Marvel’s campy witch gets her own show Agatha All Along

LOS ANGELES – The superhero series WandaVision (2021) stood out because of its quirky feel and premise: two super-powered beings trapped inside what appears to be a black-and-white 1950s sitcom.

The story revolved around the eponymous Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), a powerful witch, and her android partner Vision (Paul Bettany). But the biggest scene-stealer was the couple’s nosy neighbour Agnes, who turns out to be a witch named Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn).

Hahn’s performance turned the campy villain into a surprise fan favourite, earning her an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series, as well as her own spin-off, Agatha All Along.

Debuting on Disney+ on Sept 19, the new Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) show picks up where WandaVision ended, with Agatha stripped of her powers after being defeated by Wanda.

But when a mysterious teenager (played by Joe Locke) helps her break free from Wanda’s spell, Agatha recruits a coven of witches and sets out on a journey to regain her lost abilities.

At a Zoom press conference earlier in 2024, Hahn says she could not wait to sink her teeth more fully into the character and her backstory.

“I love this part so much,” says the 51-year-old American actress, who starred in the Bad Moms comedy films (2016 to 2017).

“She’s such a performer and we kept calling her a blooming onion because there were so many layers to her in WandaVision.”

With a nine-part miniseries, Hahn felt she could finally do justice to that and strip away the defensive layers that Agatha had built up over centuries.

“And to see what was driving that underneath and get deeper. As an actor, you just want that stuff to chew on,” says Hahn. She also picked up a Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy nomination for comedy-drama Transparent (2014 to 2019). 

American creator and showrunner Jac Schaeffer says Agatha is the quintessential Marvel villain in many ways.

“Generally, at Marvel, there’s always a quest to have villains be not just one-note, and Agatha is the ultimate example of that.

“She’s so complicated, has so many different dimensions and is never about world domination,” says the 45-year-old. Schaeffer was also the head writer on WandaVision and co-developed the story for the Marvel movie Black Widow (2021).

She credits Hahn with helping the character blossom beyond the page.

“There was always something nefarious, which is where we began with her.

“And then when Kathryn was cast, she was incredibly funny and personable in a kitschy, sitcom way. But there was also this voracious appetite for power, and Kathryn embodied all of that,” Schaeffer adds.

The show also introduces several other characters who may be more than meets the eye, including the boy known simply as “Teen”.

Says Locke, the 20-year-old British actor playing him: “I think, like Agatha, Teen has got a lot of layers. And when you first meet him, he’s very different to how you end up with him.”

Aubrey Plaza plays Rio Vidal, a warrior witch whose history with Agatha goes back centuries.

“What I love about being on this show is that you’re not allowed to say anything about it or you get in trouble,” says the 40-year-old. The American actress also starred in the second season of satirical comedy-drama The White Lotus (2021 to present).

“All I’ll say about my character is you can expect the unexpected. There’s twists and turns and all kinds of shenanigans happening.”

But for viewers parsing the series for clues to the characters or how this story connects to future MCU titles, Locke says to pay close attention to what everyone is wearing.

“The costumes hold all the secrets,” he teases. “If you look closely, you’d find every twist and turn of the show in them.”