Marvel Studios
WhenAgatha All Alongwas announced as an unofficial sequel / quasi - spinoff to 2021 ’s hitWandaVision , many rolled their eyes at what seemed yet another unnecessary project in the MCU ’s never - ending machine . To some , the miniseries was absurd , greenlit based on the viral success ofan annoying earwormfrom 2021 . To others , it reeked of desperation , a last - haunt attack to keep the MCU conveyer belt alive on Disney+ . Indeed , Agatha All Alongarrived ata shaky time for the MCUwhen even its most torrid followers doubted it . But if the charm was don off , who better than a hag to get it back to sprightliness ?
And wreak it back , it did . Agatha All Alongjust concluded itsspectacular nine - episode runwith a two - part stopping point that tied light ends and provide a satisfactory finish but still left the door heart-to-heart for the next chapter in Agatha Harkness ( Kathryn Hahn ) and Billy Maximoff ’s ( Joe Locke ) fib . Unlike its predecessor , Agatha All Alongstuck the landing and fork out a rattling limited series that reminded us why we love the MCU . In fact , it would n’t be an magnification to call this show the okay project in the franchise since the herculean 2019 juggernautAvengers : Endgame , and you know what ? It ’s not even near .
Marvel Studios
Tame your fears/A door appears
Agatha All Alongcenters on Agatha Harkness ( Hahn ) , still under the Scarlet Witch ’s ( Elizabeth Olsen ) spell follow the events ofWandaVision . However , she is before long help out by a mysterious teen ( Locke ) and a shadowy material body from her past ( Aubrey Plaza ) . The teenager wants Agatha ’s help to tread the legendary Witches Road , which gives any witch who complete it “ glory at the final stage . ” Reluctantly , Agatha agrees , gather a makeshift coven and entering the dangerous path while follow by the Salem Seven , ancient foes from her past .
The show pile up an ensemble of new faces — Locke , three - meter Tony victor Patti LuPone , Emmy nominee Aubrey Plaza , SNLalumni Sasheer Zamata , andThe Diplomat‘s Ali Ahn — and a few intimate figure fromWandaVision , most notably the dear but gravely underrated Debra Jo Rupp . Jac Schaeffer , who was also the mind behindWandaVision , returns to attend to as showrunner , and give thanks god for that .
At first coup d’oeil , Agatha All Alongis another pose entry into the MCU ’s Phase Five , but upon closer examination , it ’s easy to see why the show was greenlit . In sum-up , it serves two function : one is showcasing Kathryn Hahn , perhaps for the first time in her vocation ( judge forMrs . Fletcher ) , as a bona fide run lady capable of headline a major project . It can even be seen as a advantage of kind for both Hahn and Schaeffer after the success ofWandaVision . After all , Olsen gotDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — which was more a penalty than a advantage , in hindsight , but that ’s another story — andPaul Bettany go a series of his own , which apparently is still happening . But Hahn and Schaeffer were just as instrumental toWandaVision‘s success — they even got Emmy nomination for their efforts ! A sequel series of their own was only fair .
Agatha All Along‘s second design , arguably more authoritative in terms of enfranchisement - edifice , is expanding the MCU ’s magical corner by introducing one of Marvel ’s most democratic characters : Wiccan . Arguably the most popular LGBTQ+ character from the risible books , Wiccan is the sort - of - son of the Scarlet Witch and Vision , a being of monumental magical power who has even serve well as Marvel ’s Sorcerer Supreme .
He is also one - one-half of the mostfamous and darling gay couple in comic Word of God , and the overwhelming popularity of his romance with Hulkling has put them on par with iconic couplet like Sue and Reed and Peter and Mary Jane . The roam ofHeartstopper‘s breakout star , Joe Locke , made it immediately clear thatAgatha All Alongwould preface Wiccan . The young role player denied it for age , never once get around andmaking Andrew Garfield gallant . Many even embark into guessing he was playing Nicholas Scratch , Agatha ’s Logos from the risible al-Qur’an . However , we all knew ; one depend at the kid , and you could secern .
Now , with the time of year over , we can safely sayAgatha All Alongachieved its two role and then some . Hahn is brilliant as the lying enchantress with the capital closet — seriously , that violet pelage isto die for . Because she ’s not a former Avenger like Wanda , Hahn ’s Agatha is not constricted by traditional , moralistic , and frankly boring feeling of “ skilful ” and “ evil ; ” instead , she ’s give up to exist in the morally grey area dwell by so few Marvel character .
Agatha is rightfully that bitch : she lie , tare , betrays , and kill , and does it all with a smiling and a cackle that would make Eleanor Audley proud . Agatha is perhaps the MCU ’s one true anti - hero sandwich ; more than Bucky ( Sebastian Stan ) or Loki ( Tom Hiddleston ) , Agatha is a actual sluttish canyon march to the beatnik of her solitary , covenless drum .
It ’s so sincerely refreshing and , frankly , admirable that Schaeffer adopts the same approach with Billy . AlthoughAgatha All Along‘s former episode had him declaring he is “ not that prissy , ” scarcely anyone charter his words at cheek economic value . After all , the MCU is famous for either redeeming its villain and turning them decidedly heroic or toss off them once they ’ve serve their purpose ; no one is permit to be switch or fickle , at least until now . However , the two - instalment finale discover Billy is not only inadvertently responsible for the death of his newfound coven , but he is in reality OK with them because thing work out his style .
To be fair , it ’s not like Billy cackles with glee at the deaths of his fellow witches . However , he does n’t lose any eternal sleep for them either . He is also utterly okay with inhabit a body that is n’t his , lying to Billy Kaplan ’s parent , and carrying on as if nothing go on . All this is n’t to paint a picture Billy is evil , but there is a clear ruthlessness present in him that ’s miss in so many other Marvel heroes .
Much like Wanda , Billy is volatile and close to the border than anyone mean , holding enough power of creation and devastation to take the populace to its genu . The fact that Schaeffer makes him somewhat cold and calculating only adds layers to his characterization , making him instantly captivating , peculiarly in a franchise that treats its teen case like carbon copies of each other .
Burn and brew with coven true
All the praise direct atAgatha All Alongis absolve , peculiarly in the current age of Marvel entertainment . The show feels like back - to - basics for the franchise by doing what every labor should : rivet on build itself rather than a cinematic universe . Sure , it has Easter eggs — it makes indisputable you do n’t forget about Wanda Maximoff , after all — and it ’s connect to the enceinte universe . However , its priorities are the theatrical role on sieve , first and firstly . To Schaeffer , Jennifer Kale and Lilia Calderou are more important than Thor or Peter Quill ; thus , you care because she cares .
Agatha All Alongis such a good telly show because it ’s just that : a tv show . Unlike other MCU show , which seem to call up of themselves as extended movies , Schaeffer ’s shows prioritise occasional storytelling in servicing of an overarching chronicle . It seems instantaneously dumb that a TV show receives praise for doing what any project on its medium should do , but here we are . And it ’s not just Marvel that ’s guilty of come near modified series like wannabe movies : even HBO , once the premier connection for quality , little - screen storytelling , is stumbling nowadays for lay outminiseries with identity crises .
It ’s not likeAgatha All Alonghas something too meaningful to say . It ’s a show about grief and ego - discovery , yes , but it does n’t reinvent or delve particularly deep into those themes . LikeWandaVision , Agatha All Alongalso struggles in the last turn , although it does a far adept caper than its forerunner by have the traditional Marvel final engagement in the 2nd - to - last episode and allow the final chapter to be a full - on part study .
That ’s whereAgatha All Alongtruly shines : in its characterisation , introduce a plaster bandage of vivid players that rank among the MCU ’s most compelling . Every member of the coven has a defined struggle that make them relatable and deserving rooting for — the one exception might be Plaza ’s Rio Vidal , but this tough nature plays to the forte of Plaza as a performer and her mystic character ’s allure .
However , virtually every other lineament is a small man in itself , and the show does a vivid chore developing its electric arc over its modified episodes . Nowhere is this more apparent than inits best instalment , Death ’s Hand in Mine , which is not only a tour - de - force for Patti LuPone but a masterclass in slow - burn storytelling .
WithAgatha All Along , Schaeffer opt for bold rather than familiar . The conjuration in the show is refreshing enough to stand out but button-down enough to exist within a budget . The stake are gamy enough thatthe characters ’ deaths are finalbut not so gamey as to descend intothe CGI mess that so many of the MCU ’s third - bit battleshave become . Like its titular part , Agatha All Alongis resourceful and inventive , doing so much with so little and providing a much - needed breather for the franchise , especially in a particularly flawed saga that has favored multiversal spectacle over genuinely good storytelling — earnestly , if I never hear the Holy Scripture “ multiverse ” again , I wo n’t mind .
Wherever it may bend/I’ll see you at the end
IfAgatha All Alongproves anything is that Marvel needs to hold on to Jac Schaeffer for dear life . In fact , I would n’t mind understand her take on a bigger role after two certified hits . I ’d experience a whole lot more confident in a potentialYoung Avengersmovie or show if she were in bursting charge . Locke , too , needs to stick around around : his Wiccan is the most engrossing immature figure in the MCU by far ( sorry , Ms. Marvel ) , and the idea of a merry superhero at the forefront is genuinely exciting .
As for Hahn ? Ghost Agatha seems here to stay , and the pieces are all arrange for another project with her at the forefront . Millions of fans are clamour for Wanda to get another shot at the movies : Scarlet Witch solo movie with Schaeffer , Olsen , Hahn , and Locke ? Shut up and take my money !
Beyond what it did for the MCU as a enfranchisement , Agatha All Alongmust be praised for what it did for Marvel as a creative venue . More so than HBO’sThe Penguin , which is somewhat embarrassed by its source material , Agatha All Alongreminded us that there is quality to be chance in a Earth of superheroes while still bosom their campy nature .
Like the skillful comic book movies , it find oneself joy in the confines of its little corner yet make it palpate so sublime , making everything seem like a life - or - death situation . In the true nature of the Wiccan it so loves , Agatha All Alongis loud , over - the - top , and striking in all the best direction possible , and we would n’t require it any other way . Glory at the end , indeed .
All nine episodes ofAgatha All Alongare now available tostream on Disney+ .
