Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams in Wonder Man.
Marvel TV Shows Wonder Man showrunner says the Marvel show "could have been a tax write-off," but producers fought to save it
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams wearing a red suit and sunglasses in Wonder Man
Marvel TV Shows Marvel supported Wonder Man despite bad test screenings, but it "almost didn’t survive" the big MCU strategy shift
White Vision in WandaVision
Marvel TV Shows VisionQuest star says the upcoming MCU show realizes that "Marvel gets rewarded when it takes really big swings"
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams wearing a red suit and sunglasses in Wonder Man
Marvel TV Shows Wonder Man's standout standalone chapter is actually a classic Simpsons episode in all but name
Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams in Wonder Man.
Marvel TV Shows Wonder Man is so good, it's convinced me that Marvel should only do Spotlight shows from now on
Wonder Man
Marvel TV Shows Wonder Man creators had "free rein" to develop Simon Williams, and answer whether he's an MCU mutant in hiding
Hawkeye
Marvel TV Shows Wonder Man showrunner reveals Hawkeye went through massive changes weeks before filming
Brie Larson as Captain Marvel in The Marvels
Marvel Movies Nia DaCosta holds no ill will towards Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios after The Marvels flopped
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Marvel Movies Black Panther director Ryan Coogler says sequel Wakanda Forever is watched at home "so much more than the other Panther"
Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler in the Stranger Things season 5 finale
Sci-Fi Shows Stranger Things fans are debating the finale's biggest question — do you believe?
Stranger Things season 5 Steve
Sci-Fi Shows One Stranger Things season 5 scene is being given a poignant new meaning by fans
Invincible season 4
Superhero Shows Invincible creator Robert Kirkman says MCU-style superhero storytelling isn't "novel" anymore
Jamie Campbell Bower as Henry Creel in Stranger Things season 5
Supernatural Shows Stranger Things season 5 finally reveals what the Upside Down actually is, though the stage show did it first in 2023
Noah Schnapp as Will Byers in Stranger Things season 5
Superhero Shows Will's big Stranger Things season 5 scene took the longest of any on the show to write, say the Duffer Brothers
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Superhero Movies As we gear up for Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel fans are sharing the love for one of the MCU's best Phase 4 titles
  1. Entertainment
  2. TV
  3. Action Shows
  4. Marvel TV Shows
  5. WandaVision

WandaVision creator reveals how the show's best line came to life

News
By Bradley Russell published 9 March 2021

The "What is grief, if not love persevering?" line was originally different

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

WandaVision what is grief
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

"What is grief, if not love persevering?" Vision's verbal shoulder to cry on captured the hearts and imaginations of Marvel fans everywhere in WandaVision. Now, the show's creator has revealed the surprisingly less-than-straightforward process behind how that instantly iconic line made it on to Disney Plus.

"In the writers' room, we had intense conversations about grief and loss. We had a grief counselor come and speak to us," creator Jac Shaeffer told The New York Times on the initial move that would lead to the line that sparked a million memes – and a great deal of introspection.

But Vision's words didn't arrive in a vacuum. The original line that the creative team arrived at was slightly different. "So I came up with a line that was something along the lines of, 'What is grief but love surviving?' We agreed that wasn't quite it and we were turning it over and trying to figure it out," Schaeffer explained.

You may like
  • Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams in Wonder Man. Wonder Man showrunner says the Marvel show "could have been a tax write-off," but producers fought to save it
  • Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams wearing a red suit and sunglasses in Wonder Man Marvel supported Wonder Man despite bad test screenings, but it "almost didn’t survive" the big MCU strategy shift
  • White Vision in WandaVision VisionQuest star says the upcoming MCU show realizes that "Marvel gets rewarded when it takes really big swings"

Then, a solution: Schaeffer's assistant, Laura Monti, came up with "persevering" and, thus, a legend was born. Most importantly for Schaeffer, though, it was a collective effort: "We all believe that the line was born of the enormous amount of collaboration and unity on the show. So many talented women, specifically, came up with it."

After all: what is the creative process, if not pitches persevering?

For more on the show, check out our guide to the WandaVision ending – and how those post-credits scenes set up Marvel's next wave of sequels. Next up: The Falcon and The Winter Soldier on March 19.

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
TOPICS
Disney Plus
CATEGORIES
Disney Plus Streaming Services
Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell
Social Links Navigation
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

Read more
Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams in Wonder Man.
Marvel TV Shows Wonder Man showrunner says the Marvel show "could have been a tax write-off," but producers fought to save it
 
 
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams wearing a red suit and sunglasses in Wonder Man
Marvel TV Shows Marvel supported Wonder Man despite bad test screenings, but it "almost didn’t survive" the big MCU strategy shift
 
 
White Vision in WandaVision
Marvel TV Shows VisionQuest star says the upcoming MCU show realizes that "Marvel gets rewarded when it takes really big swings"
 
 
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams wearing a red suit and sunglasses in Wonder Man
Marvel TV Shows Wonder Man's standout standalone chapter is actually a classic Simpsons episode in all but name
 
 
Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams in Wonder Man.
Marvel TV Shows Wonder Man is so good, it's convinced me that Marvel should only do Spotlight shows from now on
 
 
Wonder Man
Marvel TV Shows Wonder Man creators had "free rein" to develop Simon Williams, and answer whether he's an MCU mutant in hiding
 
 
Latest in Marvel TV Shows
Wilson Bethel as Bullseye in Daredevil: Born Again
Marvel TV Shows Daredevil: Born Again season 2 showrunner and EP say Bullseye is "the hero in his own mind"
 
 
Matthew Lillard as Mr. Charles in Daredevil: Born Again season 2
Marvel TV Shows Daredevil: Born Again season 2 showrunner says Matthew Lillard's new villain just seems "like a totally regular guy"
 
 
Charlie Cox as Daredevil in Daredevil: Born Again season 2
Marvel TV Shows First reactions to Daredevil: Born Again season 2 call the Marvel show an "upgrade" from season 1
 
 
Mayor Fisk/Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) taking part in a boxing match
Marvel TV Shows Vincent D'Onofrio says something major happens to Kingpin in Daredevil: Born Again season 2's finale
 
 
Matthew Lillard at Five Nights at Freddy's
Marvel TV Shows Daredevil: Born Again season 2 star Matthew Lillard says there's "Cheshire Cat" energy to his new villain
 
 
Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones in Daredevi: Born Again season 2
Marvel TV Shows Daredevil: Born Again showrunners talk reuniting the Defenders: "Bringing [Jessica Jones] back was top of the checklist"
 
 
Latest in News
Donkey Kong punching through rocks in Donkey Kong Bananza with Pauline on his shoulder
Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Bananza programmer suggests using the Switch 2 platformer as destructive meditation
 
 
White text on a black background says the title "Hadar"
Games Mysterious "new IP" from CD Projekt Red is now in early pre-development stages
 
 
Invincible and Atom Eve sitting in the ruins of Burger Mart
Streaming Services Invincible season 4 and Wicked: For Good lead our list of the 6 best new shows and movies to watch this weekend
 
 
A robot missing its lower body stares forward with a glowing red light while hanging from a suspended cable in Marathon's Cryo Archive
FPS Games Marathon's Cryo Archive is a weekends-only "raid-style" PvPvE map: "So please, do scream"
 
 
Stitch in Lilo and Stitch.
Live Action Movies New Disney CEO hits the ground running with Lilo and Stitch 2 and The Incredibles 3 release dates
 
 
Palworld
Survival Games "Apologies, Palworld gamers," but Pocketpair lead says an underwater level will never happen
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Mina the Hollower screenshot showcasing gameplay
    1
    I already know Mina the Hollower is going to ruin my life
  2. 2
    Mysterious "new IP" from CD Projekt Red is now in early pre-development stages: "We are designing specific elements that might be included in the game, creating multiple prototypes"
  3. 3
    Marathon's Cryo Archive goes live Friday as a weekends-only "raid-style" PvPvE map: "So please, do scream"
  4. 4
    New Disney CEO hits the ground running with Lilo and Stitch 2 and The Incredibles 3 release dates
  5. 5
    "Apologies, Palworld gamers," but Pocketpair communications lead says an underwater level will never happen: "You're pushing the game to its absolute limits"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...