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Just like how superhero movies traditionally deliver climactic battles in their final act, WandaVision’s series finale, aptly titled “The Series Finale,” saw its title heroes clashing with some adversaries. In one corner of Westview, we had Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff, a.k.a. the newly-christened Scarlet Witch, facing off against Kathryn Hahn’s scheming Agatha Harkness, while in another corner, Paul Bettany pulled double duty with the Vision Wanda created facing off against the newly-born White Vision. Obviously pulling off these sequences was no easy feat, but the final products turned out just as great as the VFX team envisioned them, if not better.
During my recent interview with WandaVision VFX supervisor Tara DeMarco, I asked her what were the most challenging or reward aspects of creating the battles in the last episode of the Disney+series. DeMarco focused on the positive aspects of the sequences, starting with the Vision vs. Vision fight. In her words:
Vision vs. Vision ended up being just as cool as what we wanted it to be in the library, in that the first half of the battle is more visceral, and then it lands into the logic battle, where you really feel that Ship of Theseus conversation and its intensity. So that was rewarding in that there were a lot of plans in finding the library, building the library, hanging the actors against their doubles, shooting it over multiple days. Really quite a lot of planning went into that, and it shows in the sequence.
To be sure Vision vs. Vision started out quite physical, with the two of them pummeling each other and shooting energy beams all around Westview. However, much like how Doctor Strange defeated Dormammu back in 2016, Westview Vision emerged victorious over White Vision through brawn, but with words. The combination of Westview Vision bringing up the Ship of Theseus thought experiment and restoring White Vision’s memories brought things to a close without further blows exchanged, with White Vision flying off to parts unknown. There were still a lot of moving parts with crafting that final chunk of the conflict, but Tara DeMarco was pleased by how well it shined compared to the more action-packed first half.
As for the battle between Wanda Maximoff and Agatha Harkness in WandaVision, Tara DeMarco was particularly proud by how the runes portion of that sequence turned out, with Wanda taking a page from Agatha’s book to turn the proverbial tables. As DeMarco put it:
Same, but different with the witches, in that that rune sequence and the payoff of the runes in the wall is huge and beautiful, and I love the execution of that environment and the runes that are revealed at the end. So that was rewarding in that final look, the rune and the really funny Agatha shrug into the power beat was just fun to execute because it looks so cool.
With Agatha Harkness having depowered Wanda Maximoff with runes in the prior episode, “Previously On,” so she could take our protagonist on a flashback journey, Wanda eventually decided to pull that same trick in “The Final Episode,” casting giant runes on the energy wall surround Westview so that only her magic would work. So even though it briefly looked like Agatha might win after having gained Wanda’s magic, in the end, her efforts were for naught. Wanda vs. Agatha certainly accomplished wrapping up WandaVision’s action with a bang, and it was nice to hear from Tara DeMarco that she and her team were happy with how it was all executed.
Should you want to re-experience these sequences, or any of WandaVision’s other crazy moments, the series is available to watch in its entirety on Disney+. If you’re not subscribed to the streaming service, you’re welcome to rectify that using the following link so you can catch up on the currently-running The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and be ready for all the other Marvel TV shows on the way.
