WandaVision was the first Disney+ show that Marvel Studios released out into the world. This new streaming service venture was an exciting opportunity for the Marvel Cinematic Universe; characters could get the spotlight they were never afforded in the films.
So Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda and Paul Bettany's Vision went on to steal the hearts of audiences around the world. The show even won the MCU its first Emmy, even.
WandaVision also introduced a new character to the world: Kathryn Hahn's Agatha Harkness, the very same person whose song made one of Marvel’s newly acquired Emmys possible.
Fans loved Hahn’s performance and found her character to be both intimidating and intriguing. The moment the show was over, fans already wanted to know more about the witch.
Everyone got their wish when Agatha: House of Harkness was announced for Disney+. While the release time frame isn’t clear, one thing is: Agatha is back in what will reportedly be a dark comedy.
But what could the show possibly be about?
The Salem Witch Trials
In WandaVision, one of the first glimpses audiences see of Agatha Harkness is her in 1693, during the height of the Salem Witch Trials. Put at the stake by her coven, she’s accused of betraying them by using Dark Magic.
Surprising no one, this turns out to be true. But what does catch audiences off guard is how she ends up killing all of those in her former coven. Harkness is not one to mess around with.
In the comics, circumstances are a little different. Yes, Agatha Harkness was involved with witchcraft around the time of the Salem Witch Trials—in fact, both Agatha and her Coven were persecuted by the Puritans.
Proceedings take a twist, however, as Agatha is revealed to be in favor of the trials. She believes it to be strengthening the witch community by cutting the fat, so to say. Those that could not defend themselves were dead weight to her.
Jumping back to the MCU, there’s probably plenty there left to explore when it comes to her time in that era. In the comics, Agatha ends up founding a secret magical community called New Salem in what is eventually known as Colorado.
With the name House of Harkness, this could make a lot of sense––it would effectively give Agatha her own “house” and a group of devotees that would have followed her. Maybe those same people will be responsible for helping break her out of her new Wanda-imposed prison.
Marvel Studios could also take the angle of Agatha not being for the trials but having to survive them herself—constantly on the run from the Puritans who wanted to rid the world of witchcraft.
But what if the show went one step further?
History Lessons Told By Agatha
Instead of focusing on Agatha Harkness around the times of the Salem Witch Trials and in just one location, what if the show served as a journey through time with the sorceress as she navigated a world hellbent on ridding itself of those that would practice the Dark Arts?
Marvel could play off of many places in history. Following the sorceress as she ventures through the centuries leading up to WandaVision would give the MCU some unique opportunities, both in genre and visual palettes.
These adventures don’t have to be after the one flashback that audiences have already seen. A fun element to include would be English witch-hunter Matthew Hopkins.
Hopkins claimed to hold the office of Witchfinder General—a title never bestowed on him by the Parliament. Yet, during the English Civil War, he and his colleague John Stearne were among the most successful witch-hunters to have existed.
The two were responsible for about 20% of the total witchcraft accused executions between the early 15th and late 18th centuries; it sounds like quite a challenge for Agatha Harkness.
Also of note would be tackling the Malleus Maleficarum—basically a book for hunting witches created in the late 15th century.
Agatha, throughout the ages, could also touch upon the real-life Werewolf trials that occurred in Germany in 1589. It sounds like an easy way to tie into Moon Knight and Werewolf by Midnight.
Wanda’s Instructor
With Agatha’s show taking place after Multiverse of Madness in the real world, it’s impossible to know where Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda will be when House of Harkness premieres. But, at the least, it would be safe to assume that she’ll be alive.
Another safe assumption? By the time her next adventure is over, Wanda will probably have lost the Darkhold, her training material. So where will she go next?
Well, there is always Agatha Harkness. After all, that’s all she wanted to begin with: to teach Wanda Maximoff how to control and expand her powers.
Now, this scenario could play out no matter if Wanda is on the path of good or evil. Of course, the dynamics between the two would differ depending, but it’s always a blast to watch them bicker.
Agatha’s deep-seated knowledge could lead to Wanda discovering new powers and hidden abilities while also expanding the mythos of magic in the MCU. It would also serve to strengthen the bond between them.
In the comics, despite Wanda having killed Agatha at some point, the old witch Harkness ends up being a mentor of sorts to the Scarlet Witch. So there’s lots of good material for Marvel to play with.
Nicholas Scratch
There’s a fun gag in WandaVision where Agatha has a pet rabbit named Señor Scratchy. It’s a purposeful name—as it harkens back to not only the Devil himself but the son that Agatha has in the comics.
In the pages, Agatha’s son went by the name of Nicholas Scratch and lived in the secret town of New Salem, Colorado. He eventually becomes the leader of the community and starts to go against his mother by leading it to believe that Harkness has betrayed them due to her outside dealings.
This also leads Scratch into conflict with the Fantastic Four because, with his high intelligence, he chooses to try and kidnap Franklin Richards. It didn’t go well for him. At one point, he even attempted to release Shuma-North, only for both of them to meet a swift defeat.
If Nicholas Scratch does become part of Agatha’s story going forward, he’s more likely to be an aspect of the proceedings instead of the focus. Though, his involvement would speak to the existence of New Salem being a new direction to go in.
The Mephisto Connection
One of the most common fan theories when WandaVision was airing wasn’t that Agatha did it all along but rather Mephisto—yes, the Devil. He’s a prominent character in Marvel Comics lore and was the number one suspect for a long while.
So, as one can imagine, many people were let down when the finale finished, and there was no Mephisto insight. It was honestly just Agatha.
Though, maybe she had some help behind the scenes. What if she was working under somebody? Or maybe even acting against her wishes, with someone pulling her strings?
The big bad has some significant connections to Wanda and Agatha in the comics. One of the reasons why so many people assumed he was involved is because, in the source material, Wanda’s sons, Billy and Tommy, were fragments of Mephisto’s soul.
Maybe Agatha had a run-in with Mephisto, which spiraled out into where audiences saw her in WandaVision. Now, that’s a prequel angle, but it could go the other way as well.
There are two ways Mephisto could get involved post-WandaVision. The first is the extreme Chaos Magic Wanda uses throughout the Disney+ show, and presumably, next year’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness could attract the attention of the Devil. So that kind of power could be of use to him.
On the other hand, maybe it isn’t Wanda’s magic that gets his attention but the dark magic Agatha is drawing upon. So either it’s raw power, or, just maybe, Harkness’ dark magic is pulling straight from Mephisto himself.
Suffice to say, Marvel Studios should get Mephisto involved sooner rather than later; otherwise, fans might put him in themselves.
The Daughters of Liberty
In the late 18th century, The Daughters of Liberty were a group of young women who preached freedom. They were trained in the ways of combat, as well as magic, with their instructor being none other than Agatha Harkness.
The group’s goal was to protect freedom at all costs while also protecting humanity against its own excesses and powers. One of their most famous members was Harriet Tubman, who helped lead over 300 slaves to freedom in the 19th century.
The group got a modern-day reincarnation when they were formed to prove Steve Roger’s innocence in the murder of General Thaddeus Ross. Agatha was responsible for recruiting a key member: Shuri, the Wakanda Princess.
This could certainly be an odd direction to take the character based on where audiences last saw her, but it’s always a possible route for Agatha to go down in the distant MCU future, especially if Shuri gets a bigger focus going forward.
The Fantastic Harkness Connection
So here’s something many would probably never guess: Agatha Harkness was once the nanny to Franklin Richards. Yes, that is the son of Richard and Sue Reeds—founding members of the Fantastic Four.
The obvious fact to point out is how there is a Fantastic Four project in the works. Who knows when Agatha: House of Harkness will premiere, but with the character getting her own show, it’s a safe bet that Agatha will be around for a while anyhow.
So could this show take place after Reed and his family are established? Assuming the MCU introduces Franklin soon, this hypothetical situation could be in Agatha’s future; House of Harkness could very well be a literal title.
Now, one might be thinking: why would any sane person put Agatha in charge of a child? The last time audiences saw her babysitting skills, the children ended up with magical nooses around their throats.
Despite that, she’s far from irredeemable. At this point, Wanda is more of the bad guy and has seemingly gone much more off the deep end; though, admittedly, there’s still plenty of bad stuff Agatha has done off-screen.
Marvel Studios could also use the nannying as an excuse to harken to the sitcom elements of WandaVision, which would be a great call back to where audiences met the character for the first time.
In reality, if Marvel Studios ever does play off of Agatha’s connection to the Fantastic Four, it’s likely to be something far down the line. The proper introduction of that team probably won’t include their children off the bat.
Disney+, The House of Agatha Harkness
With how well Kathryn Hahn’s performance and character hit audiences in WandaVision, it's no wonder Marvel Studios has chosen to invest in a solo project. With Loki having gotten his own solo series, villains getting the spotlight is now a major possibility.
If Agatha: House of Harkness is successful, which it no doubt will be, it will likely be another huge step in convincing Marvel to make even more villain-centric projects, whether that be movies or shows.
After all, with Eros’ introduction in Eternals, a project focusing on Thanos could go a long way in fleshing out that corner of the universe.
The future is with the villains.
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