Time moves differently in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. That tends to happen when your franchise releases around seven projects a year — and while Marvel works hard to keep its release schedule slightly more manageable, but it’s getting harder and harder to justify everything that’s happened in the MCU lately. Even relatively good stories like WandaVision — which are somehow only three years old — feel like they took place centuries ago, such is our capacity for retention. And that leaves spin-offs, like the recently released Agatha Always Alreadywith some setback.
How do you bring the audience up to speed without giving them “Marvel homework”? Can a spinoff continue its story when it seems so far removed from the story that started it all? Agatha attempts to answer all of these questions and more in its two-episode premiere. While it takes a while to get back into the world, the series manages to summarize years of MCU history without too much effort.
Spoilers ahead Agatha Always Already go ahead!
What happened to Agatha at the end of WandaVision?
What has Agatha been doing since then? WandaVision? Not much, but it could be Agatha’s best reveal.
Marvel Studios
Agatha is a direct sequel to WandaVisionbut it still takes place after a three-year time jump, in the time since Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) stole the Darkhold and used its dark knowledge to wreak havoc in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnessAgatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) hasn’t really done much. She’s spent the last three years stuck in Westview, the idyllic town Wanda hijacked to live her sitcom-inspired bliss with a resurrected version of Vision (Paul Bettany). Wanda did disable her spell, allowing the residents of Westview to return to their normal lives. Agatha never got the memo, though; she’s spent the last three years seemingly trapped in a Mare of Easttown scam.
Agatha manages to free herself with a little help from “Agent” Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza), a blast from her past who’s also a powerful witch. Unfortunately, Rio’s intentions aren’t all good: she just wants to break Wanda’s spell so that Agatha can be kind and clear-headed when she gets her revenge. Why she and Agatha are at odds is a story for another day, but Rio seems to have a good idea of how Agatha got trapped in a one-woman show, for anyone who needs a reminder.
In the WandaVision finale, Agatha made a valiant attempt to steal the Scarlet Witch’s reality-warping powers. But Wanda fought back and absorbed Agatha’s powers instead, creating a new spell that trapped Agatha in the “role” of the nosy, harmless neighbor. Now, Rio explains, Wanda is long gone, “and all copies of the Darkhold with her, [Agatha] trapped in her distorted spell.” No one needs to remember the details of her battle with Agatha, or even the events of Multiverse of madnessThe only thing that matters is that Agatha has been in a kind of no man’s land ever since. WandaVision came to an end.
Where does that leave Agatha now?
The mysterious witch from Aubrey Plaza is the perfect character to catch us up again.
Marvel Studios
Although she no longer has any significant powers, Agatha manages to free herself from her mental captivity. When she returns to reality, her conflict with Wanda is the furthest thing from her mind. This ensures that the series can create more relevant conflicts in no time.
With one short scene, Agatha manages to remind us all of the events of WandaVision while the focus is on Agatha herself. Wanda’s shadow hangs high above the Agatha pilot, but the series would do well to move on from the character as soon as possible. Episode 2 focuses entirely on Agatha’s relationships with other figures from her past, setting the stage for a twisting adventure on the witch’s path. Unlike so many spin-offs and sequels within the MCU, Agatha works hard to be able to work independently, which will be a relief for anyone who wants to start the series without homework.
