WandaVision screenwriter Laura Donney discusses a key emotional scene from Wanda and Vision from Episode 8
Wandavision Marvel Studios’ first live-action series for Disney +, followed Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) dealing with the death of Vision (Paul Bettany) in Avengers: Infinity War. After becoming successful, WandaVision was nominated for no less than 23 Emmy Awards. One of the nominations was for the script for episode 8 by Laura Donney, “Previously On”, which made it clear that pain was always the main villain of the series.
Although the first seven episodes of WandaVision They had been hinting that Wanda’s pain was the main instigator of what was happening at Westview, episode 8 finally confirmed it. The episode featured Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) taking an unwitting Wanda on a journey down memory lane. Agatha forced Wanda to relive all of her past trauma, leading her to a crucial memory that added more context to Wanda’s relationship with Vision. In the scene, Vision tries to comfort Wanda at the Avengers compound while Wanda was mourning her brother Pietro. Although Vision strives to understand human emotions, it sums up pain perfectly with one sentence: “What is pain, if not love, persevere?”
Laura Donney was interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter and they asked him about the Wanda and Vision scene from episode 8 and how the famous phrase about pain came about. He pointed out the contrast between Wanda’s very human pain and Vision’s desire to understand and empathize with her.
“Vision likes clarity and is quite direct, and in many ways it always finds the poetic reality of a situation… It pushes Wanda to say what she is really feeling. She knows that he will not attack her with judgment. I never had this experience.He really opened the door for Wanda to be vulnerable with him.
My original line had no ‘pain’ … I think everyone felt we had to name [la emoción], and then this beautiful line blossomed … I think about it while writing the scene, and then the choreography of the language can change … That’s what can happen when you have amazing hearts and minds working together.
Donney’s phrase about pain was relatable, shocking, and certainly resonated with fans of WandaVision. Another reason the line was so important was because it showed the audience the first sparks of Wanda and Vision’s love. Rather than embarrassing Wanda for grieving or judging her, Vision simply struggled to understand what she was going through, and that was exactly what she needed. Without a doubt, equating pain to the perseverance of love was a good summary for WandaVision as a whole. Donney’s Emmy nomination for “Best script for a limited series or anthology or movie” it is well deserved.
What WandaVision Marvel studios did so well was to give an Avenger time to mourn the loss of a loved one. Not only that, but WandaVision made the past moments of Wanda and Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe were even more moving. The love that Wanda and Vision shared was powerful, so it made sense that Vision was helping Wanda accept letting go of a false reality that wasn’t helping anyone in the long run.
Although it made sense that WandaVision ending with episode 9, it is clear that there are many more story possibilities for the couple. Wanda and Vision set out in Westview hoping to see each other again one day. We hope that happens so that Wanda can finally enjoy lasting happiness for once in her life.
You can watch Wandavision, and much more exclusive content from Marvel Studios on Disney +