Agatha All Along Made Us Care About Superheroes Again

As a long-time Marvel fan who has seen my fair share of superhero movies and shows, I must say that Kathryn Hahn’s portrayal of Agatha Harkness in WandaVision was nothing short of a breath of fresh air. Having spent countless hours watching various sitcoms spanning different eras, it was refreshing to see a character like Agatha evolve beyond mere comic relief or the typical supervillain trope.

It seems like there was a decline in belief among us regarding superheroes. This is evident when we look at the box office where recent characters such as Madame Web and The Crow have not been successful. Even the superheroes who gained popularity recently are struggling. For instance, Joker: Folie à Deux underperformed despite its prequel making $1 billion globally. Similarly, Venom: The Last Dance had a lackluster opening weekend, failing to surpass either of its previous versions.

Marvel Studios, who have long reigned supreme in the realm of cinematic superheroes, hasn’t escaped criticism either. Last year, including myself and numerous cultural analysts, were left lamenting the apparent decline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) following the release of Avengers: Endgame in 2019. The studio seemed to be producing less impressive TV shows on Disney+, while their movies, namely The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, fell short of audience expectations when they hit the big screen.

2024 was a banner year for superhero films, but let me tell you, it was only Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine that truly stole the show. The movie itself doesn’t shy away from reminding us that Disney had to lure a 56-year-old Hugh Jackman back from retirement and resurrect his iconic character, Wolverine, from beyond the grave to make it happen. It feels like after five years of trying to introduce new characters, Marvel is starting to run out of steam.

Rather than reviving past dominant figures, they’re bringing back old powerhouses. Robert Downey Jr. is set to appear in future Marvel Cinematic Universe films not as Iron Man but as Doctor Doom, the Fantastic Four antagonist. Disney and Sony have apparently managed to convince Tom Holland for a fourth Spider-Man film on the big screen. In television, the biggest superhero show of 2025 on Disney+ will be “Daredevil: Born Again,” which is essentially a reboot of the beloved Netflix series that ended its run with its last season in 2018.

Amidst the turmoil of the superhero predicament, the captivating series “Agatha All Along” emerged, setting an ideal example for future productions by Marvel TV and perhaps even Marvel films. Reminiscent of “WandaVision”, this spinoff centered around the seemingly insignificant character, Agatha, turned out to be a delightful Halloween treat with underlying emotional depth.

Initially, the show, similar to “WandaVision,” appeared to cater more towards fans of witchcraft rather than the traditional Marvel fanbase. The captivating actors Kathryn Hahn and Aubrey Plaza brought their characters to life, even engaging in a unique bonding moment over deceased bodies. As Hahn’s character Agatha evolved into a cunning villain and assembled a coven, she embarked on a sinister journey along an eerie adaptation of the Yellow Brick Road. Each installment presented a challenge for the witches to conquer, often accompanied by a costume transformation. Although it may not have been immediately evident how it tied into the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe, this aspect seemed almost irrelevant!

Towards the latter part of the season, the series “Agatha All Along” shifted focus from a delightful but superficial plotline, instead dedicating each episode to exploring a unique character. As a result, Agatha started to unravel and showed its hidden layers.

It turns out that the main character of the series wasn’t Agatha as one might think, but rather Billy Maximoff, skillfully portrayed by Joe Locke. If you happened to have missed ‘WandaVision’, you may have been left scratching your head during the last few episodes of ‘Agatha’. To bring you up to speed: Wanda Maximoff is a powerful sorceress who, after losing her partner Vision, constructed a fictional universe. In this idyllic setting, she and a very much alive Vision share a peaceful life in a suburban neighborhood with twin children, Tommy and Billy. However, it’s later exposed that Wanda has been manipulating the entire town to enact her fantasy as a means of escaping her sorrow. Eventually, she lets go of her powers, which results in the supposed demise of her fictional family.

In the final episode of “Agatha All Along,” we discover that when Wanda demolished her enchanted realm, the magical boy Billy managed to live on by taking over a deceased teenager’s body – a kid named William who had recently perished in a car crash. Billy’s journey to understand his supernatural identity while pretending to be an ordinary teen was surprisingly heartfelt and evoked memories of another beloved series in this genre, “Buffy,” which skillfully employed horror elements to delve into the intricacies of adolescence.

This week’s installment focused on the enigmatic witch, Lilia, brilliantly portrayed by Patti LuPone. The narrative structure, which moved between different time periods, created a bewildering atmosphere that ultimately allowed viewers to grasp why Lilia behaves so erratically and develop empathy for her. Her selfless act at the end of the episode – sacrificing herself to save other witches – had a profound impact, striking us with emotion rather than indifference.

In the last two episodes of the show, broadcast on Halloween eve as a double feature, we learn about Agatha’s backstory. Centuries ago, we see Agatha giving birth while begging Death, who appeared in a playful form by Aubrey Plaza, to delay her son’s death. Death, an old lover of Agatha, grants her some time but reminds her that neither mortal can escape their ultimate end. Sadly, when Death eventually claims the boy, Agatha worries about reuniting with him in the afterlife and spends all her efforts evading her own demise.

Agatha has been deceiving witches for centuries, tricking them into believing they can acquire mystical abilities by traversing a fictitious route called the Witch’s Path (which serves as the backdrop for the series). Her true intention is to seize their powers and achieve immortality, delaying her inevitable encounter with her offspring in the afterlife. It isn’t until Billy inadvertently fabricates the Witch’s Path—much like his mother constructed her illusion of suburban living—that a group of witches dare to embark on this perilous journey.

In the recent installments, there have been plenty of unexpected turns: The path wasn’t authentic; Billy transforms into the superhero Wiccan; Agatha gives up her life and reappears as a spirit; Billy manages to locate a vessel for his twin brother Tommy’s essence (Thankfully, the series avoided casting a stand-in for Tommy.)

The most impressive aspect of “Agatha All Along” is that it utilized its extended screen time to foster empathy towards Agatha and Billy. When Billy and Agatha’s ghost embarked on their mission to find Tommy, we are not merely interested in another typical fetch quest. Instead, we have become emotionally involved with Billy as he reconnects with his family.

In January of 2021, the debut of “WandaVision” on Disney+ was quite remarkable. Unlike previous Marvel Cinematic Universe films, this series took a unique turn, with each episode mirroring different eras of sitcoms – from “Bewitched” to “Modern Family”. However, what truly captivated Schaeffer was the character development. While Wanda’s heartbreak over losing her love in “Avengers: Infinity War” was a significant plot point, Vision’s death was merely a side note in that film. Interestingly, Thanos, who killed Vision, doesn’t even recall Wanda in the sequel, “Avengers: Endgame”.

In a refreshing turn, the series WandaVision delved deeply into the complexities of Wanda, one of the few female Avengers, rather than solely focusing on her superpowers. This depth came as a welcome change following Avengers: Endgame, which featured a brief team-up of all female superheroes that seemed to elicit more eye rolls than applause (one might wonder if the men were merely taking a break). Instead, WandaVision provided Wanda with the opportunity to grapple with her sorrow and carry out actions that were difficult to express. The series was both subtle and entertaining in its approach.

Unfortunately, it culminated in a rather uninteresting CGI fight scene with various colored sparks emanating from the characters’ hands. This dull conclusion set the stage for a tide of average, if not poor, Marvel series on Disney+, such as “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier,” “Moon Knight,” and “Secret Invasion.” These shows were overly complex and filled with plot devices that made them hard to follow. Contrary to expectations, these supposed in-depth stories about characters who hadn’t had much screen time before failed to spark interest in these superheroes. For example, a “Ms. Marvel” TV show didn’t generate excitement for “The Marvels.

In the movie “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” Wanda’s portrayal on the big screen fell short of expectations. Director Sam Raimi, who admitted he didn’t watch “WandaVision,” appeared to disregard much of her character development from that series. Instead, Wanda was depicted as a mother driven to violent extremes to be reunited with her children, which some critics found to be a stereotypically sexist portrayal. This representation missed the chance to showcase the emotional complexity that had been carefully constructed for the character on television.

As a die-hard movie fan, let me tell you, the creators behind “Agatha All Along” have struck gold. It seems they’ve finally tapped into something that not many in the comic book realm have managed – something refreshing and unique. They’re not alone in this realization; some talented actors have picked up on the audience’s growing fatigue with superhero films. It takes a reputable name like Schaeffer to convince these artists to join such projects. In a recent chat, Aubrey Plaza shared her thoughts on joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe: “The Marvel aspect of it all was the least enticing part for me, as I’m wary about being sucked into that machine.” However, Schaeffer’s involvement changed everything for her. “I don’t watch much Marvel television, but I did catch WandaVision and felt like, ‘wow,’ this is transcending the usual Marvel tropes and taking it to a new level.

Following the release of “Agatha All Along“, fans might not be far off from being equally eager to witness Billy on the big screen, just as they yearn for Doctor Doom. Schaeffer appears to be one of a select group of writers in the superhero genre who grasp that emotional disclosures hold more power than special effects-driven magic. Here’s hoping her impact in the industry grows further.

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2024-11-01 00:06