The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a billion dollar industry full of complex characters, Oscar winning actors, and a massive and dedicated fanbase. The fourth phase of the MCU started with Spider-Man: Far from Home. The movie takes place in a post-Endgame world. The events of infinity war left the mcu in a state of despair with half the population of the universe missing, and  endgame ties it up with the loss of many main characters but ultimately bringing everyone back. Spiderman far from home shows Peter dealing with the loss of tony stark, and was a great beginning to the new Marvel era. The Marvel machine is constantly releasing new movies or TV shows. Some of the most popular Marvel shows to come out recently are WandaVison and Loki. These two shows display different complex characters; Wanda who deals with the grief of her boyfriend, and Loki, God of Mischief, who is in a troublesome situation. Both shows address how the characters deal with their post-endgame world, but which show is better? Super quick, before we get into the review and comparison, spoiler warning!

The first episode of WandaVision came out on January 15th, 2021 on Disney plus. The nine episode season follows Wanda Maximoff, also known as Scarlet Witch. The first two episodes present a perfect reality in which she has everything she desires: the perfect husband, a suburban house, and neighborhood friends. As the show continues, Wanda’s perfect reality cracks. You see the real Wanda, played by Elizabeth Olsen, process the grief of losing her boyfriend and learning to accept her actual reality.. The finale ties everything together and helps set up the fourth phase  of the MCU which ultimately is the end goal for both of these series. The new Doctor Strange movie, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is reported  to feature Wanda Maximoff, using WandaVision as a setup.  We can expect a more powerful Scarlet Witch in the Multiverse of Madness. 

Loki, on the other hand, is about a troublesome villain who escapes from the hands of the Avengers and gets caught by the Time Variance Authority (TVA). Loki then goes on a mission to catch different antagonists who have been conflicting the timelines. Loki ends up meeting a variant of himself, named Sylvie. After being enlisted by the TVA for his knowledge to kill Sylvie, he decides to betray the TVA and ally with Sylvie. The Loki-due then try to destroy the TVA elders (the people who control the TVA), only to discover they are not real. After battle, Loki gets pruned (sent to another dimension), with Sylvie following as an act of love. In the other dimension, Loki teams up with a group of misfit Loki variants to find Sylvie and Mobius, his friends from the TVA. To escape the end of time they have to defeat the living storm, Alioth, that receded in it. Inside the storm they discover  Kang the Conqueror, the last survivor of the Timeline war and leader of the TVA. While confronting him, Sylvie lashes out and kills Kang the Conqueror, creating a clash of the timelines, leading to Loki waking up in a completely different version of the TVA. This ending season one, and setting the stage for Kang being the next major marvel villain leading into phase four.

These shows contribute to the MCU and new movies to come. Both timelines help set up the new phase for these characters. Loki introduced us to the new big bad, Kang the Conqueror, while WandaVision helped support the new superheroes. The stories are much more connected than we think, and this just brings them closer together And makes it more interesting for audiences to watch.n In the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantimania, the actor who plays Kang has a confirmed role. However, This could mean that the other variant versions of Kang from Marvel comic lore could appear in the MCU, leaving a million possibilities. While Loki showcases the new villains and potential threats, WandaVision helps show new characters and their abilities. Within the nine episodes of WandaVision, we meet a plethora of new characters and superheroes, along with returning characters like special agent Jimmy Woo, who made an appearance in Ant Man prior to his much larger role WandaVision. The two shows introduce new concepts to the MCU which help further the plot for the future of the universe. 

To compare the two, they are both expertly filmed, written, and acted, but the hype for WandaVision really outweighed Loki. The way  the WandaVision plot was played through gave a much more exciting experience to watch than Loki. However, Loki really did change the way that Loki as a character was looked at. Through the show, we see Loki explore himself and understand his past actions, thus adding a deeper meaning to the show and making it an immersive watching experience. In terms of directing, Kate Herron masterfully handles Loki, one of the most complex characters in the MCU, while Matt Shakman is an incredible story teller and world builder. To honestly pick which one is better is a difficult task, but based on my opinion WandaVision takes the cake, the storyline and the way that Elizabeth Olsen plays the character brings it all together.