WandaVision premiered in January 2021 as both the kick-off to the MCU Phase 4 and Marvel Studios’ first full foray into television, with a series that was set to tie into their upcoming film slate. Audiences tuned in week after week to unravel the mystery of what was going on in the town of Westview.
Yet despite the series being about Wanda and Vision, one of the biggest breakouts of the series was Kathryn Hahn as the nosy neighbor Agnes who, in the seventh episode, revealed herself to be the MCU version of the comic book character Agatha Harkness. A powerful witch from the Salem Witch trials, Agatha looked to understand Wanda’s power and eventually take it when she discovered she was the Scarlet Witch. The series ended with her being defeated and Wanda trapping Agatha in a prison of her own mind, forced to live out the remainder of her days. Her fate was left up in the air, but it appeared Marvel Studios was saving her, and while many assumed she would appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it was later revealed she would get her own Disney+ series titled Agatha: House of Harkness.
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The character has become incredibly popular, with the song ‘Agatha All Along’ going viral and earning composers Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics. Hahn herself was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. The character has gained a loyal fanbase, in part thanks to Hahn’s incredible performance and this is why she is excellent as Agatha Harkness.
Kathryn Hahn is a Great Actress
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Kathryn Hahn is a great performer, no questions. She has consistently been a stand-out comedic performer in a number of memorable roles throughout projects like Step Brothers, Bad Moms, The Shrink Next Door, and Parks and Recreation and has even stepped out of her comfort zone with the great 2019 HBO miniseries Mrs. Fletcher which was a mix of drama and comedy. Hahn can make a character that is wickedly sharp also have subtle vulnerabilities and a strong presence.
Marvel Studios’ history of hiring comedic actors like two of Hahn’s former Parks and Recreations co-stars Paul Rudd (her nemesis in The Shrink Next Door) and Chris Pratt pays off. The performer immediately imbues the character with infectious energy that makes the audience want to see the character bounce off other MCU stars. Audiences don’t just want to see Agatha Harkness meet various Marvel characters, they want Hahn’s version to crossover. This is the same winning formula that took Robert Downey Jr. to immediate Marvel stardom when he played Tony Stark in Iron Man, and it works for Hahn as well.
Agatha Shows the MCU’s Ability To Rework A Character
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Agatha Harkness was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the pages of Fantastic Four #94 in 1970 and is an older witch who not only trains Wanda Maximoff in the art of magic but becomes the nanny and caretaker of Franklin Richards, the son of Reed Richards and Susan Storm of The Fantastic Four.
While the MCU has impressed long term audiences with its fidelity to the original source material, the franchise has also shown that it’s comfortable reworking elements of a character’s mythology to make the best version for the medium and story they are trying to tell, from getting rid of the Donald Blake persona to simplify the Thor movies, to updating Shang-Chi’s father to Wenwu, a reworking of the character of the Mandarin who could not and should not be adapted straight from the comics.
Agatha Harkness has been reworked, de-aging the character (a change already done in the Ultimate Comics), and while she still acts as Wanda’s mentor figure she does so in an antagonistic approach, allowing Wanda to grow through conflict. The version of Agatha Harkness for the MCU is a fascinating character, one that takes necessary elements from the comics but also stands on its own.
The MCU’s New Loki
One of the breakout characters in the early days of the MCU was Loki (now the title character of the most-watched Marvel series on Disney+). While other Phase 1 villains like Red Skull and Abomination faded into the background (although both would later appear), Loki stuck around and became the primary villain in The Avengers, which was one of the most successful MCU films of all time. This meant more audience members were exposed to him, but also because the characters mischievous nature made him a sympathetic character audiences couldn’t help but love to hate. In Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok, the character shifted from villain to reluctant ally.
However now that the main MCU version is dead, and the variant on the series Loki is a much more heroic figure, the MCU is in desperate need of a new villain who audiences can’t help but cheer for. Hahn’s mix of comedic sensibilities along with a sinister edge make Agatha Harkness the perfect fit to fill that role. Agatha could be a potential ally for a number of heroes, but also could turn on them to suit her own gains, and thanks to Hahn’s portrayal audiences would accept it and still root for her. The MCU needs a new chaotic character, and Agatha Harkness can fill that role.
What Is Next For Agatha?
As mentioned before, the character is set to lead her own Disney+ series Agatha: House of Harkness, and while it is unclear what the series will be about, it is likely to delve into her backstory and possibly introduce her son, Nicolas Scratch (hinted at by her rabbit Señor Scratchy in WandaVision) who is a powerful wizard and foe to many Marvel heroes.
The MCU’s mystical side is filling up with various supernatural-based heroes like Moon Knight, Blade, and the rumored filming of Werewolf by Night and Ghost Rider projects. If these supernatural characters were to unite and form their own team, they would likely need a magic spell caster, and a witch very much fits alongside a vampire, werewolf, and demon.
The other potential is in the rumored Dark Avengers the MCU is building to. La Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine (Julia Louise-Dreyfus) has appeared in both The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Black Widow, having hired heroes that appear to be dark mirrored reflections of the classic Avengers, with John Walker’s U.S. Agent in the Captain America role and Yelena Belova as the new Black Widow. Agatha Harkness could easily be recruited as the team’s Scarlet Witch counterpart. Regardless, like any great Marvel character, Agatha Harkness will return, and Kathryn Hahn has become a welcome addition to the MCU.
