Agatha’s Viewership Proves Wandavision Mania Was Real

Agatha All Along hit Disney+ last week and apparently took the app by storm. The latest reporting from Variety paints a cheerful picture for Marvel Studios’ latest series. 9.3 million people sat down to see Kathryn Hahn’s grand return to the MCU in week number one streaming. That’s a pretty great number to see for Marvel hopefuls that might have been concerned about the trajectory of the franchise heading into a busy 2025. The Variety numbers have the Halloween event show performing about as well as Percy Jackson and the Olympians. While the questions about the staying power of WandaVision‘s captive audience have persisted in some corners online, it’s clear that Agatha All Along is building the case that Wanda-Mania was no fluke back in 2021.

Marvel Studios fandom is a tricky entity to nail down. At once, you have fans that harbor affection for different characters by design, and a large overarching story that also constantly builds in the background of these projects. So, when Marvel announced that Agatha Harkness was getting a spinoff show, there was a pocket of the fandom outraged. After all, a side character from WandaVision was getting a corner of the spotlight when untold other heroes were waiting in the wings. If that wasn’t enough of a concern, the idea of Agatha All Along moving The Multiverse Saga’s larger plot forward seemed unlikely. But, through three episodes, the show has demonstrated some traits that characterized the WandaVision era and the proceeding phases.

Number one: The theory crafting and Easter egg influence on this show cannot be understated. WandaVision thrived when the fans were grasping for the full picture. Tossing in references to other Marvel characters and previous adventures absolutely kept the fans engaged the entire time. This week, we’re doing Mephisto again, which is a great example of nodding at the continuity that surrounds these shows. Number two: Agatha All Along has kept the focus on our main character. Not having to know about Kang the Conqueror or whatever multiverse crisis is on the way has helped new viewers jump aboard, even if they’ve never seen WandaVision.

And, at number three: the timing of this project seems pitch perfect. Phases 1-3 steadily built up to the Earth-shaking Avengers movies. If some of these teases can be believed, we’re on the road to something interesting with a couple of heroes already. Could our resident “Teen” be joining another team outside of this coven? It sure seems like it! If the Scarlet Witch comes back, that might cause some problems for the Avengers down the line. Mephisto has been rumored to be a part of multiple Marvel efforts in the future and he just got referenced. So, there’s some definite chess pieces being moved around in Agatha All Along. Those details help drive fan interest and engagement too!

Scarlet Witch Fever Hasn’t Really Gone Away 

Agatha All Along has also really brought the Scarlet Witch fandom back together. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness brought Wanda’s demise and some WandaVision fans were bummed that their favorite hero died. But, the first episode of this show has opened the door to a return of some kind. Episode 3 also saw the MCU take over the Internet again with Mephisto theories, a favorite of that first Disney+ show and all the fans that dissected every single frame. Elizabeth Olsen’s been asked about putting her costume back on numerous times. She’s open to the idea. But, a couple of weeks ago, she really pointed out what made WandaVision so special for a lot of folks out there when talking to Harper’s Bazaar UK.

“WandaVision. No one forced me to do that! I have made a choice to continue on with Marvel and they’ve made a choice to continue on with me,” Olsen began. “I was really scared about doing a Marvel project for TV because there are otherworldly, larger than life characters that are seen in films, and I didn’t know if it would still work on the television at home. But I had confidence in the format because the storytelling really honored the TV medium.”

“We really felt we were Marvel’s weird cousin. We didn’t know it was going to have such a response,” Olsen shared. “It came out during the pandemic and it almost had way more relevance to everyone’s lives; [we were all ] Trying to function in these bubbles that we were put in, and then there was this world outside of a bubble. No-one even knew what reality was that point.”

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