Agatha: Director Explains Why Marvel Death Happened

Agatha All Along’s director had to address that shocking Marvel death in Episode 3. Yes, WandaVision fans, Mrs. Hart is really dead and Entertainment Weekly wanted Jac Schaeffer to explain herself. Both she, and Debra Jo Rupp, sat down to discuss last week’s trial of The Witches’ Road. Sharon drank two glasses of that poisoned wine and didn’t get the right antidote, so Agatha Harkness and her coven are now one witch short on their journey. Schaeffer says she always had a vision for a non-magical character to be on The Witches’ Road with the rest of this group. However, the director wanted to make it known that Agatha All Along is playing for keeps. These witches aren’t safe and that’s something people should keep in mind as the show keeps on rolling towards Halloween. Here’s what the filmmaker had to say about Mrs. Hart’s untimely demise.  

“It was so important early on when we figured out we’re doing the Witches’ Road, we’re doing this coven, the hilarious idea that we would bring a normie along. Debra Joe Rupp is a comedy genius. She can’t not be funny, but we do horror-comedy on the show,” Schaeffer explained. “This show has teeth, and in the later episodes it goes to really dramatic places. It was important to signal that, it was important to make it clear that we’re not messing around, that people die in this show.”

“That we are theatrical, campy, broad, all the spectacle, all the fun, all the winking, all the meta, but that underneath it all, there is real grit to the story,” Schaeffer added. “There is real meaning to it. I also think that is part of Agatha’s personality; she can do all the flamboyance, but she’ll cut you. It felt disingenuous to not really go there.”

Before Agatha All Along started up on Disney+, there were concerns from certain corners of the Marvel fandom about the show’s potential tone. Some viewers want “serious” stories and want the MCU as a whole to reflect their desire for mature stories. A couple weeks into Agatha All Along, the show does indeed have some teeth. Now, it’s not bloody in the way that Deadpool & Wolverine was this summer. But, there is a level of terror at play with the Disney+ series. Marvel Studios had a reportedly “sunny disposition” headed into this fall-flavored WandaVision spinoff. A couple of weeks in, it looks like there was some weight to those comments. Fans and the outside world have taken notice of Kathryn Hahn’s big MCU series. Now, the only thing left for Agatha All Along is to keep up the pace established by the earliest entries. Some massive mysteries are still lurking for all parties involved.  

Oh, And Mephisto Got Mentioned Too!

Agatha All Along’s director has had a lot to answer for in a short amount of time. Last week, Schaeffer had to talk about the Mephisto name-drop with Entertainment Weekly as well.  WandaVision fans basically jumped out of their seats when the popular Marvel villain was mentioned on the show. Is that nod a clear sign of where we’re headed. Or, is this a case of the writers’ room hearing all that Internet chatter after WandaVision’s sweeping popularity and throwing the viewers a bone. (It’s important to mention other massive Marvel rumors that could indicate Mephisto being closer than anyone realizes…) Schaeffer knows how passionate the average MCU fan can be about their favorite characters. The Scarlet Witch is basically an A-list Avenger now after half of the Internet watched her series back in 2021. The showrunner says that people are going to have to keep tuning-in. But, there’s a definite game of cat and mouse going on. 

“With these shows, so often there is something that is at once a joke and a wink and a nod, and actually has something legitimate underneath it,” Schaeffer comments. “As we all know, Mephisto is a character who’s very wrapped into Agatha’s storyline. I mean, people have to watch, but we’re always playing with the audience in that way.”

“Mephisto watch” is officially back on. No one could have dreamed the fans would be in this fervor just three weeks into Agatha All Along. It’s been a fun ride so far, and if the series can really tie-in the most popular theory from WandaVision, there’s going to be tons of excited fans out there. The creative team clearly thinks the ground is fertile to tease a development like that now. Here’s hoping it all can at least be referenced more concretely before a live-action introduction of the character in the MCU.

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