Jac Schaeffer Interview: WandaVision | Screen Rant
WandaVision has ended and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is swooping in to take its place, but that doesn’t mean MCU fans aren’t still discussing the dimension-bending theories that the series inspired. Especially with the post-credits scenes paving the way for Captain Marvel 2 and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Showrunner Jac Schaeffer sat down with Screen Rant to dive into the nitty-gritty of fan expectations, behind-the-scenes decision making, and the allure of Wanda as a character herself.
You seem to follow the stages of grief through the series, and the eras of sitcoms in order as well. Was it difficult to match up the stages of grief with the order of each sitcom era?
Jac Shaeffer: You know what, it was like the most seamless, amazing thing that's ever happened, it was really lucky. It was not part of the design, it just really worked out that way. When we first started, we didn't have a total focus of which sitcoms we would use. But I think it was actually Kevin Feige's note that encouraged us to lean into the aspirational families sitcoms.
Because we couldn't help but look at workplace stuff. Should we do a workplace thing? Do we look at Cheers and Taxi? But an even bigger question was, do we do the more biting social commentary shows, like Norman Lear or All In The family? Do we do Roseanne?
We really stuck with, as I said, the more aspirational family sitcoms. But it really worked out that, as we moved through the eras, the idealized view of family's veneer starts to wear. In the 50s, and 60s, it's the post-war optimism, and everything is about appearances, and everything is beautiful, and everything is polished. It's all performative. And then it's groovier in the 70s, and she's pregnant, and things are a little more loose. And then the 80s, that was when the very special episodes started happening. People would OD and things would happen; there was a little bit more authenticity, and maybe husband and wife would fight.
And then the late 90s and early 2000s, with Malcolm in the Middle, those kids were a mess snd that house was a mess. Then in 2010s and Modern Family, that's the confessional style, so that's our depression episode. That's when it almost feels like therapy, right? Yes, she's kind of a mess in that depression way; in that self-isolating, self-medicating way. So, it's funny, but it also feels sincere because she looks like she's on a therapist couch.
That was a very long answer to your question, but it just worked out so well, and we felt really lucky.
Eagle-eyed fans have spotted a lot on the show. I can't remember a show where people have looked at every little frame since Lost.
Jac Schaeffer: Oh my God! I remember being on my couch with my friend that I watched Lost with every week; we were ride or die Lost fans. When the shark went by the screen, it was like back in the TiVo days, and we rewound it. We're like, "That's a Dharma initiative symbol, right?" But there was no social media to go on to connect with Lost fans. There was a delay, and you had to talk to people in real [life].
This is real time: the social media, immediate reaction, immediate community connection. It's totally amazing and great.
In the second post-credit scene with Wanda, there's these small circles that appear above her head when she's reading the Darkhold. Are those other worlds or planets or universes that are above her head, or is there any insight you can provide?
Jac Schaeffer: I love that question. I have no insight for you, Joe. But I love the question.
We've seen the Darkhold before in Agents of SHIELD. Is this the same book, and magic has made it look different over the years? Or is this a completely different book from the Agents of SHIELD one?
Jac Schaeffer: I've been getting that question, and l don't have a hard and fast answer. We were not looking at that book. This was the Darkhold for this story.
This show directly connects to the MCU's past What challenges do you face working with established characters and stories rather than building from the ground up?
Jac Schaeffer: First of all, I love those restrictions, because when you have blue sky storytelling, that can be very overwhelming. Especially at a place like Marvel, where they can make anything happen. Often, I felt like the more [restrictions] - and they're not even restrictions, but the more focused, the better.
But in a way, it felt like we were building fresh structures. Because we never got to see Wanda and Vision fall in love, and we never got to see Wanda as a child, and we never got to see Wanda interact with the mind stone. For us, those all those felt like fresh moments that were perfect for new discoveries.
Where is Wanda in that second post-credit scene, physically?
Jac Schaeffer: I don't know.
Fair enough. Another thing that sparked conversation on the internet is the aerospace engineer. First of all, did you think that that would be such a hot topic in conversation on Twitter when you woke up on Friday morning? And secondly, if we were to follow the breadcrumbs that you left to find out who this aerospace engineer could be, which future MCU property should we be looking at?
Jac Schaeffer: No, we did not plant that intentionally. That wasn't meant to cause the furor that it caused; it was a surprise to me. That's an example of one of the fan theorizing snowballs that got a little bit away from us. And I didn't even know about the John Krasinski Reed Richards fan casting. I loved those images. He looks so good, and I'm like, "Okay." But no.
And there was something about Evan's appearance on the show that made everybody cameo-hungry, and that wasn't a priority for us; a lot of hot cameos. We were really preoccupied with telling a good story. So, the aerospace engineer and the general lust for cameos were both surprises to me. But still very fun. I applaud all the ingenuity and all the theorizing. It's all great.
Originally, the show was slated for 10 episodes. Were there any characters that you planned on introducing to the audience, but that may have been cut due to the restructuring?
Jac Schaeffer: No.
Now that the show's wrapped, what were some of the craziest fan theories you saw out there? But what were also some of the most accurate?
Jac Shaeffer: When the very first spot dropped, for the Super Bowl, it was that spot that included Falcon and Winter Soldier and Loki. And people just jumped online, and they were like, "Look at Wanda creating a false reality of sitcoms in order to process her grief." And I was like, "Aw, man!"
But you can say that, and then I still as a viewer am so intrigued by that idea.
Jac Schaeffer: Thank you. And Mary Livanos, who was such a comfort to me during that era, was like, "Yeah, but they don't know how we're going to do it. And it doesn't matter if they guess it; they're still gonna watch it and probably love it." So, it's okay.
And also, I've been asked a lot about if we tipped our hand too much by calling Agatha Harkness "Agnes" and casting Kathryn Hahn? I'm like, "No, everybody was ready for it. Ready for it! Bring me Agatha." So, that was a lesson that I learned on this. Yes, there are things that you want to bury. And then there are things that you want out on Front Street, so that the viewing is satisfying and feels right.
It's been speculated that some of the writers had freedom with the decision-making process of Wanda's powers and how they work. Is that true?
Jac Schaeffer: I wouldn't say they were like, "Have at it! Whatever you want." We had a lot of freedom to come up with ideas, and then the ideas were vetted. We worked extremely closely with producer Mary Livanos, who is Marvel So, it wasn't a thing where we went away and came up with all this stuff, and they were like, "Aces!" It was a constant conversation within Marvel to clarify her power set.
Were you also working with the team from the Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness as well, to just make sure that it all coincided?
Jac Schaeffer: Yeah, but not with regard to her power set.
Jimmy Woo, I love the character. Was Ralph the witness that he spoke of earlier in the show?
Jac Schaeffer: That is a no comment from me.
Another question I've gotten on Twitter is what happened to the beekeeper?
Jac Schaeffer: I love that question. That's also a, "Right?!" But it's more of a, "No comment. I don't know." Pass. Next question is what it is.
Did they ever consider using Evan Peters as Quicksilver? Or was he Ralph Boehner from the beginning of the show; was that always the intention?
Jac Schaeffer: It was always the intention that Evan be fake Pietro. That he was not, in fact, the MCU Quicksilver.
Then beyond that, I can't actually remember when those decisions were made. It was very early tied to his storyline that he was Agatha's puppet. He was a young man living nearby; she had taken over his house and was holding him hostage. We really loved it. It was at the service of Agatha's character, because we loved the idea that every time she would complain about her husband, she was actually speaking out loud about the man she was holding hostage. It's just so mean; it's so mean.
Evan Peters being on the show was a huge deal, and I'm sure the secrecy level on that must have been ginormous. But how concerned was everybody that fans may be disappointed he wasn't the true Quicksilver?
Jac Schaeffer: Well, that wasn't a big concern. Because there's not a lot of... I respect Marvel for this, because it's not fear-based decision making. They don't do things because they're afraid of upsetting the fans; they do things to delight the fans. And I feel like that's just a really great way to operate.
I would also just say that nothing ever ends at Marvel. I feel like the highs and the lows are just gonna keep going. There'll be more highs; there'll be more lows.
I'm a huge X-Men fan, and a lot of fans are hoping to see their favorite X-Men on the screen and coming to the MCU. What would you say to those fans?
Jac Schaeffer: I would say I'm in line right next to you. That's what I would say.
Who's your favorite from the comics, by chance?
Jac Schaeffer: That's tough. Similar to how I feel about Wanda, I've always been really interested in Jean Grey and Rogue. I would probably say Rogue; there's something about her that's so sad. It's so tragic.
In my life, I don't gravitate toward tragedy. But to be in that bind of not being able to touch, it's really interesting to me.
Monica's powers are realized but not yet fully-defined for the audience. What boundaries and parameters were you given for the character?
Jac Schaeffer: Mary Livanos is our producer, and she's also the producer on Captain Marvel 2. So, it was very seamless and easy to have all of those conversations because her brain is attached to both projects.
It wasn't an issue of boundaries or limitations. It was just that Mary knows where we're going, so what are we doing here? What services this particular story? What do we need to make this story satisfying for her and her character? And also Mary's aware of what we're leading into, so she was she was in charge of a lot of that.