Agatha All Along: Agatha’s Powers Explained

Agatha All Along has reintroduced Kathryn Hahn’s witch, but her powers aren’t exactly like they were in WandaVision. Agatha Harkness was causing some serious chaos the last time we saw her in the MCU. However, Wanda Maximoff triumphed over her and sealed her inside of a sitcom prison back in Westview. For three years, Agatha lived inside of her own reality until she was able to claw her way out with some prodding from Rio Vidal and a mysterious “Teen.” Now, she’s free, but she also doesn’t have access to her magic because the Scarlet Witch siphoned off her powers during their climactic battle at the end of WandaVision. There’s an easy way for Agatha to get her powers back, but she hasn’t had the opportunity to capitalize yet.

If you remember back to WandaVision, Marvel explains the core of Agatha’s powers. Kathryn Hahn’s witch was present for the Salem Witch Trials in 1963. Her mother, Evanora Harkness, discovered her daughter was practicing dark magic as a part of their coven. Upon learning this information, Evanora cornered Agatha and the women bound her and interrogated her. As things broke down, the viewer learns that the evil witch’s true skill is siphoning off magic from other witches. But, only when they actively attack her. This becomes key in Agatha All Along as her coven has to be careful not to use their magic in a battle against her. If they do, she’ll just leech it all away and Agatha will be more dangerous.

To add to her powers, Agatha previously held the Darkhold, which gave her power even more of a boost, at the cost of her own sanity and goodness. (Wanda took that evil book at the end of WandaVision and it didn’t really end well for her either!) Once she has that magic back, the “evil” witch will have access to illusions, transmutations, and of course, the ability to steal more magic than she started out with before. It seems as though she and Rio Vidal have a bit of a history and the second those powers are back in place, there will be a massive throwdown. Green witch versus our lady of chaos. But, some fans think that Aubrey Plaza’s antagonist could be a red herring. Agatha’s powers are yet another way this series builds off of what happened in WandaVision.

Agatha All Along Builds Off Of WandaVision

WandaVision was nothing short of a sensation and Agatha All Along picks up where its sister series left off. Still, despite the runaway popularity of Wanda Maximoff and near-universal acclaim, there were some Marvel fans perplexed when Agatha’s show got announced. But, when ComicBook spoke to Marvel TV head Brad Winderbaum, he likened the Agatha All Along viral moment to some other high-profile Marvel character debuts. You just really never know what’s going to strike a chord with audiences. When they saw how much everyone loved Kathryn Hahn’s witch, it was a no-brainer to continue her story. (Also, it might have given the MCU a path back toward Scarlet Witch being in-play, so that’s exciting too.)

“I mean, I would say that if you know the MCU, it might justify a few things that happen in kind of a prologue way,” Winderbaum told us. “But if you’re coming to it straight from WandaVision or you’re coming to it, frankly, never having watched another Marvel show before, you get the information you need about the characters you need for the journey.”

“Well, it really comes down to Jac [Schaefer, showrunner]. And Jac brought that world to life in WandaVision. And Kathryn Hahn embodying that role, I mean, she became an icon on screen,” Winderbaum added. “Agatha was always a side character. She’s a villain in WandaVision. But like Wolverine showing up in an issue of Incredible Hulk, you never know what the audience is going to respond to. And Agatha was no different. So, as soon as Jac became inspired, we all just went down the road with her.”

How do you think Agatha will get her powers back? Check out all the pop culture discussion over at @ComicBook!