Moon Knight episode 5 gave us one of the most heartbreaking flashback sequences in the history of the MCU. But is Marc Spector’s backstory more brutal than WandaVision’s flashback sequence? Which show had a better, more emotional flashback sequence. Was it WandaVision or is it Moon Knight?
Luckily, we do have a few points of comparison. Let’s find out who did it better.
SPOILERS AHEAD: Major Spoilers for Moon Knight Episode 5 up ahead
WandaVision: Pushed Wanda Into The Brink Of Insanity
In WandaVision Episode 8, it is finally revealed why Wanda takes over the town of Westview and holds everyone hostage. Wanda loved Vision and looking at him, his corpse in pieces and being experimented upon, broke her. “I can’t feel you” – we all remember that line.
WandaVision later takes us to a small home where Vision intended to spend the rest of his life with Wanda, a dream that will forever remain as one. That flashback reveals Wanda was so driven with rage and frustration that she broke free of her ideals and created the Hex. That was some powerful stuff right there.
Moon Knight: Carries A Social Message
While WandaVision makes us wonder if what Wanda did was the right thing, Moon Knight’s flashbacks have a clear right and wrong side. His mother abused him physically and he developed the Steven Grant persona to cope with that stress.
Even during his Mom’s Shiva, Marc decided not to cry but still ended up misty eyed. Childhood trauma and abuse are serious issues and it still plagues many children in all parts of the world. Marc’s flashbacks were more heartbreaking because they carried an important social message.
WandaVision: Was Way More Emotional
Elizabeth olsen is a fantastic actor. And the woman knows her acting chops. The directors ask her to show every possible emotion in a scene and she can do it. When Wanda loses control of her powers after seeing Vision’s plans for a house “to grow old in,” we all cried.
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And like we said, Elizabeth Olsen is one of the finest actors the MCU has in its arsenal. She carried that entire scene with her facial expressions. The entire show was building up to that scene, revealing why Wanda did what she did. When the flashback revealed the reason, we couldn’t help but empathize with her.
Moon Knight: Marc Makes The Journey Alone
One critical reason why the Moon Knight flashback sequence feels better is because Marc makes the journey by himself. In WandaVision’s case, Agatha Harkness helped nudge Scarlet Witch and remind her of her past actions.
Without Agatha Harkness making her live through her past and carry her down the memory lane, we may never have been able to see those flashbacks. Marc was man enough to face his past alone. He hesitated at first but was forced to tread those painful memories and relive them all alone. That’s what makes the Moon Knight flashback much more hard hitting than wandaVision’s. While Wanda was forced to relive those memories against her wishes, Marc hesitated but ultimately relented and opened those doors.
Moon Knight: The Darkest Origin Story Yet
Sure, wanda has gone through a lot. She saw her parents being maimed and murdered in a pointless war when she was just a child. wanda was then experimented upon by Hydra and then lost all her loved ones one by one. But to be honest, Marc’s backstory was way more traumatizing.
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Wanda at least had a pair of loving parents. Marc had a mother who blamed him for his younger brother’s death and constantly abused him when he was a kid, mentally and physically. The very point Steven Grant exists was to be Marc’s human stress-ball. If that is not dark, we do not know what is.
Final Verdict: Moon Knight’s Flashback Takes The Cake
WandaVision’s emotional and heartbreaking flashbacks were hard to top until Moon Knight came along. The dark origin story combined with oscar Isaac’s incredible acting skills made Moon Knight Episode 5’s flashback scene truly a sight to remember.
