Warning: This article contains spoilers for WandaVision Episode 7.
Fans clamoring to find out who the big bad of WandaVision is got their wish during Episode 7.
After weeks of speculation about whether there was someone else working behind the scenes to cause the problems happening in Westview, we found out Wanda’s neighbor Agnes was none other than the witch Agatha Harkness.
Many fans had speculated Kathryn Hahn’s character was Agatha Harkness before the season even started. And there were plenty of hints throughout the season that something was off about the character. She always showed up at just the right moment and said the oddest things.
But the show also introduced several fake-outs, including a convincing scene showing Vision free her of Wanda’s mind control, which made it seem like Agnes was just another trapped townsperson.
On Episode 7 fans learn the truth alongside Wanda after she goes looking for her missing children in Agnes’ basement.
Explaining “Agatha All Along”
Agnes’ basement immediately displays some red flags. It boasts creepy occult decor and the appearance of a book that looks a lot like the Darkhold, a powerful ancient book of magic that’s shown up in other Marvel shows.
It turns out Agnes wanted to reveal her identity as Agatha and explains that she’s been causing mischief ever since Wanda first arrived in Westview. In a montage soundtracked by the catchy song “Agatha All Along,” written by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez and sung by Kathryn Hahn, we get to see her various misdeeds.
That includes killing Sparky. Yes, Agatha is that bad. (You can listen to the full song below).
But what is Agatha’s agenda for coming to Westview and tormenting Wanda?
Who is Agatha Harkness in the Comics?
While the song indicates Agatha caused all of this chaos on purpose, the character’s full intentions aren’t revealed. However, the character has a long history in comics that could provide some clues.
Agatha Harkness is a powerful witch in Marvel Comics who dates back to the Salem Witch Trials. She first appeared in Fantastic Four #94. Although her serving as Franklin Richards’ nanny is an interesting tidbit, it’s not likely to come up in WandaVision.
Instead, the show probably included her because of her complex relationship with Wanda Maximoff. In the comics she is a mentor to Wanda, helping her learn about and grow her magical powers. It’s an important relationship for Wanda and generally a positive one, at least to start.
In the Vision and the Scarlet Witch series, Wanda uses new magical power she absorbed during a battle in order to create her children Billy and Tommy. But because it’s comics, it later turns out that the new power Wanda used actually belonged to the devil Mephisto. He comes to take that power back which destroys the children.
At the time, Agatha chooses to wipe Wanda’s memories of her children to save Wanda from the pain of losing them in West Coast Avengers #52 (1985).
After that, things don’t go so well for Agatha. When Wanda does eventually remember the existence of her children she goes mad with grief and kills Agatha for her deception.
Clearly, the show opted to not follow the source material exactly since we’re just now finding out Agatha is a witch and she does not appear particularly interested in mentoring Wanda.
Instead, it seems more likely that Agatha’s connection to Mephisto could come into play. Congrats to everyone who still had Mephisto on their WandaVision bingo cards — you might just get an appearance after all.
What This Means For the Show
In the comics, it’s Agatha’s son Nicholas Scratch (no relation to the Netflix character) who makes a deal with Mephisto. But it makes sense that they could have changed the storyline to have Agatha herself be working with him.
What if her husband “Ralph” she’s always referring to is actually Mephisto? Wanda is extremely powerful, and Agatha and Mephisto could be working together to somehow try to take control of Wanda or steal her power.
Why? Well, the clue is in Episode 7’s commercial about the anti-depressant Nexus. In Marvel Comics, the Nexus is a gateway to all possible realities aka the Multiverse.
The comics also feature individuals called “Nexus Beings” who are rare individuals found in each reality with the power to affect probability and the future. Wanda is one of these beings.
Agatha could be planning to use Wanda’s power to unlock or control the Nexus or just destabilize the reality they live in. Either way, it doesn’t sound good.
This could lead to the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Wanda’s next MCU appearance. As we previously theorized, WandaVision could be setting up Wanda to be an important ally for Doctor Strange.
Of course, at this point, we’re just speculating. It’s possible Agatha is working alone or for someone entirely different than Mephisto.
What does seem certain, however, is that Agatha is evil and Wanda will need to defeat her. Maybe Wanda was meant to be the hero… all along.
WandaVision airs Fridays on Disney Plus.