Does Agatha All Along Even Need a Big Bad?

We’re officially entering the third act of Agatha All Along, the latest Disney+ series to be set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A sequel to the events of 2021’s WandaVision series, the show has not only carried on the unique journey of Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), but folded in plenty of mysterious new elements. Much like WandaVision, Agatha All Along has also been at the center of a number of fan theories, particularly those concerning what connections it might have to the larger Marvel Universe. This has included plenty of suggestions about a potential antagonist waiting in the wings, whether that be the infamous devil Mephisto, Agatha’s estranged evil son Nicholas Scratch, or someone else entirely. However, with six out of Agatha All Along‘s nine episodes out into the world — does the story we’ve seen thus far need a “big bad” in order to be effective?

Admittedly, there would be plenty of narrative potential in fully folding Mephisto or Nicholas Scratch into the culmination of Agatha All Along — both characters have been referenced by name at least once in the series thus far, and bring their own complicated baggage when interacting with other Marvel characters. There are also ways that either villain could make their way onto the show’s final episodes, whether being tied to Agatha herself, whoever appears to be magically manipulating Lilia Caldru (Patti Lupone), or the whereabouts of the seemingly-departed Tommy Maximoff. Plus, the story of a benevolent evil man trying (and eventually failing) to suppress the powers of a group of women would certainly resonate with a number of viewers.

But at the same time, the story that Agatha All Along has been telling seems dense enough without pivoting to either of these men. The series’ Witches’ Road has allowed for Agatha and the members of her coven to tackle their biggest failures — not through a direct conflict or a supervillain to repeatedly punch, but through well-orchestrated trials of the self. In the process, we’ve discovered many of the insecurities surrounding the characters, whether they be Alice Wu-Gulliver (Ali Ahn) dealing with the legacy of her mom, or Agatha reckoning with the countless deaths she caused over the years. While Mephisto or Nicholas Scratch could very well be the domineering force behind these trials, it might be more interesting to lean into the “man vs. nature” and “man vs. self” kinds of conflicts that the series has already presented for its characters. It would prevent Agatha All Along from defaulting to another “gotcha” twist ending and dense flashback to confirm its big bad, after the reveal of Billy Maximoff / Wiccan (Joe Locke) was already handled so well in Episodes 5 and 6.

If anything, the existing elements at play within Agatha All Along could provide a satisfying final villain for the show to end on. The Salem’s Seven, a shadowy group who were reestablished as the children of witches that Agatha killed during the Salem Witch Trials, have only been sporadically established in the show thus far. There’s also the loose cannon of Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza), whose true identity has prompted lots of theories in and of itself. And finally, there’s also the chance that Agatha All Along could live up to its title and have the true villain be… Agatha all along, helping establish the character as a less-heroic part of the MCU’s future.

Ultimately, the Mephisto and Nicholas Scratch theories are an interesting testament to the fact that, by and large, the female-fronted Disney+ shows set within the MCU have been surrounded by these massive theories about the arrival of male characters. WandaVision, of course, kicked down the door with the countless questions about Mephisto himself, the mysterious aerospace engineer, or a last-minute cameo appearance from Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). 2022’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law directly poked fun at fans who wanted to see Bruce Banner / Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Matt Murdock / Daredevil (Charlie Cox), while still being subjected to speculation about larger roles for Emil Blonsky / Abomination (Tim Roth), Samuel Sterns / The Leader (Tim Blake Nelson), and beyond. To a degree, it is unsurprising that the conversation around Agatha All Along has often been more about the men who could appear in it, and less about the cast of characters who are already in it. It might take a bit of magic for that kind of discourse to go away — but in the meantime, Agatha All Along might not need to play directly into it.