I’ll admit upfront: I know very little about the comic book version of Agatha Harkness. What I do know is that she’s a witch from Salem, she had a close connection to the Scarlet Witch, and at one point served as Franklin Richards’ nanny. Over the years she has played both hero and villain, but that’s the extent of my comic knowledge.
This post, then, is about the MCU’s Agatha, brought to life by the magnificent Kathryn Hahn. If you haven’t watched WandaVision or Agatha All Along, consider this my plea: go watch them. Both series are outstanding, in large part because of Hahn’s performance and the unique energy she brings to the character.
Agatha is one of those rare characters who delights in being wicked. She relishes every diabolical moment. Yet, beneath the snark and scheming, there’s the suggestion of a heart that longs for something better. That complexity shines especially in Agatha All Along, a show I enjoyed so much I watched it twice back-to-back. Hahn layers the performance with subtle glimpses of regret, enough to suggest there’s far more to Agatha than she allows the world sees. She is capable of love and devotion, particularly in her relationships with her son and with Billy, though she keeps that tenderness hidden behind walls of barbed-wire steel.
I won’t spoil the details of either series or the ways Agatha’s past shapes her wickedness. Instead, I’ll simply say this: she is the most entertaining “villain” the MCU has given us. I can’t wait to see where Hahn takes her next — and until then, I may just give Agatha All Along a third watch.
