:51,302 --> 00:00:53,930 And we did three musicals a summer. 12 00:00:54,263 --> 00:00:56,682 And that, like, sealed it for me. 13 00:00:56,682 --> 00:01:01,813 I just loved having a space to be seen and heard. 14 00:01:02,814 --> 00:01:06,275 So much mugging, and so much being a ham. 15 00:01:07,151 --> 00:01:10,988 And it was like, I could do it for my job. 16 00:01:12,198 --> 00:01:13,574 It was amazing. 17 00:01:16,577 --> 00:01:18,996 I'm unstoppable 18 00:01:19,413 --> 00:01:22,333 I'm a Porsche with no brakes 19 00:01:22,333 --> 00:01:27,547 I'm invincible, yeah, I win every single game 20 00:01:27,922 --> 00:01:33,136 I'm so powerful, I don't need batteries to play 21 00:01:33,344 --> 00:01:38,683 I'm so confident, yeah, I'm unstoppable today 22 00:01:38,850 --> 00:01:44,272 Unstoppable today, unstoppable today 23 00:01:44,272 --> 00:01:47,066 Unstoppable today 24 00:01:47,066 --> 00:01:49,777 I'm unstoppable today 25 00:01:54,699 --> 00:01:58,244 Most superheroes start from something very traumatic. 26 00:01:58,244 --> 00:01:59,579 Wanda Maximoff, 27 00:01:59,579 --> 00:02:02,582 orphaned at ten when a shell collapsed their apartment building. 28 00:02:02,582 --> 00:02:05,376 {\an8}Something that they'd use and overcome. 29 00:02:05,626 --> 00:02:09,255 {\an8}And become a hero version of themselves. 30 00:02:12,175 --> 00:02:14,886 But they're always still vulnerable. 31 00:02:16,637 --> 00:02:19,932 There's a notion that vulnerability is not heroic. 32 00:02:19,932 --> 00:02:26,063 But Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, is such a troubled and tragic heroine, 33 00:02:26,063 --> 00:02:29,650 {\an8}and yet still manages to be an incredibly powerful character. 34 00:02:30,860 --> 00:02:32,820 {\an8}Wanda in the Marvel Universe... 35 00:02:34,030 --> 00:02:38,451 {\an8}...is one of the strongest superheroes ever. 36 00:02:39,619 --> 00:02:44,081 {\an8}Her vulnerability and her emotional life is when she's at her most powerful. 37 00:02:45,333 --> 00:02:48,211 We get to see that feelings are okay. 38 00:02:48,211 --> 00:02:51,631 You took everything from me. 39 00:02:51,631 --> 00:02:54,508 And sometimes, life is not easy. 40 00:02:54,508 --> 00:02:56,219 It can be very turbulent. 41 00:02:57,386 --> 00:03:00,139 {\an8}But you have everything you need inside of you. 42 00:03:00,973 --> 00:03:05,645 {\an8}We are the source of our own power. Trauma happens to all of us. 43 00:03:05,937 --> 00:03:07,271 That's just part of life. 44 00:03:07,271 --> 00:03:11,275 We can't reverse death, no matter how sad it makes us. 45 00:03:11,776 --> 00:03:13,903 But we can get through it. 46 00:03:13,903 --> 00:03:16,614 I lost the person closest to me, too. 47 00:03:17,281 --> 00:03:20,409 {\an8}There are extreme issues that these characters are dealing with. 48 00:03:20,409 --> 00:03:24,747 I can't control this pain anymore. And I don't think I want to. 49 00:03:24,747 --> 00:03:28,709 But we can take their motivations 50 00:03:28,709 --> 00:03:31,587 and bring it into our own lives, and it empowers us. 51 00:03:33,214 --> 00:03:36,634 I think there's something about the power of "I can" 52 00:03:36,634 --> 00:03:39,262 {\an8}that somehow rings a bell. 53 00:03:40,179 --> 00:03:44,850 And your superheroness shows up at that door. 54 00:03:51,023 --> 00:03:52,817 Who is Wanda Maximoff? 55 00:03:52,817 --> 00:03:54,485 Very complicated answer. 56 00:03:54,485 --> 00:03:56,070 I think at the most simple, it's... 57 00:03:56,570 --> 00:04:00,533 Wanda came from an immensely traumatic childhood. 58 00:04:03,494 --> 00:04:07,832 She was radicalized and was given the power of the Mind Stone. 59 00:04:13,421 --> 00:04:19,385 {\an8}Wanda Maximoff is from a made-up Eastern European country called Sokovia, 60 00:04:21,095 --> 00:04:25,266 who lost both her parents at a young age from a Stark bomb. 61 00:04:28,311 --> 00:04:34,775 {\an8}So she thinks that Tony Stark, Iron Man, is one of the worst people on Earth, 62 00:04:35,484 --> 00:04:41,907 {\an8}and volunteers for a program that could do experiments on her 63 00:04:41,907 --> 00:04:46,329 to potentially avenge her parents' death with her brother. 64 00:04:47,580 --> 00:04:53,502 {\an8}When we first meet Wanda in the movies, she's part of Hydra, um, 65 00:04:53,836 --> 00:04:57,882 and she's being experimented upon in their facility with her brother. 66 00:04:58,674 --> 00:05:02,219 And she's framed as this kind of creepy, 67 00:05:02,219 --> 00:05:06,223 uber-powerful goth girl with telekinetic powers. 68 00:05:08,434 --> 00:05:12,772 But once she realizes that she's being somewhat manipulated by Ultron... 69 00:05:12,772 --> 00:05:17,276 You said we would destroy the Avengers, make a better world. 70 00:05:17,276 --> 00:05:18,611 It will be better. 71 00:05:18,944 --> 00:05:20,613 When everyone is dead? 72 00:05:20,613 --> 00:05:22,531 She changes her tune and, and joins our heroes 73 00:05:22,531 --> 00:05:24,909 and, and becomes a part of the Avengers. 74 00:05:33,334 --> 00:05:34,668 She loses her brother, 75 00:05:37,296 --> 00:05:38,923 who's her everything. 76 00:05:41,467 --> 00:05:44,678 He was her last remaining tie to her humanity. 77 00:05:46,389 --> 00:05:50,184 And so the Avengers becomes a surrogate family for her. 78 00:05:51,727 --> 00:05:55,314 So she's now processing a lot of grief and trauma 79 00:05:55,314 --> 00:06:01,028 that she has dealt with as a displaced person. 80 00:06:02,947 --> 00:06:05,491 But she's able to sort of keep moving forward 81 00:06:05,491 --> 00:06:08,369 but not really at a full version of herself. 82 00:06:10,162 --> 00:06:15,960 {\an8}We see her almost as a young, fragile girl who's encouraged to seize her power. 83 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:19,088 Doesn't matter what you did or what you were. 84 00:06:19,088 --> 00:06:22,174 If you step out that door, you are an Avenger. 85 00:06:22,883 --> 00:06:25,511 It's a character that has a huge evolution. 86 00:06:25,511 --> 00:06:29,765 And Elizabeth was the perfect person to play this 87 00:06:30,015 --> 00:06:33,269 because she has such depth and complexity as an actress, 88 00:06:33,269 --> 00:06:35,062 and such vulnerability. 89 00:06:36,689 --> 00:06:41,193 But to see where the character's gone, I honestly never could've imagined. 90 00:06:41,694 --> 00:06:45,614 She's a magical gal in a small-town locale 91 00:06:45,781 --> 00:06:49,368 He's a hubby who's part machine 92 00:06:49,368 --> 00:06:52,997 How will this duo fit in and fulfill... 93 00:06:53,122 --> 00:06:56,333 With WandaVision it was this gorgeous opportunity 94 00:06:56,333 --> 00:06:58,335 to see so many other sides of her. 95 00:06:59,545 --> 00:07:03,924 {\an8}Wanda WandaVision 96 00:07:06,177 --> 00:07:08,429 - Is that... - Yeah, it looks like her. 97 00:07:08,429 --> 00:07:09,346 You move at... 98 00:07:09,597 --> 00:07:13,684 In WandaVision, we get to see her be funny, and silly, 99 00:07:13,684 --> 00:07:16,687 and sweet, and charming, and effervescent. 100 00:07:17,104 --> 00:07:19,273 Yes! Yes! 101 00:07:20,274 --> 00:07:22,902 Such a strange sensation. It's kind of fluttery. 102 00:07:22,902 --> 00:07:25,863 Jeez Louise, did you have to learn to walk? 103 00:07:25,863 --> 00:07:28,782 I finally got to be funny. 104 00:07:28,782 --> 00:07:31,160 - WandaVision. 105 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:33,162 You're welcome to draw your own conclusions, 106 00:07:33,162 --> 00:07:36,165 but that's just where I'm at. 107 00:07:36,165 --> 00:07:40,878 {\an8}Wanda's literally trying to escape her grief through television. 108 00:07:42,463 --> 00:07:46,342 This dream world where she doesn't have to face any of her sadness. 109 00:07:46,342 --> 00:07:48,135 Zip. Zero. Zilch. 110 00:07:48,135 --> 00:07:52,848 She has an entire town captive, living in a sitcom space. 111 00:07:52,848 --> 00:07:55,559 - What are we lookin' at here? - It's a sitcom. 112 00:07:55,559 --> 00:07:58,854 The comfort for her are these TV shows that she loved as a kid. 113 00:07:58,854 --> 00:08:04,360 And because she happens to be an enormously powerful psychic individual, 114 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:07,863 she can literally physicalize that comfort for herself. 115 00:08:07,863 --> 00:08:09,949 Well, we're just tickled pink. 116 00:08:09,949 --> 00:08:13,577 It's the most ambitious possible concept. 117 00:08:13,994 --> 00:08:19,083 It's over decades, it's through sitcoms, it's just unbelievable. 118 00:08:20,584 --> 00:08:21,877 WandaVision! 119 00:08:26,423 --> 00:08:27,758 What are they? 120 00:08:27,758 --> 00:08:30,302 What the stone was warning me about. 121 00:08:30,970 --> 00:08:35,224 These superhero movies become the highest stakes every time. 122 00:08:38,227 --> 00:08:42,731 The world's ending or computers are taking over. 123 00:08:44,567 --> 00:08:46,151 There's something so massive. 124 00:08:52,741 --> 00:08:57,204 But the really human experience of falling in love 125 00:08:57,204 --> 00:09:00,165 and finding a partnership and a comfort... 126 00:09:00,165 --> 00:09:02,459 - We should've stayed in bed. 127 00:09:02,459 --> 00:09:04,795 ...is such a basic desire and need. 128 00:09:06,922 --> 00:09:10,009 So that is the element that we took from these movies 129 00:09:11,093 --> 00:09:13,554 and blew up for WandaVision, 130 00:09:13,554 --> 00:09:18,058 and made it the central relationship to root for. 131 00:09:19,518 --> 00:09:23,022 So as opposed to saving a planet, 132 00:09:23,856 --> 00:09:27,693 it became trying to save this relationship. 133 00:09:30,279 --> 00:09:34,950 {\an8}We wanted to bring a little bit more of that personal journey for her 134 00:09:35,117 --> 00:09:37,411 {\an8}and how it can be developed with Vision. 135 00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:41,540 Thank you for humoring me and wearing this ridiculous getup. 136 00:09:41,540 --> 00:09:44,668 I know you have a secret thing for Mexican wrestlers. 137 00:09:44,668 --> 00:09:47,338 - Oh! 138 00:09:50,007 --> 00:09:53,052 In the comic books, Wanda Maximoff was a mutant. 139 00:09:54,136 --> 00:09:56,597 She was born with the power to manipulate probability, 140 00:09:56,597 --> 00:09:59,141 which is a crazy power, 141 00:09:59,141 --> 00:10:02,853 {\an8}and so was always a bit on the fringes of people not trusting her, 142 00:10:02,853 --> 00:10:05,648 {\an8}people not understanding how she could be heroic 143 00:10:05,648 --> 00:10:08,776 when she didn't punch the hardest or shoot bolts out of her hands. 144 00:10:10,361 --> 00:10:13,656 And then later, in the Avengers, people not quite understanding 145 00:10:13,656 --> 00:10:17,409 her relationship with the Vision, because he was a synthezoid. 146 00:10:18,744 --> 00:10:22,081 In the comics, Wanda and Vision's relationship 147 00:10:22,081 --> 00:10:25,376 is a big part of the story that we wanted to bring forward. 148 00:10:26,794 --> 00:10:31,298 So it was exciting to me that that's where I ended up with WandaVision 149 00:10:31,298 --> 00:10:35,052 and we were able to honor the comics. 150 00:10:45,604 --> 00:10:47,815 I loved seeing Wanda Maximoff 151 00:10:47,815 --> 00:10:51,652 in this flourishing, loving relationship with Vision. 152 00:10:51,652 --> 00:10:53,153 Aw. 153 00:10:53,862 --> 00:10:56,115 I loved seeing her as a mother. 154 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:01,328 We get to live in a bubble with her for a little while 155 00:11:01,328 --> 00:11:03,664 that she never got to live out. 156 00:11:05,624 --> 00:11:09,503 {\an8}Wanda Maximoff gets her own space in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 157 00:11:09,503 --> 00:11:14,550 And we get to see what an ideal life for Wanda and Vision actually looks like. 158 00:11:15,884 --> 00:11:19,513 {\an8}Through Vision, she has found comfort... 159 00:11:19,638 --> 00:11:21,640 All I feel is excitement, happiness. 160 00:11:22,015 --> 00:11:25,018 ...after the loss of her parents and her brother. 161 00:11:25,728 --> 00:11:30,065 And so this idea of family being this ultimate need for her 162 00:11:30,065 --> 00:11:34,027 is the "why" for WandaVision. 163 00:11:36,321 --> 00:11:38,657 {\an8}I remember whenever I watched those movies... 164 00:11:38,657 --> 00:11:41,201 I haven't actually ever eaten anything before, so... 165 00:11:41,201 --> 00:11:43,245 - May I? - Please. 166 00:11:43,245 --> 00:11:45,539 ...seeing those little moments between them, 167 00:11:46,206 --> 00:11:51,879 and just feeling so much for them in the middle of all this chaos. 168 00:11:51,879 --> 00:11:52,796 - What is it? 169 00:11:53,046 --> 00:11:54,298 The irony is not lost on me 170 00:11:54,298 --> 00:11:59,344 that the most human of the Avengers happens to be the android. 171 00:11:59,762 --> 00:12:00,679 I'm sorry. 172 00:12:00,888 --> 00:12:06,101 His purity and vulnerability is so tender. 173 00:12:06,852 --> 00:12:10,898 So I was very excited to be a part of something 174 00:12:10,898 --> 00:12:14,526 that took those little moments and drew them out. 175 00:12:21,366 --> 00:12:26,163 The arc of Wanda and Vision in the movies and in the show 176 00:12:26,914 --> 00:12:30,459 {\an8}is the love story of people who find this commonality 177 00:12:30,459 --> 00:12:32,377 {\an8}in being different than everyone else. 178 00:12:34,296 --> 00:12:37,716 So, when the Vision is taken from her at the end of Infinity War... 179 00:12:39,927 --> 00:12:43,096 ...you also understand the psychology that thrust her into WandaVision. 180 00:12:43,096 --> 00:12:44,306 No! 181 00:12:46,350 --> 00:12:49,102 It was the ultimate loss that she could have. 182 00:12:50,437 --> 00:12:53,315 After the loss of her parents and her brother, 183 00:12:53,315 --> 00:12:57,820 then for Vision, who helped her find her footing, to be ripped from her. 184 00:12:58,695 --> 00:13:01,657 {\an8}Really at that point, she truly had nothing. 185 00:13:03,325 --> 00:13:08,455 We always knew that WandaVision would be the story of Wanda's grief... 186 00:13:08,455 --> 00:13:13,877 What is grief, if not love persevering? 187 00:13:14,670 --> 00:13:18,465 And that we wanted to see her become the Scarlet Witch. 188 00:13:20,592 --> 00:13:21,677 And so to do that, 189 00:13:22,135 --> 00:13:26,098 we aligned the episodes according to the stages of grief. 190 00:13:32,145 --> 00:13:33,772 It's a special day! 191 00:13:33,772 --> 00:13:35,858 - Perhaps an evening... - Of great significance... 192 00:13:35,858 --> 00:13:36,817 - To us both! - Naturally. 193 00:13:37,109 --> 00:13:38,694 You really are very dashing. 194 00:13:38,694 --> 00:13:40,320 Mmm. Thank you, darling. 195 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:42,781 - It stopped. - Yes. 196 00:13:43,657 --> 00:13:47,828 The first three episodes really are in the denial space... 197 00:13:47,828 --> 00:13:48,745 Have a good day, dear! 198 00:13:49,288 --> 00:13:52,082 ...especially the first episode in the 1950s. 199 00:13:52,082 --> 00:13:57,421 I mean, that's post-war optimism and it's peak sort of appearances only, 200 00:13:57,421 --> 00:14:02,134 where Wanda didn't have to plum any of her own depths at all. 201 00:14:02,634 --> 00:14:05,554 And looking at shows like The Dick van Dyke Show, 202 00:14:07,514 --> 00:14:08,765 and Bewitched, 203 00:14:09,766 --> 00:14:14,938 there's this real sort of frothy, sexy innocence to those couples. 204 00:14:15,939 --> 00:14:21,194 And to see Wanda and Vision be loose and in love and unencumbered. 205 00:14:21,194 --> 00:14:25,073 - You were tremendous, Glamour. - As were you, Illusion. 206 00:14:25,073 --> 00:14:27,326 There is an element of denial in there. 207 00:14:27,326 --> 00:14:29,494 I have everything under control. 208 00:14:31,914 --> 00:14:34,833 Wanda creates a safe place 209 00:14:34,833 --> 00:14:39,046 {\an8}where she can try to live out the life she thought she was owed. 210 00:14:39,713 --> 00:14:41,006 Welcome home. 211 00:14:41,715 --> 00:14:42,799 Shall we stay in tonight? 212 00:14:44,009 --> 00:14:48,221 {\an8}If I could create my own world and be happy for a short time, 213 00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:50,307 {\an8}wouldn't we all do that? 214 00:14:51,433 --> 00:14:57,314 We wanted to pay Wanda the respect of taking her mental health seriously. 215 00:14:58,774 --> 00:15:02,527 And so we had a grief counselor come and speak to the writers of the show, 216 00:15:03,028 --> 00:15:07,074 which was really helpful making the story of Wanda's pain... 217 00:15:07,074 --> 00:15:07,991 ...a black dress. 218 00:15:07,991 --> 00:15:10,494 ...have all of those layers. 219 00:15:11,954 --> 00:15:15,582 {\an8}It's so helpful when you know that the people behind the scenes 220 00:15:15,707 --> 00:15:17,459 {\an8}identify with your character. 221 00:15:19,711 --> 00:15:23,674 Teyonah's character, Monica Rambeau, of course, loses her mom. 222 00:15:25,717 --> 00:15:29,805 {\an8}When we first meet Monica, she's trying to process 223 00:15:30,514 --> 00:15:34,184 {\an8}what it's like to lose her mom. 224 00:15:34,184 --> 00:15:35,727 - Dr. Highland! - I can't believe it. 225 00:15:35,727 --> 00:15:37,104 Where's my mom? 226 00:15:38,188 --> 00:15:40,565 Your mom, she died, honey. 227 00:15:41,358 --> 00:15:44,069 - What? - The cancer came back. 228 00:15:44,069 --> 00:15:48,448 Okay, stop, stop. No, you're... My mom is Maria Rambeau. 229 00:15:48,448 --> 00:15:51,660 I have a really, really close relationship with my mom, 230 00:15:51,660 --> 00:15:54,246 and she's pretty much my best friend. 231 00:15:56,456 --> 00:16:01,670 I cannot imagine going through life and some of the things I've been through 232 00:16:01,670 --> 00:16:04,089 without her support and love. 233 00:16:08,010 --> 00:16:11,471 But how Monica feels with the loss of her mom 234 00:16:12,139 --> 00:16:14,182 is she just wants to get back to work. 235 00:16:14,182 --> 00:16:16,309 Monica Rambeau, S.W.O.R.D. 236 00:16:16,309 --> 00:16:21,898 She doesn't want to deal with falling too deeply into the loss. 237 00:16:21,898 --> 00:16:23,692 She is really compartmentalizing, 238 00:16:23,692 --> 00:16:25,027 and says, "You know what? 239 00:16:25,027 --> 00:16:27,654 "That will be dealt with, but right now there's other things to do." 240 00:16:29,573 --> 00:16:31,241 Maximoff located. 241 00:16:31,241 --> 00:16:32,242 Well done. 242 00:16:32,784 --> 00:16:37,205 She's also processing her grief by trying to help Wanda... 243 00:16:37,205 --> 00:16:40,584 This is Captain Monica Rambeau. Can you hear me? 244 00:16:40,584 --> 00:16:43,920 ...by just being a voice of reason for her. 245 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:45,630 I just wanna talk. That's it. 246 00:16:47,090 --> 00:16:48,675 Both of them are in denial, 247 00:16:48,675 --> 00:16:50,761 trying to not address what they really need. 248 00:16:51,136 --> 00:16:55,348 {\an8}And I think that's a big part of the show, is like, figuring out what you need. 249 00:17:00,771 --> 00:17:02,939 Who are you? 250 00:17:02,939 --> 00:17:05,817 Wanda's really good at anger. 251 00:17:07,486 --> 00:17:09,905 At the end of Episode Three, 252 00:17:09,905 --> 00:17:13,950 Wanda sees Monica as being a threat. 253 00:17:15,327 --> 00:17:18,038 Wanda feels threatened at the moment she becomes a mother. 254 00:17:18,038 --> 00:17:19,039 Wanda... 255 00:17:19,664 --> 00:17:22,459 And so mama bear really kicks in. 256 00:17:22,459 --> 00:17:27,005 And any other that feels like a potential threat to her and her family, 257 00:17:27,005 --> 00:17:29,424 like, just forget about it. 258 00:17:29,424 --> 00:17:31,510 You're definitely not my friend. 259 00:17:31,510 --> 00:17:34,513 And then we see in Episode Four 260 00:17:34,513 --> 00:17:37,933 that she kicks Monica out of this hex that she created. 261 00:17:42,562 --> 00:17:44,523 But what Wanda didn't realize 262 00:17:45,232 --> 00:17:48,193 was Monica Rambeau, the person that she feared the most... 263 00:17:49,277 --> 00:17:52,656 ...was the woman who was her real, honest ally. 264 00:17:54,991 --> 00:17:59,746 But what took over her judgment was anger. 265 00:18:01,748 --> 00:18:04,251 But Monica keeps going, 266 00:18:04,251 --> 00:18:07,838 trying to be a voice and an ally, really, for her. 267 00:18:09,339 --> 00:18:15,428 The thing that is always unspoken is their mutual pain of loss. 268 00:18:16,221 --> 00:18:20,559 And that is something that really connects Monica and Wanda. 269 00:18:28,525 --> 00:18:31,611 At the end of Episode Five, 270 00:18:31,611 --> 00:18:35,157 we see Wanda wants to keep things as they are. 271 00:18:37,159 --> 00:18:40,370 Our big bargaining moment is when she storms out of the hex... 272 00:18:40,370 --> 00:18:41,621 Is this yours? 273 00:18:42,247 --> 00:18:45,083 ...then interfaces with Hayward. 274 00:18:45,083 --> 00:18:46,459 Stay out of my home. 275 00:18:46,459 --> 00:18:49,671 You don't bother me, I won't bother you. 276 00:18:49,671 --> 00:18:51,548 I wish it could be that simple. 277 00:18:51,548 --> 00:18:54,718 It's her trying to, you know, have her cake and eat it, too. 278 00:18:54,718 --> 00:18:56,678 You've taken an entire town hostage. 279 00:18:56,678 --> 00:18:59,306 Well, I'm not the one with the guns, Director. 280 00:18:59,306 --> 00:19:00,765 But this is not something 281 00:19:00,765 --> 00:19:02,267 where, like, she, doesn't have a handle. 282 00:19:02,267 --> 00:19:07,272 It's like, no, actually, she is very much in control of everything. 283 00:19:07,689 --> 00:19:10,150 What could you possibly have to offer me? 284 00:19:10,150 --> 00:19:11,276 With bargaining... 285 00:19:11,276 --> 00:19:12,569 What do you want? 286 00:19:12,569 --> 00:19:15,030 ...Monica tries to move in 287 00:19:15,030 --> 00:19:18,283 with the least amount of impact and destruction. 288 00:19:18,283 --> 00:19:21,536 It's about understanding really what's going on with people 289 00:19:21,536 --> 00:19:23,538 and trying to untangle things. 290 00:19:23,538 --> 00:19:24,748 I want to help you. 291 00:19:25,790 --> 00:19:27,792 Monica is coming in, saying, 292 00:19:27,792 --> 00:19:30,045 "Let me help you." 293 00:19:30,045 --> 00:19:33,215 {\an8}And that's just not the place that Wanda is in. 294 00:19:36,009 --> 00:19:37,302 - Wanda. - Stand down. 295 00:19:37,302 --> 00:19:38,762 She's going through grief. 296 00:19:39,262 --> 00:19:41,932 And she didn't want to accept that this woman 297 00:19:41,932 --> 00:19:44,267 is potentially someone that could help her. 298 00:19:45,185 --> 00:19:50,148 And so she goes back to this safe space she created. 299 00:19:58,698 --> 00:20:00,992 Look, we've all been there, right? 300 00:20:01,451 --> 00:20:03,828 Letting our fear and anger get the best of us, 301 00:20:03,828 --> 00:20:07,457 intentionally expanding the borders of the false world we created. 302 00:20:09,084 --> 00:20:13,004 We had a lot of fun with Episode Seven, 303 00:20:13,004 --> 00:20:16,841 {\an8}leaning into the tropes of depression, you know. 304 00:20:17,008 --> 00:20:20,136 She's in her pajamas, and her hair's messy, 305 00:20:20,136 --> 00:20:23,306 and she's eating, and she's watching TV, 306 00:20:23,306 --> 00:20:26,393 all that sort of like "girl who's been dumped," 307 00:20:26,393 --> 00:20:28,520 you know, like, "can't kind of keep it together." 308 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:33,316 I'd get up, but... I... just don't want to. 309 00:20:33,942 --> 00:20:37,112 But the subtext is so much more profound. 310 00:20:40,031 --> 00:20:44,244 Who hasn't had those moments of depression, or anxiety, or pain? 311 00:20:44,244 --> 00:20:46,913 It's probably just a case of the Mondays. 312 00:20:46,913 --> 00:20:48,039 Am I right? 313 00:20:48,623 --> 00:20:50,959 And there's something different on the inside 314 00:20:50,959 --> 00:20:52,627 {\an8}than they're presenting to the world. 315 00:20:52,627 --> 00:20:53,962 {\an8}I mean, it's so human. 316 00:20:55,922 --> 00:21:00,010 You really can see how vulnerable she is, how fragile she is. 317 00:21:00,468 --> 00:21:05,682 I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine. 318 00:21:06,141 --> 00:21:07,058 I'm fine. 319 00:21:07,684 --> 00:21:09,144 Everyone goes through loss... 320 00:21:09,144 --> 00:21:10,437 I'm fine. 321 00:21:10,437 --> 00:21:13,773 {\an8}...and to explore that on such an intimate level, 322 00:21:14,316 --> 00:21:19,863 {\an8}I found really, um, cathartic. 323 00:21:20,238 --> 00:21:22,741 My dad died almost seven years ago of cancer, 324 00:21:22,741 --> 00:21:27,412 and so I knew how difficult it was to go through that. 325 00:21:28,788 --> 00:21:33,293 You lose a little bit of yourself and implode a little bit. 326 00:21:34,377 --> 00:21:36,046 We all in different ways can relate 327 00:21:36,046 --> 00:21:39,883 to a feeling of either loneliness or abandonment 328 00:21:39,883 --> 00:21:42,302 in different aspects of our life. 329 00:21:42,302 --> 00:21:45,930 And feeling like there's no bottom to hold you. 330 00:22:02,572 --> 00:22:07,494 Her acceptance is when Agatha offers her 331 00:22:07,494 --> 00:22:09,829 the opportunity to live without pain. 332 00:22:11,206 --> 00:22:15,835 The name's Agatha Harkness. Lovely to finally meet you, dear. 333 00:22:17,754 --> 00:22:20,715 What I thought was so brilliant was that we would see 334 00:22:20,715 --> 00:22:23,885 Agatha first playing a character called Agnes, 335 00:22:24,677 --> 00:22:28,098 this nosy neighbor trope that we've seen in sitcoms 336 00:22:28,098 --> 00:22:30,475 {\an8}throughout the entirety of sitcoms. 337 00:22:32,310 --> 00:22:33,269 Oh! 338 00:22:33,269 --> 00:22:34,187 Hello, dear. 339 00:22:34,354 --> 00:22:36,231 - Hiya, kids. 340 00:22:36,773 --> 00:22:38,691 Hi, Agnes, come on in. 341 00:22:38,691 --> 00:22:41,903 {\an8}I think it was really fun and challenging to write Agatha. 342 00:22:41,903 --> 00:22:46,199 That you should stumble when you walk into a room so he can catch you. 343 00:22:46,199 --> 00:22:49,035 Because she is a mentor and a villain and a friend. 344 00:22:49,035 --> 00:22:52,247 And to kind of set her up as Agnes, who's like that friend that's there 345 00:22:52,247 --> 00:22:54,082 and always comes in when she needs help. 346 00:22:54,082 --> 00:22:57,293 Auntie Agnes is here, and I've got a couple of tricks up my sleeve. 347 00:22:57,293 --> 00:22:59,379 - Why don't we give your mom some me time? 348 00:22:59,379 --> 00:23:02,882 But then you see that she is like a succubus, 349 00:23:03,675 --> 00:23:06,803 {\an8}constantly on the prowl for more power. 350 00:23:09,222 --> 00:23:12,684 {\an8}Agatha Harkness is a centuries-old witch... 351 00:23:14,060 --> 00:23:16,980 ...that has been told that she was bad. 352 00:23:16,980 --> 00:23:19,107 You have betrayed your coven. 353 00:23:19,107 --> 00:23:20,233 Please... 354 00:23:20,233 --> 00:23:21,651 I can be good. 355 00:23:22,360 --> 00:23:23,695 No, you cannot. 356 00:23:24,654 --> 00:23:26,781 And so what happens to a being... 357 00:23:28,116 --> 00:23:30,493 ...that is told that they are not worthy? 358 00:23:33,663 --> 00:23:35,999 Is that of course it becomes this person. 359 00:23:36,791 --> 00:23:38,835 I think that's very relatable to anyone 360 00:23:38,835 --> 00:23:42,255 that, like myself, would consider themselves a weirdo. 361 00:23:45,967 --> 00:23:51,306 When I was a kid in Cleveland, I had a lot of feelings of self-doubt. 362 00:23:52,056 --> 00:23:54,642 But I knew I was gonna be an actor. 363 00:23:55,518 --> 00:23:59,147 I felt the biggest, and most beautiful and powerful, 364 00:23:59,147 --> 00:24:02,192 and most myself, when I was performing. 365 00:24:05,069 --> 00:24:10,074 And to be able to have scale and have voice and have power 366 00:24:10,074 --> 00:24:13,161 was a really thrilling thing about this part. 367 00:24:16,206 --> 00:24:19,083 {\an8}And I think Agatha considered herself 368 00:24:19,083 --> 00:24:21,669 {\an8}the most powerful witch that there ever had been 369 00:24:22,253 --> 00:24:25,256 {\an8}before this young hotshot showed up... 370 00:24:26,758 --> 00:24:30,970 ...who's created a world and held hundreds of people captive. 371 00:24:31,554 --> 00:24:33,848 A lot of jealousy and a lot of also just 372 00:24:33,848 --> 00:24:36,976 trying to figure out how, and then steal it. 373 00:24:41,231 --> 00:24:42,565 Wanda, Wanda. 374 00:24:43,066 --> 00:24:46,819 You didn't think you were the only magical girl in town, did you? 375 00:24:48,112 --> 00:24:53,618 So finally, Agnes shows herself as Agatha to Wanda. 376 00:24:53,618 --> 00:24:55,703 I need you to tell me how you did this. 377 00:24:56,412 --> 00:24:57,789 I didn't do anything. 378 00:24:59,958 --> 00:25:00,959 From Agatha, 379 00:25:01,626 --> 00:25:05,672 Wanda is given this gift of knowledge and tools... 380 00:25:05,672 --> 00:25:09,300 You'd rather fall apart than face your truth. 381 00:25:09,300 --> 00:25:12,262 ...that help her process her grief. 382 00:25:13,221 --> 00:25:14,347 Parents dead. 383 00:25:15,056 --> 00:25:16,140 Brother dead. 384 00:25:17,475 --> 00:25:18,685 - Vision dead. 385 00:25:20,562 --> 00:25:24,566 What happened when he wasn't there to pull you back from the darkness, Wanda? 386 00:25:24,566 --> 00:25:26,818 - I can't do this anymore... - Come on, Wanda. 387 00:25:26,818 --> 00:25:29,696 You are right there. 388 00:25:29,696 --> 00:25:33,533 And one of her tools is the Darkhold. 389 00:25:33,533 --> 00:25:38,788 Did you know there's an entire chapter devoted to you in the Darkhold? 390 00:25:39,497 --> 00:25:41,499 That's the Book of the Damned. 391 00:25:42,959 --> 00:25:45,837 And it's something that Wanda learns from. 392 00:25:45,837 --> 00:25:49,299 Your power exceeds that of the Sorcerer Supreme. 393 00:25:49,799 --> 00:25:52,218 I'm not a witch. I don't cast spells. 394 00:25:52,218 --> 00:25:53,428 Oh, really? 395 00:25:54,012 --> 00:25:55,722 {\an8}She didn't really know the extent of her powers. 396 00:25:55,722 --> 00:25:57,348 {\an8}They'd gotten away from her. 397 00:25:57,348 --> 00:26:00,351 {\an8}And she's forced to look inward to solve that problem, 398 00:26:00,351 --> 00:26:01,978 once she learns from the Darkhold 399 00:26:01,978 --> 00:26:05,815 that she's created this bubble so she didn't have to deal with her grief. 400 00:26:05,815 --> 00:26:07,358 We feel your pain. 401 00:26:07,358 --> 00:26:10,194 - No. No, stop. - Your grief is poisoning us. 402 00:26:10,194 --> 00:26:12,405 - Please, let us go. - Please stop. 403 00:26:12,405 --> 00:26:15,617 Once Wanda realizes that the reality is of her own making, 404 00:26:15,617 --> 00:26:17,201 she can't un-know. 405 00:26:17,577 --> 00:26:20,747 {\an8}And we go with her on a journey of self-discovery. 406 00:26:21,789 --> 00:26:25,752 She has to choose between this false world she's created 407 00:26:25,752 --> 00:26:29,547 and the safety and happiness of innocent people. 408 00:26:29,547 --> 00:26:32,884 And Wanda Maximoff is, in her core, a hero. 409 00:26:32,884 --> 00:26:35,553 I will let you go. I will. I will. 410 00:26:36,679 --> 00:26:39,807 She owns her power, quite literally, 411 00:26:40,475 --> 00:26:44,103 and embraces that part of her that she was running away from. 412 00:26:52,820 --> 00:26:54,280 It's her acceptance. 413 00:26:57,825 --> 00:26:59,535 Come on, run! 414 00:26:59,535 --> 00:27:02,997 The lesson is, maybe you have more power than you think you do. 415 00:27:03,623 --> 00:27:04,874 That's Wanda's whole arc. 416 00:27:06,250 --> 00:27:09,295 And it's only by realizing that the power is inside her... 417 00:27:11,172 --> 00:27:12,674 that she can control her power. 418 00:27:16,386 --> 00:27:19,389 And we see her become the Scarlet Witch. 419 00:27:30,900 --> 00:27:35,113 We all have to confront grief sooner or later, 420 00:27:35,947 --> 00:27:37,490 but this makes you stronger. 421 00:27:39,367 --> 00:27:42,328 {\an8}I have personal losses in my life. 422 00:27:42,328 --> 00:27:45,707 {\an8}And I tell you that it's two ways, 423 00:27:45,707 --> 00:27:48,334 you go down or you go upward. 424 00:27:49,669 --> 00:27:53,756 And she became strong through acknowledging this, 425 00:27:54,716 --> 00:27:58,010 so she could become the Scarlet Witch. 426 00:28:00,179 --> 00:28:04,434 And so now having this new discovery of her own mythology, 427 00:28:04,434 --> 00:28:05,977 of being this witch, 428 00:28:07,228 --> 00:28:10,690 is where we pick up with her in Doctor Strange. 429 00:28:10,690 --> 00:28:11,649 The Darkhold. 430 00:28:11,858 --> 00:28:13,401 You're familiar with the Darkhold. 431 00:28:13,401 --> 00:28:15,069 I know it's the Book of the Damned. 432 00:28:15,069 --> 00:28:17,113 The Darkhold only showed me the truth. 433 00:28:17,780 --> 00:28:19,824 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, 434 00:28:19,824 --> 00:28:22,827 that power has grown even more since she started to study the Darkhold. 435 00:28:23,411 --> 00:28:26,956 If you knew there was a universe where you were happy... 436 00:28:26,956 --> 00:28:28,708 - Chocolate! - Hey! 437 00:28:29,208 --> 00:28:30,585 ...wouldn't you wanna go there? 438 00:28:30,585 --> 00:28:33,838 She wants to recapture this family nucleus 439 00:28:33,838 --> 00:28:36,799 that she created from WandaVision. 440 00:28:36,799 --> 00:28:38,885 I'm going to leave this reality, 441 00:28:38,885 --> 00:28:41,304 and go to one where I can be with my children. 442 00:28:41,304 --> 00:28:44,557 This is where she uses the most power 443 00:28:45,433 --> 00:28:46,559 that she has yet. 444 00:28:47,310 --> 00:28:49,562 And it's for the love of her children. 445 00:28:59,363 --> 00:29:00,865 In a negative way, 446 00:29:00,865 --> 00:29:05,661 Wanda Maximoff could be distilled into female hysteria. 447 00:29:06,746 --> 00:29:09,749 But the way I like to think of her arc 448 00:29:10,249 --> 00:29:12,001 is through mental health. 449 00:29:13,795 --> 00:29:17,757 We're in this amazing time of embracing mental health, 450 00:29:17,757 --> 00:29:20,760 and it becoming less taboo to use the language 451 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:23,137 of depression, and panic and anxiety. 452 00:29:24,931 --> 00:29:27,934 And the more we can tell stories about it, 453 00:29:27,934 --> 00:29:30,895 - then the people having the experiences, - 454 00:29:30,895 --> 00:29:33,773 potentially, could stop feeling shame 455 00:29:33,773 --> 00:29:35,775 or isolation. 456 00:29:36,901 --> 00:29:39,862 And that's a very important topic for me 457 00:29:39,862 --> 00:29:43,866 because it's everywhere and we don't see it, 458 00:29:43,866 --> 00:29:45,034 because it's private, 459 00:29:45,952 --> 00:29:48,621 but you need to communicate with someone. 460 00:29:50,248 --> 00:29:52,458 It shouldn't be an, an isolated experience. 461 00:30:02,844 --> 00:30:04,011 {\an8}I am Dr. Janina Scarlet. 462 00:30:04,011 --> 00:30:07,473 {\an8}I am a clinical psychologist, author and a full-time-geek. 463 00:30:07,723 --> 00:30:10,852 {\an8}And my favorite character in the MCU is Wanda Maximoff, 464 00:30:10,852 --> 00:30:12,478 aka the Scarlet Witch. 465 00:30:14,981 --> 00:30:19,068 When I was a small child, my family and I lived in Ukraine, 466 00:30:20,027 --> 00:30:23,531 and I was exposed to Chernobyl radiation. 467 00:30:24,365 --> 00:30:27,910 I spent most of my childhood in and out of the hospital, 468 00:30:27,910 --> 00:30:31,455 not knowing if I would make it to adulthood. 469 00:30:35,209 --> 00:30:36,127 When I was 12, 470 00:30:36,335 --> 00:30:39,422 my family and I managed to immigrate to the United States 471 00:30:39,422 --> 00:30:41,048 as refugees in secret 472 00:30:41,549 --> 00:30:43,801 in order to get away from violence. 473 00:30:43,801 --> 00:30:47,388 I had experienced health trauma, I had been subjected to bullying, 474 00:30:47,388 --> 00:30:48,806 antisemitism. 475 00:30:51,684 --> 00:30:55,396 And so I was that awkward and weird kid 476 00:30:55,396 --> 00:30:57,523 that didn't quite fit in. 477 00:30:58,816 --> 00:31:01,235 I thought I was the only one going through 478 00:31:01,235 --> 00:31:04,030 PTSD and depression and anxiety, 479 00:31:04,030 --> 00:31:05,865 but I didn't know any of those terms, 480 00:31:05,865 --> 00:31:08,993 because nobody talked about mental health. 481 00:31:11,579 --> 00:31:15,041 And so I really became fascinated with Wanda 482 00:31:16,918 --> 00:31:20,254 when I went to see Age of Ultron. 483 00:31:23,132 --> 00:31:28,346 Watching the way that she deals with trauma and grief 484 00:31:28,346 --> 00:31:29,555 really resonated with me. 485 00:31:32,183 --> 00:31:33,476 Like Wanda, 486 00:31:33,476 --> 00:31:39,315 I had to learn that the only way we heal is by processing our emotions. 487 00:31:41,359 --> 00:31:43,110 And, like Wanda, 488 00:31:43,110 --> 00:31:45,863 it was a really painful lesson for me to learn, 489 00:31:45,863 --> 00:31:47,281 but it was a life-changing one. 490 00:31:51,702 --> 00:31:52,536 A lot of times, 491 00:31:52,787 --> 00:31:57,458 what I do with my clients is ask who their favorite superhero is. 492 00:31:58,459 --> 00:32:02,046 And if there was a time that character went through loss, grief, or trauma 493 00:32:02,588 --> 00:32:04,090 that they can relate to. 494 00:32:04,090 --> 00:32:07,468 Because realizing that there is at least one other person, 495 00:32:07,468 --> 00:32:11,180 or even a fictional character, that has gone through something similar 496 00:32:11,180 --> 00:32:13,808 can allow that person to feel less alone. 497 00:32:13,808 --> 00:32:17,603 And can actually help people understand that their traumatic experience 498 00:32:17,603 --> 00:32:19,271 is merely an origin story, 499 00:32:19,271 --> 00:32:22,149 but the rest of our life choices are up to us. 500 00:32:23,401 --> 00:32:27,905 Seeing Wanda become the Scarlet Witch was a really important reminder for me 501 00:32:27,905 --> 00:32:33,536 that I had my identity change from the little quiet girl that I was, 502 00:32:33,536 --> 00:32:35,788 to the woman that I am now. 503 00:32:37,248 --> 00:32:41,168 And that I was able to find what my own superpower is, 504 00:32:41,168 --> 00:32:46,298 so that I can help other people find their own superpowers, too. 505 00:32:49,093 --> 00:32:52,930 {\an8}I think most people can find a superhero that they specifically relate to. 506 00:32:52,930 --> 00:32:55,599 I think that's the power of, of superheroes. 507 00:32:55,599 --> 00:32:56,809 Oh, no! 508 00:32:58,102 --> 00:32:59,729 If watching WandaVision... 509 00:32:59,729 --> 00:33:01,105 Oh, that's better. 510 00:33:01,105 --> 00:33:03,858 ...And seeing these women in these roles 511 00:33:04,650 --> 00:33:07,695 had helped anybody through a tough time, 512 00:33:07,695 --> 00:33:10,740 or helped them to find their own power, 513 00:33:11,198 --> 00:33:15,411 or to not be afraid to be weird or not afraid to come out, 514 00:33:15,411 --> 00:33:17,705 not afraid to, like, be exactly who they are 515 00:33:17,705 --> 00:33:19,957 in their beautiful, whole selves, 516 00:33:19,957 --> 00:33:23,419 then I'll never forget it, and I'll hold that to my heart forever. 517 00:33:25,337 --> 00:33:27,298 Superheroes are not always successful, 518 00:33:27,298 --> 00:33:28,883 and they don't always make right choices. 519 00:33:28,883 --> 00:33:31,886 But to see someone try to use their power for good 520 00:33:31,886 --> 00:33:36,348 {\an8}I think is just so important to internalize and to aspire to. 521 00:33:37,683 --> 00:33:39,060 Playing this character, 522 00:33:39,060 --> 00:33:43,439 it's quite literally been watching a young woman become a woman, 523 00:33:43,439 --> 00:33:46,233 and have emotional growth... 524 00:33:47,610 --> 00:33:49,153 ...and acceptance and love for herself. 525 00:33:50,488 --> 00:33:53,074 And I think we all in different ways in our lives... 526 00:33:53,074 --> 00:33:53,991 I love you. 527 00:33:54,241 --> 00:33:56,327 ...can relate to Wanda's journey.