“They’re covenless witches”: Marvel’s ‘Agatha All Along’ Takes the Opposite Route to ‘The Acolyte’ With One Plot Switch up That’ll Make It Even More Thrilling
The WandaVision finale revealed that Agnes (the friendly neighbor with a love for singing) is actually Agatha Harkness (a cunning witch with incredible powers). Agatha, who turned out to be a very old witch from Salem, Massachusetts, tried to control events in Westview for her own gain.
Luckily, Scarlet Witch was one step ahead. She outsmarted Agatha, took away her powers, and trapped her in Westview as a regular person. Now, Agatha (or Agnes, as most knew her) has to live a normal life like everyone else in Westview.
Now, she’s back in Agatha All Along, her own Disney+ show, with a bunch of other witches who don’t belong to any official group. These witches, like Patti LuPone’s Lilia, Sasheer Zamata’s Jennifer, Debra Jo Rupp’s Sharon, and Ali Ahn’s Alice, are all known for their trickery and selfishness. This show takes a different path from The Acolyte.
Agatha All Along and The Acolyte Swap Narratives
In pop culture, witches have often been shown in groups, like the Sanderson Sisters in the 1993 Disney movie Hocus Pocus or the Halliwell sisters in the TV show Charmed, working together with shared magic. However, Agatha All Along flips on this idea.
Series creator Jac Schaeffer describes them as ‘covenless’ witches who are more interested in their own agendas than in playing nice. Addressing this, Schaeffer told Empire:
What they have in common is that they’re covenless witches.
He continued:
Witches are defined by deception, treachery, villainy and selfishness. What do you do when you have a group of witches who [demonstrate] those notions and you need them to work together?
That’s the opposite of what the recent Star Wars show The Acolyte is about. In that show, the witches are a close group (lesbian space witches) that sticks together, helping and trusting each other. It’s a classic view of witchcraft where the coven is a strong, united team.
But Agatha All Along shows witches who are more interested in their own power and goals than in working together. Led by Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness and Patti LuPone as Lilia, this group of witches must set aside their selfish ways to achieve a common goal. So, it’s definitely a recipe for disaster and thrilling TV!
Agatha Harkness Spin-Off to Get Witchy With New Music
WandaVision features some of Marvel’s finest music, setting it apart from other Marvel movies and TV series. While details are scarce, the show’s composers, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, are back to write new catchy tunes for Agatha All Along, too.
Jac Schaeffer, the creator, also assured fans that the show will delve into Agatha’s emotions, portraying her as more than just a villain. He told the same outlet:
[Where] WandaVision played with the form of classic TV sitcoms, [here] we do a lot of playing with what the assumptions about witches are. Like, what are the shorthand visuals for witches? We certainly didn’t want a one-dimensional nasty witch. We will have moments where we see Agatha’s true heart.
Agatha All Along will debut on Disney+, starting with its first two episodes on September 18, 2024. After that, fans can catch a new episode every week until November 6.
