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Second only to Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson or Reed and Sue Richards, the relationship between Wanda Maximoff (aka the Scarlet Witch) and Vision is one of Marvel’s premiere love stories. The unlikely pairing between a synthetic, sentient android and a super-powered sorcerer is unconventional, but it also works as a poignant metaphor for all kinds of love and relationships that don’t fall into traditional, cookie-cutter boxes.
While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has only scratched the surface of the relationship between Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda and Paul Bettany’s Vision, that will change with the arrival of WandaVision on Jan. 15. The Disney+ television show is the first MCU series on the same streaming service that brought us The Mandalorian and will be the first of several MCU projects to hit the platform this year.
If you can’t wait for WandaVision’s launch, we’ve rounded up five of the best Wanda and Vision stories for you to read right now. These series look to provide lots of useful context for some of the events viewers may see on the show while also providing a deeper insight into what makes the relationship between these two characters so compelling.
'The Vision & The Scarlet Witch'
Where to Read: Marvel Unlimited, Amazon
Spread across two different volumes (one written in 1982 by Rocket Raccoon creator Bill Mantlo with art by Rick Leonardi, and another in 1985 written by Steve Englehart and once again drawn by Leonardi), The Vision & The Scarlet Witch focuses on the domestic life of Wanda and Vision as they take a break from being Avengers. The Mantlo run spans four issues and picks up seven years after their 1975 wedding, with the two living in the suburbs. The Englehart tenure dives deeper into the duo’s relationship, with Wanda expanding and deepening relationships with her friends.
Surprisingly, Vision rejects his Avengers past almost entirely and wholly embraces domestic life. Learning to help around the house, making dad jokes, and eventually deciding to have children with Wanda through a combination of both science and magic.
The core of WandaVision seems to draw heavily from these two volumes, as trailers for the series show Wanda pregnant and giving birth to twins just as she does at the end of Englehart’s story. Additionally, WandaVision seems to feature a Halloween-themed episode inspired by the first issue of the Mantlo run.
'Avengers: Disassembled'
Where to Read: Marvel Unlimited, Amazon
Written by Brian Michael Bendis, with art by David Finch, Avengers: Disassembled marked the writer’s first major Avengers story. The four-issue story tells the tale of Scarlet Witch losing control of her powers and killing several major Avengers—including Vision himself—along the way.
While the actual cause of Wanda’s mental deterioration is better left discovered, Disassembled firmly establishes her as one of the Marvel Universe’s most powerful beings. In the same way the MCU's version of Wanda played mind games in Age of Ultron, this story sees Wanda mind-controlling multiple Avengers with startling and devastating consequences.
'House of M'
Where to Read: Marvel Unlimited, Amazon
Disassembled ends with Avengers reluctantly letting Wanda leave under the care of her father, Magneto. Bendis’s House of M—with art by Olivier Coipel—sees Wanda’s powers growing increasingly erratic. Both the Avengers and the X-Men jointly decide something must be done and team-up to confront Scarlet Witch—only to have the world fade to white.
Readers are then introduced to a new reality in which long-dead characters have suddenly returned and mutants reign supreme. Wolverine slowly begins to remember the real world and sets out to restore it. The event ends with three of Marvel Comics history’s most famous words—“No more mutants”—in which Wanda single-handily depowers 90% of the world’s mutant population. The ramifications of this event continue to ripple out in Marvel stories over 15 years later.
Given that Wanda isn’t in the best position after the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame, perhaps WandaVision will mirror the events of House of M by having Wanda take her powers to new extremes—and create a new world for her and Vision to inhabit.
'Scarlet Witch'
Where to Read: Marvel Unlimited, Amazon
The 2015 solo series—written by James Robinson with art from a rotating crew of pencilers—saw Wanda tasked with fixing broken witchcraft. The globe-trotting adventure sees Robinson retell the origins of the character, adding new and exciting dimensions to the character as she works to understand the complexity of her magical powers. One of the few solo titles for the Wanda, it’s worth seeking out due to how Robinson interprets Scarlet Witch for a modern era.
'Vision'
Where to Read: Marvel Unlimited, Amazon
One of the most high-profile series released from Marvel in the last few years is 2015’s Vision. Written by Tom King with art by Gabriel Hernandez Walta, the limited series focuses on the titular character as he creates a family of “Visions,” complete with a wife and two teenage twins. The family then settles in the Virginia suburbs outside of DC to live a normal, idyllic life—until it all starts to go horribly awry. What unfolds is a poignant story about family and inclusion—all told in a way that doesn’t require a Master’s Degree in Marvel Comics history to understand.
The DNA of the series can be traced back not only to the very origins of Vision himself but also feels like a spiritual successor to the Mantlo and Englehart stories of the '80s. The series received all sorts of critical acclaim and even won an Eisner Award, which is the comic book industry’s version of an Oscar. Oh, and Ta-Nehisi Coates called Vision “the best comic going right now.”
King himself co-signed WandaVision and the show even pulled some fashion influence directly from King’s story. The book has an overwhelming sense of dread, something that could easily be incorporated into the series with ease. Regardless of its ultimate impact on the show, Vision is an absolute must-read for both fans and non-fans alike.