Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for the full season of Agatha All Along.
As the journey down the Witches’ Road comes to an end,Agatha All Alongreveals its biggest twist yet, withsurprising deaths, betrayal after betrayal, and a love affair with Death herself,Rio (Aubrey Plaza). In atwo-part outing that raised the stakeseven higher, there were countless twists that managed to outshine any of the aforementioned shake-ups. Yet, it was a deep dive into Agatha’s (Kathryn Hahn) past that provided the greatest pivot yet! Since her identity was first revealed inWandaVision, Agatha has been portrayed as a manipulative and power-hungry witch who mercilessly kills other magic practitioners to steal their abilities. Not only didviewers get to see how this quest began, but they found out Agatha’s seemingly maniacal quest wasn’t so wicked… all along.
Was Agatha Really 100% To Blame for All Those Witches' Deaths?
Agatha Harkness has had quite a few labels put on her name, from Jen (Sasheer Zamata) calling her a serial killer to the revelation thatshe isDolly Parton’s Joleneto being the inspiration for the Wicked Witch of the West. And while all past evidence has confirmed that Agatha is unstable and dangerous,there is far more nuance to her most infamous trick: stealing the power of other witches. From theWandaVisionseries finale through tothe tragic fate of Alice (Ali Ahn), the titular witch has caused endless despair, being deemed in legend as a coven-less witch.
With the previous seven episodes ofAgatha All Alongimplying that Agatha was on the road in hopes of regaining her infamously stolen magic, the two-part finale dropped the revelation that the Witches’ Road never previously existed untilBilly Maximoff (Joe Locke)unknowingly created it. As it turns out, the road is a con Agatha has been running for centuries to lure witches into blasting her with their magic, so she could absorb it. While Agatha is, of course, responsible by and large for goading the witches she’s encountered over the years, her power doesn’t actually work if the witch doesn’t attack. And as we saw in the finale, consistently over the decades, witches have attacked Agatha together every single time.The idea that Agatha is a merciless killer of the pure and innocent just isn’t true.
Will ‘Agatha All Along’ Return for Season 2? Here’s the Tea on a Potential Spellbinding Comeback
Will we see Kahtryn Hahn as the delightfully vile sorceress again?
It’s clear her reputation precedes her and her power is known to some extent, hence why her latest band of victims is so apprehensive to blast her in the second episode. Yes, she rallied their anger, but the witches of the past who attacked her following her mockery were intent on killing Agatha. So, sure, she killed all of those witches, and no, we’re not saying they deserved death, butthey all decided at some point that they were fine killing Agatha for laughing at them. How much of this is Agatha’s fault, and how much of it is her betting on the “feeble-minded” witches who fall for her con? Much like her explanation to Billy when he worries that he killed William to use his body, that is the way of witches. They survive, no matter what that means. And in the case of Agatha, her need to survive stems from a much deeper motivation than just a desire for immortality.
Agatha’s Survival Instincts Run Deeper Than We Knew
A large part of whyAgatha All Alonghas worked so well has to do with the complexities of its characters. Whether it wasLilia causing a catastrophic eventwithin the MCU, orBilly’s secret identity and reveal, each character’s motivation has brought about epic highs andconsequential lows. Agatha’s past is the very embodiment of that thesis. Episode 9, “Maiden Mother Crone,” finally brought to light her life as a mother. While it serves as a great explanation for why Agatha cared for Billy so much in bothAgatha All AlongandWandaVision, the backstory uncoverswhyAgatha has spent centuries killing witches. It wasn’t always about power, but rather,it was about protection and then grief.
Agatha clearly didn’t have a happy childhood, something audiences glimpsed inWandaVision. Following thathorrific bringing up, Rio arrived to take a stillborn Nicholas (Abel Lysenko) when Agatha was about to give birth. After pleading, Rio gave Agatha more time with her son. The two then went on the move, with Agatha killing witches along the way. It isn’t clear how this is connects to Nicholas, but the one time they choose not to kill a coven, Nicholas begins coughing at night and dies in his sleep. Her deep need to survive stems from her role as a mother parent, not unlike her rival, Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen).This single installment has forever reframed the character. She’s far from the mustache-twirling villain who had her own theme song and killed Sparky, but a deeply complex and sympathetic character who deserves a second look.
Agatha’s Ambition Stems From Grief
Following Nicholas’ death, she continues to kill other witches, only in a more maniacal way than ever. She continues running the same con that she and Nicholas ran, but now she brings together desperate witches, thinking she can lead them to the Witches’ Road, which, of course, has never really existed. But again, audiences are greeted with a much more nuanced story for the infamous witch killer. Instead of killing for Nicholas' sake, it was a result of grief.Similar to how Wanda hexed Westview, Agatha’s despair manifests in a deeply tragic and dangerous way. It’s a truly dynamic way to explain the legends that surround her. She’s not a complete villain, but she’s not yet a hero.
The final moments of Agatha’s journey forever changes her role within the MCU. Following her sacrifice for Billy, and the debut of hernew ghostly form, she faces Billy, who wants to banish her. Agatha refuses due to her fear of facing Nicholas again after all the terrible things she’s done.Grief may have set her out on the path to power, but she continued down that path out of fear of disappointing her son in the afterlife. The character has, without a doubt, been a popular one since her debut, but this complete reinvention of Agatha has only made her even stronger. And as she and Billy venture off on their next adventure, it’s clear that Agatha has much more to give.
Agatha All Alongis available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
Agatha All Along
Agatha Harkness, following the events of “WandaVision,” embarks on a quest to reclaim her lost powers. Teaming up with unlikely allies, including the son of her former enemy, she faces new mystical threats while navigating a complex world of magic and intrigue.
