Warning: This article contains spoilers for Agatha All Along episode 9, “Maiden Mother Crone.”
Agatha Harkness took on an entirely new form in the final episode ofAgatha All Along, mirroring her Marvel Comics history while setting up an exciting future for Kathryn Hahn’s witch in theMCU.Agatha All Alongcame to an end on October 30, with the double-finale bringing Agatha Harkness, Billy Maximoff and Jennifer Kale off the Witches' Road and marking a last stand against Aubrey Plaza’s Death.Agatha All Along’sfinaleincluded huge revelations and transformative events, teasing a huge future for Agatha Harkness despite her cathartic demise.
Kathryn Hahn first appeared asAgatha Harkness, a witch from the 1600s, inWandaVision, where she was introduced under the guise of nosy neighbor Agnes infiltrating the Scarlet Witch’s Hex. InWandaVision, Agatha formed a bond with Wanda Maximoff and Vision’s children, which persisted in 2024’sAgatha All Alongseries whenBilly Maximoff returned, now played by Joe Locke. In fact,Agatha seemed to show love and respect for Billy, which spurred her to sacrifice herself for the new Wiccanand transform into something entirely new inAgatha All Along’sfinal two episodes.
How Agatha Harkness Becomes A Ghost In Agatha All Along
Agatha Harkness Sacrificed Herself For Billy Maximoff In Agatha All Along Episode 8
Agatha Harkness was revealed to have transformed into a ghost following her death inAgatha All Alongepisode 8, “Follow Me My Friend/To Glory at the End.” Following Lilia Calderu’s tarot-based trial,Agatha Harkness met with Deathback on the Witches' Road and struck a deal with her former lover: if Death stopped pursing her, Agatha would deliver Billy Maximoff to the entity, allowing her to take him as she considered him an"abomination.“However,after leaving the Witches' Road, Agatha Harkness and Billy Maximoff tried to fight Death together, though this was futile.
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Death suggested that if one gave themselves up, she’d let the other go free, which presented Agatha Harkness a way out as she allowed Billy to offer himself to Death. However, when reminded of her son, Agatha changed her mind, and instead sacrificed herself to save Billy Maximoff.Agatha kissed Death, ending her life in dramatic fashion but prompting Death to spare Billy, despite his double-life. Despite this, Agatha Harkness returned in ghost form inAgatha All Alongepisode 9, “Maiden Mother Crone,” allowing her to reveal the truth about the Witches' Road to Billy Maximoff.
Agatha All Along Episodes 8 & 9 Recap: Nicholas Scratch’s Backstory & 8 Other Reveals
Agatha All Along episodes 8 and 9 gives closure to its remaining mysteries, redeems its villains, and features a major death in its climactic battle.
Agatha All Alongepisode 5, “Darkest Hour/Wake Thy Power,” already showed how individuals can become ghosts in the MCU, as the ghost of Agatha’s own mother,Kate Forbes' Evanora Harkness, appeared on the Witches' Road, hoping to punish her daughter. Agatha Harkness is a Spirit Witch in the MCU, so her transformation into a ghost makes sense.She also specifically asked Death not to show her face to her following her demise, and certainly had unfinished business on the mortal plane, so it’s unsurprising that Agatha continues on as a ghostly apparition in the MCU.
Agatha Harkness' Ghost Form From Marvel Comics Explained
Marvel Comics' Agatha Harkness First Died In 1985’s Vision & The Scarlet Witch #3
Agatha Harkness becoming a ghost inAgatha All Alongmay seem outlandish for the MCU, but this evolution is actually adapted directly from the pages of Marvel Comics. Agatha Harkness was introduced in 1970’sFantastic Four #94as the governess to Franklin Richards. She was later revealed to have been the leader of the magical community of New Salem, Colorado, though the town was turned against her by her son, Nicholas Scratch, after she left.Scratch sent his children, Salem’s Seven, after his mother, and while initially defeated,they eventually succeeded in burning Agatha Harkness at the stake.
Marvel Studios changed Nicholas Scratch’s backstory in the MCU significantly. Instead of being an adult villain with a vendetta against his mother, Nicholas Scratch should have died at birth, but was taken by Death as a child as she had decided to give Agatha Harkness some time with her son.
Agatha Harkness died in 1985’sVision and the Scarlet Witch #3, but soon made herself known as a ghost to Wanda Maximoff’s Scarlet Witch, whom she had mentored. The Scarlet Witch battled Salem’s Seven at the prompting of Agatha Harkness, culminating in the town being destroyed and Wanda absorbing some of the Seven’s energy, allowing her to magically create her twins,Billy and Tommy Maximoff. Agatha Harkness was mysteriously resurrected in 1985’sWest Coast Avengers #50, shortly before Billy and Tommy were reabsorbed by Mephisto, leading Agatha to wipe Wanda’s memories of them to spare her any pain.
Wanda’s memories were accidentally restored by the Wasp, leading to her fighting the Avengers and killing Agatha Harkness in a fit of rage. Nick Fury found Agatha’s body in 1998, and the Scarlet Witch stated she was taking care of her Aunt Agatha in 2005, butit wasn’t until 2015’sScarlet Witch #1when Agatha Harkness' ghost returned to continue mentoring Wanda Maximoff. Agatha’s ghost joined theScarlet Witch on the Witches' Road, and was once again resurrected by Wanda’s biological mother, the previous Scarlet Witch, and soon gained a more youthful body.
Agatha Harkness' Ghost Powers Explained
Agatha Harkness Is Still Learning How To Be A Ghost
The full range of ghostly powers now in Agatha Harkness' arsenal is yet to be explored in the MCU, but several impressive abilities have already been seen.Agatha Harkness suggested that she is a"quick study"inAgatha All Along’sfinale when she managed to pick up her brooch despite being intangible. Agatha also proved herself able to bring objects into the ghostly plane permanently, as she pinned her brooch to her collar, and it took on the same qualities as the rest of her body. Her intangibility suggests she’ll now be able to travel through solid objects, too.
How The MCU’s Agatha Harkness Ranks Against Marvel’s Most Powerful Magicians
Agatha Harkness is certainly a powerful magician in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but how does she compare to others, both friend and foe?
Evanora Harkness proved capable of possessing the body of a living being inAgatha All Alongepisode 5, though Agatha herself hasn’t displayed this power just yet. It’s also unclear whether she still has access to the magic that she fought so hard to reclaim throughoutAgatha All Along.It seems likely that Agatha has lost these abilities in her new ghostly state, though since she is already deceased, she is entirely invulnerable, unless someone speaks a banishing spell likeBilly Maximoff inAgatha All Along’sfinale.
What Agatha Being A Ghost Means For Her MCU Future
Agatha Harkness' Ghost Form Sets Up A Bright Future In The MCU
Agatha Harkness' death could have meant that her story in the MCU was completely over, and this would have been a satisfying ending, as she sacrificed herself so that Billy Maximoff could survive and reunite with his newly-reincarnated brother. Despite this,it was fantastic to see Agatha Harkness return as a ghost, bringing her iconic Marvel Comics form into live-action when few expected this turn of events. Since she returned as an apparition, it seems very likely that Kathryn Hahn will reprise the role alongsideJoe Locke’s Billy Maximoff.
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While Agatha Harkness' ghost mentors Wanda Maximoff’s Scarlet Witch in Marvel Comics,it seems she will be more of a mentor to Billy Maximoff’s Wiccan in the MCU. This could ultimately lead to her being resurrected in a corporeal form. The most likely place for both Billy Maximoff and Agatha Harkness to return may be inWandaVision’snext spinoff afterAgatha All Along,Marvel Television’s upcomingVisionseries, which could see the pair reunite with Paul Bettany’s Vision and set out to find Tommy Maximoff in his new body.
Agatha All Along
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Agatha Harkness, after the events of “WandaVision,” seeks to regain her magical powers. Joining forces with unexpected allies, including the son of an old adversary, she battles new mystical threats while uncovering hidden secrets in the magical realm.
