Marvel’s 'Agatha All Along' spinoff — everything we know so far
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It's been Agatha all along! Disney Plus confirmed a WandaVision spinoff back in 2021, with Kathryn Hahn set to reprise her role as Agatha Harkness. Like, duh — the Emmy nominee played the breakout character on Marvel's acclaimed first Disney Plus series. Fans have been clamoring for a spinoff ever since the WandaVision finale, and since then, it’s been declared that WandaVision season 2 isn't happening.
So, yes, Agatha will be returning to the small screen, and recent upfront presentations have revealed more about this upcoming series when it will be coming to Disney Plus. The spinoff has been described as a "dark comedy”, and WandaVision showrunner Jac Schaeffer will return as head writer and executive producer.
The show was originally titled “Coven of Chaos”, along with “House of Harkness”, “Darkhold Diaries”, and even “The Lying Witch with Great Wardrobe”. These titles were a marketing stunt performed on Disney’s behalf to show Agatha’s chaotic and comedic nature. Now, though, the real title is “Agatha All Along” (which is pretty clever marketing, you have to admit).
What to know about Agatha Harkness
Hahn's character was first introduced on WandaVision as Agnes, the stereotypical nosy neighbor found in sitcoms. In the first few episodes, she's portrayed as a joke-telling, winking sidekick to Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen).
Then, in episode 7, Agnes confessed she was Agatha Harkness, a powerful witch. She had been manipulating events in the Hex — even tricking Wanda into believing Ralph Bohner (Evan Peters) was her brother Pietro. Her actions were delightfully recapped in the song "Agatha All Along," written by Oscar winners Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. (The excellent tune won an Emmy, as it deserved.)
Episode 8 revealed Agatha's back story: In 1693 Salem, Massachusetts, a coven of witches led by her own mother attempted to execute her for practicing dark magic. Instead, she drained them of their magic and life forces.
Now, some 330 years later, Agatha wanted to do the same to Wanda. She revealed that Wanda is capable of chaos magic and is, in fact, the mythical Scarlet Witch. A battle ensued, but Wanda prevailed and drained Agatha of her magic instead.
Before leaving Westview, Wanda took down the Hex, but left Agatha trapped in the character of Agnes.
Will the Agatha spinoff of 'WandaVision' be a prequel or sequel?
“Agatha All Along” will be a sequel that reveals how Agatha plans on escaping the magic Wanda trapped her with. Now, she is powerless, and she’ll go on a journey to regain her powers.
That’s not to say no prequel elements will be included. Some flashbacks could explore Agatha's time after the Salem witch trial, as she develops her dark magic skills. There are over 300 years to work with, giving Schaeffer plenty of space to tell whatever story the writers have come up with.
However, the sequel will focus on the canon set by the current and upcoming movies and Disney Plus shows. However, the dark comedy vibe could fit very well if Agatha becomes aware that she's trapped in the role of a “nosy neighbor.” The story will most likely follow her attempt to break free while joining forces with other new and exciting characters.
When will 'Agatha All Along' be released?
When “Agatha All Along” was announced in late 2021, it seemed extremely unlikely that an Agatha Harkness show could show up on Disney Plus before 2023. However, the recent Disney upfront presentation revealed an official release date for the spinoff, and that is September 18 this year. Two episodes will air on this date while the remaining seven will be released weekly.
Hahn’s show was supposed to premiere in the winter of 2023 but was pushed back due to the writers and actors strikes. This meant Disney had to shift its plans, including forming a new Marvel strategy that included cutting projects down to three movies and two TV shows a year.
“Agatha All Along” was among the list of other Marvel shows with release dates. “Daredevil: Born Again” and “Ironheart” will come after Hahn’s spinoff, meaning they’re set to debut in 2025.
Confirmed cast for 'Agatha All Along'
Of course, Kathryn Hahn will be reprising her role as Agatha Harkness. She’ll also be joined by Emma Caulfield, who played Dottie Jones/Sarah Proctor, the social leader in WandaVision. However, there will be a new witch in town, as Patti LuPone is set to play a witch named Lilia Calderu.
Not much is known about her relation to Agatha, but she will be a part of the coven of witches, along with Aubrey Plaza as the original character Rio Vidal and Joe Locke as an unnamed character. He is said to be playing "a gay teen with a dark sense of humor."
Here is a full list of the confirmed cast:
Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness, the main protagonist who is a powerful witch
Emma Caulfield as Sarah Proctor, who was known as Dottie Jones in Wanda's hex
Patti LuPone as Lilia Calderu, a 450-year old witch whose power is divination
Aubrey Plaza as Rio Vidal, a Green Witch and former partner of Agatha
Joe Locke as Billy Kaplan, a mysterious gay teen with a dark sense of humor
Sasheer Zamata as Jennifer Kale, a powerful sorceress who uses her powers for protection
Ali Ahn as Alice, another witch and member of Harkness's coven
Debra Jo Rupp as Sharon Davis, who was known as "Mrs. Hart" in the hex
David Payton as John Collins / "Herb"
David Lengel as Sarah's husband Harold Proctor
Maria Dizzia as an unnamed character
Miles Gutierrez-Riley as an unnamed character
Okwui Okpokwasili as an unnamed character
Trailers and photos for 'Agatha All Along'
No official trailer has been released for “Agatha All Along”, but Disney’s upfront presentation did share a brief look at what to expect in the spinoff.
According to IGN, the trailer opened with Agatha Harkness as a detective in a murder case, almost like she’s created her own reality. She looks at a list of dates and notices “W. Maximoff” next to October 13. Then, Plaza’s character Rio appears and asks Agatha “Is this really how you see yourself?”
She then proceeds to say: “That witch is gone, leaving you in a distorted spell. Claw your way out.” This makes sense for how "WandaVision" ended, considering Agatha was left trapped as a character and not a witch.
Further into the trailer Agatha snaps out of a trance and says “She took every bit of power had. I can be that witch again.” It’s then various witchy sequences occur as Agatha promises to “walk the witch’s road” and create her own coven for more power. LuPone’s character Lilia comes into frame, saying: “What witch in her right mind would join Agatha Harkness' coven?”
Finally, Agatha ends the trailer with a simple piece of dialogue: "I'm not looking for right-minded witches.”
UPDATE (July 2): We have a first look at "Agatha All Along" from Empire, and it shows Agatha joined by a group of witches, including Lilia, Jennifer, Sharon, and Alice. Schaeffer said to Empire: "What they have in common is that they’re covenless witches. 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?"
Schaeffer also said: "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.” Check out the image below:
UPDATE (July 9): Yes, the time is here, we finally have a teaser trailer! Disney Plus released the trailer yesterday on July 8, and it has two whole minutes of footage that reveals Agatha and her group of witches on a mission.
It seems as though the titular character is still being emotionally haunted by Wanda Maximoff, and while we do get hints at The Scarlet Witch returning, it's not confirmed (and probably unlikely). However, what we do see is various "horror" elements that make this spinoff even creepier, with Agatha and her new allies taking a trip down the legendary Witches' Road. Marvel claims this Disney Plus show is "really scary" — but I don't believe it. I actually hope that I get proven wrong.
An official synopsis also came out just before the trailer: "The infamous Agatha Harkness finds herself down and out of power after the suspicious goth Teen helps break her free from a distorted spell. Her interest is piqued when he begs her to take him on the legendary Witches’ Road, a magical gauntlet of trials that, if survived, rewards a witch with what they’re missing. Together, Agatha and this mysterious Teen pull together a desperate coven and set off down, down, down The Road."
A Total Film exclusive has also given us another look at the coven of witches. This new image sees the group of six looking concerned, but we don't know what they're concerned about. Kathryn Hahn, Joe Locke, Patti Lupone, Ali Ahn, Sasheer Zamata, and Debra Jo Rupp all have incredible witch vibes, and it'll be exciting to see their dynamic on screen.
Check the image out below:
