It’s been Agatha All Along… but what does that mean? As Kathryn Hahn’s WandaVision spinoff landed on Disney+ last week, it was immediately evident that while we remembered the basics, there were a lot of details about Agatha Harkness that we didn’t totally recall — not a surprise considering it’s been three years since the mischievous purple witch of Westview was last seen on our screens.
For those who have been living under a rock or skipped WandaVision entirely (why would anyone do that?!), you should know that Agatha All Along – while a spinoff of the WandaVision – is a standalone project that is not expected to have major implications for many of the other simultaneously running Marvel Cinematic Universe titles. The show will be the first deep dive into the witchier side of the Marvel Comics and a fun ride nonetheless though so don’t change that channel.
In honor of Hahn reprising her role as the beloved witch and bringing an all-star cast with her – more on that below – we are answering some of the most pressing questions about the wicked witch of Westview and what you can expect from Agatha All Along.
Agnes Agatha Harkness is a witch who was first introduced to the MCU back in WandaVision in 2021. Her true identity as the Darkhold-wielding magical being was concealed throughout the majority of the Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany-led series, only to be revealed in one of the ladder episodes via a catchy (and later Emmy Award-winning) song, “Agatha All Along.” In Westview, New Jersey – the town that Wanda Maximoff (Olsen) commandeered and put under a hex in order to live out her sitcom fantasies – Harkness took on the role of the “nosy neighbor,” often popping in and out of the episodes as a sidekick to Wanda. From the very first moments of the show, it’s clear that she was meant to play Ethel to Wanda’s Lucy. At the end of episode 7 “Breaking the Fourth Wall,” however, it’s revealed that Agatha was not only playing a part in Wanda’s TV simulation, but was acting partially as the director and puppeteer, pulling the strings.
Episode 8 of WandaVision, “Previously On,” immediately picked up – after a purple title card transition, that is – with a brief explainer on Agatha’s backstory, primarily the attempted binding and murder of Agatha at the hands of her former coven. The group of women blast Agatha with their magic, unknowingly giving her their power as the witch is able to absorb the magic of other witches. It’s not yet clear why and how this works for her but it is mentioned in Agatha All Along so there is potential for the logic of this to be explored down the road.
The show is also believed to explore the hundreds of years Agatha has spent walking the earth as a powerful witch and what she has been up to since her Salem, Massachusetts days until she found herself in Westview. Also set to be explored is her mother status as she, in the comics, is mom to Nicholas Scratch, a powerful supervillain. Without spoiling too much, be on the lookout for this name in the show and references that will all be revealed in due time.
Agatha Harkness did not create “The Hex” – the name given to the phenomenon in which Wanda Maximoff used her magic to place a town under her magic after Vision’s death in Avengers: Endgame – but was integral in what happened inside. As fans will remember, Wanda was constantly met with things going awry in each episode, leading to the reveal that the problems were being conjured up by none other than the purple witch herself. Essentially, Agatha manipulated Wanda through her own magic and continued to play the part she was ascribed as part of a ruse to ultimately steal Wanda’s power. For reasons that will (hopefully) be explained in Agatha All Along, Agatha’s absorption of other witches’ powers
The series ended with Hahn’s character being relegated by Wanda – then recently powered up to become the Scarlet Witch she was destined to become – to the role of Agnes, a.k.a the nosy neighbor she had played in The Hex. Wanda, meanwhile, left New Jersey to go hide herself away in a remote cabin where she would study the Darkhold until the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Spoiler alert for those who have not seen Doctor Strange 2: Wanda does not appear to be alive after crushing herself on Mount Wundagore. This is important as it will be referenced in Agatha All Along at various times throughout the season.
While many had predicted that Wanda’s death (or apparent death) would break the spell cast on Agatha, that certainly isn’t the case as Agatha All Along clearly shows Agatha under the powers of the Scarlet Witch after her “death.” For the purpose of this story, we’re just going to believe she is really dead… but you never know with Marvel.
Three years after The Hex came down, viewers will catch up with Agatha, still under the glamour placed on her by Wanda. The show kicks off with a Mare of Easttown/True Detective-esque episode a la WandaVision’s tributes to sitcoms of the 1950s, 1960s and so on. Still believing herself to be “Agnes of Westview,” it will take a significant portion of the episode (and some magical intervention at the hands of Joe Locke’s character) in order to regain her consciousness and find her true witchiness.
As of this article’s publish date, all episodes of Agatha All Along are scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on Wednesday nights at 9pm ET/6pm PT. Here’s the complete list of episode premiere dates, along with the episode titles that we’re currently aware of.
- Agatha All Along Episode 1 (“Seekest Thou the Road”): Wednesday, September 18
- Agatha All Along Episode 2 (“Circle Sewn with Fate Unlock Thy Hidden Gate”): Wednesday, September 18
- Agatha All Along Episode 3 (“Through Many Miles of Tricks and Trials”): Wednesday, September 25
- Agatha All Along Episode 4 (“If I Can’t Reach You, Let My Song Teach You”): Wednesday, October 2
- Agatha All Along Episode 5: Wednesday, October 9
- Agatha All Along Episode 6: Wednesday, October 16
- Agatha All Along Episode 1: Wednedsay, October 23
- Agatha All Along Episode 8: Wednesday, October 30
- Agatha All Along Episode 9: Wednesday, October 30