The Brief: The line from WandaVision "but what is grief if not love persevering," has inspired a number of memes about other things that persevere.
DEEP DIVE
What is a meme if not a joke persevering?
WandaVision, the Disney+ TV series that takes place in the Marvel Universe, has received much attention online and inspired several meme formats. One line, in particular stood out to fans and meme-makers alike: “but what is grief if not love persevering?” On Twitter, fans remarked on the poignancy of this quote and haters mocked its cheesiness. Copycat memes where people ask “but what is [one thing] if not [another thing] persevering?” started spreading on Twitter and beyond following the release of the episode.
Some iterations of this meme compared preserved foods to their fresh counterparts:
What is a pickle, if not a cucumber persevering
— david w. peters (@dvdpeters) March 2, 2021
— ๐ค๐ ๐๐ (@sincerelysofi) March 1, 2021
What is kimchi if not cabbage persevering
— evermare (she/her) (@asianagrande1) March 3, 2021
Other memes pondered science, human behavior, and other facts of life…
what is a bird if not a dinosaur persevering?
— Vinny Thomas ! (@vinn_ayy) March 3, 2021
What is my degree if not my unemployable hobbies persevering?
— Saffron Maeve (@saffronmaeve) March 3, 2021
what is a hangover if not wine perservering
— nina(delphia) starner (@ninastarner) March 4, 2021
what is SNL if not theater kids persevering
— zach silberberg (@zachsilberberg) March 2, 2021
But what is shingles if not chickenpox persevering
— Fred (@_frederator) March 2, 2021
What is โgetting cancelledโ if not accountability perservering? ๐
— Future Dr. Chris ๐จ๐ปโโ๏ธ (@1andOnlyChrisN) March 4, 2021
what is 2021 if not 2020 perservering?
— myesha thee stallion (@myeshachou) March 3, 2021
But who is an adult, if not a child persevering?
— Timi Sanni (@timisanni) March 2, 2021
What is fanfiction, if not teenage lust, perservering?
— Beautiful Bear in a Tutu (@TheRealTutuBear) March 1, 2021
There were also political takes:
has anyone done this yet pic.twitter.com/Z8LeTrfIQX
— micah (@micahherskind) March 3, 2021
What is the climate crisis if not colonialism persevering
— Bora Chang, MPH โข ์ฅ๋ณด๋ผ (@Borabeet) March 2, 2021
Following the popularity of Baby Yoda, these WandaVision memes highlight the capability of Disney+ shows to generate meme buzz.
But what is the #WandaVision โbut what is?โ meme if not free advertising for Disney persisting?
— Patrick Lonergan (@pflonergan) March 4, 2021