The Deeper Significance Behind WandaVision Bringing Darcy Lewis Back To The MCU

While Marvel devotees knew exactly who Kat Dennings’ Dr. Darcy Lewis was the second she appeared on screen in episode 4 of WandaVision, others might have been a little lost. Dennings originated the role of Darcy in 2011’s Thor. Back then, she was a political science major who reluctantly took a suspicious internship with a pair of scientists — Thor’s now ex-girlfriend, Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), and Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) — in the New Mexico desert. While Darcy and Jane may sound like the sort of characters women have been asking to see in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they weren’t given much to do in Thor or the 2013 sequel Thor: The Dark World. Even though Jane had a cool job and Dennings shined as a break-out talent, both characters were largely passive in both films, used for little more than comic relief and romantic motivation for Thor (Chris Hemsworth). A few years later, we know Jane’s about to get a big promotion as the new God of Thunder in 2022’s Thor: Love & Thunder. Dennings, unfortunately, won’t be a part of Portman’s new adventure, which is why Darcy’s appearance in WandaVision — and her development from wacky intern to full-on astrophysicist — has many of us absolutely giddy.

“The influence of Jane Foster and Dr. Erik Selvig made Darcy want to become an astrophysicist, so in the time between Thor and this she's been in college to become Dr. Darcy,” Dennings told Refinery29 via Zoom, shortly after her Disney+ debut. “You never get these kinds of pay-offs as an actor.”

And sure, a title change is great, but let’s not forget that Dr. Jane was one of the world’s foremost astrophysicists and an astronomer, and still spent the majority of Thor: The Dark World fainting and looking frightened. WandaVision, however, is scorching away some of the MCU’s past errors. Look no further than the careful treatment of Wanda Maximoff’s (Elizabeth Olson) apparent explosion of grief, the thoughtful introduction of future superhero Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), and the establishment of Dr. Darcy as a brillant, confident scientist whose comedy comes from the fact that she knows she’s the smartest person in the room — not just the biggest smart-ass. 

“Jac Schaeffer, the writer and executive producer, really made sure the Darcy story had a lot of depth. She gave me so much to work with that I wasn't expecting,” said Dennings, who signed onto the series without knowing that Darcy was going to become a great scientific mind. “There’s this badassery, but she’s also a legitimate professional.” Dennings also promises that Dr. Lewis’ trajectory has “a good payoff.”

This one-time side character not only has her own spotlight away from Thor and Dr. Jane, but she’s also creating the show’s new narrative. She’s the one who single-handedly unraveled Wanda’s TV sitcom-inspired realm, and is the only reason we’re getting somewhere on the show. 

Still, WandaVision’s progress and Darcy’s promising return won’t prevent the MCU from making potential mistakes. Giving Evangeline Lily’s Wasp equal billing with Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man in Ant-Man & The Wasp was an excellent move. After that, Captain Marvel was another wonderful leap forward. Making a conscious effort to spend more screen time and offer more agency to heroes like Wanda, Shuri (Leticia Wright), Oyoke (Danai Gurira), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), and Nebula (Karen Gillan) throughout Infinity War and Endgame was fantastic (killing Gamora to deepen the male villain’s story was not). But we needed more and instead, we got the now infamous pseudo-feminist scene in Avengers: Endgame. The so-called empowering moment continues to rankle any woman who spent years begging Marvel Studios for more developed female characters and instead got the roster of women MCU characters thrown in our faces as if to say, See? We did representation! Look at all of it so we can move on and find out what happens to Iron Man. 

Those small changes — and that Endgame moment — rang somewhat hollow in a universe dominated by solo films about Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Spider-Man (Tom Holland), and Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.). But we’re now in the throes of Marvel’s Phase 4, which includes Scarlett Johansson leading the Black Widow movie that MCU-devoted women have been asking for for a decade, Angelina Jolie leading The Eternals, a Ms. Marvel Disney+ series, a Captain Marvel sequel, and of course, WandaVision. 

“I remember as a little kid going through my brother's comics and his action figures and I was like, Why aren't there any girls? There aren't enough girls!” said Dennings. “Now, that’s all changing. I think [Marvel is] very conscious of how much people want that — and it’s what I want, too.”

This is the moment of truth. WandaVision is the first of many stories that will finally show us just how earnestly Marvel is listening. Will the MCU develop more dynamic women like Darcy, an indispensable expert without whom WandaVision’s story makes no sense? Or will it continue to undermine them with empty gestures? It’s long past time to make WandaVision’s brave new world a reality.