Warning: SPOILERS ahead for WandaVision episode 7.
The latest installment of WandaVision served up the reveal that Agnes was indeed Agatha Harkness from the comics — here's a breakdown of every witchy clue that the show laid out along the way. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first debuted in 1970's Fantastic Four #94. In charge of caring for Franklin Richards, she was later revealed to be an ancient witch. As such, Agatha Harkness had a long and complex history all her own. Stretching all the way back to centuries before the fall of Atlantis, she has served in equal parts as a hero, antihero, and even an outright antagonist across her tenure. Outside of Marvel's First Family, she most notably interacted with Wanda Maximoff (aka. Scarlet Witch).
Played by Elizabeth Olsen, Wanda has been given a chance to shine in the first solo Disney+ outing. Alongside Paul Bettany's Vision, she has sought to live the real world and her traumatic past behind. Creating an entire pocket reality based on decades of classic sitcoms, Wanda has pursued her happily ever after with extreme force. Unfortunately, that endeavor also included trapping a whole town of people in the process. As a result, Wanda has found herself increasingly at odds with the agency known as S.W.O.R.D. and even Vision himself, as he pieced together the truth. Regardless, the brief happiness resulted in the birth of their twin sons, Tommy and Billy. It also brought into their lives several recurring figures — including Kathryn Hahn's Agnes.
Like many characters within Westview, Agnes spent the first seven episodes of WandaVision shrouded in mystery. Throughout it all, theories emerged that she may be Mephisto and the true villain of the show. Equally, many latched onto the idea that Agnes and Agatha Harkness were actually one and the same. Furthermore, fans anticipated that this would lead to the complex and interesting dynamic between the pair that was established in the comics. Along the way, most theories were seemingly debunked. In WandaVision episode 7, however, it was revealed that Agnes was both Agatha Harkness and the show's real villain. Despite the surprise, there were plenty of clues woven into the story along the way. Here's a breakdown of them all.
Theories circulated around the character ever since she was announced — and even more so when Hahn was cast. The fact that she was listed merely "Nosy Neighbor" had fans convinced that she had to be somebody significant. As such, they postulated which characters from Scarlet Witch's comic book journey could live up to that description. Having already settled on Agatha Harkness, the eventual offering of Agnes as her name only solidified that theory. After all, the "Ag" could come from Agatha, while the "nes" could come from Harkness. Given that WandaVision episode 1 had specific conversations about abbreviations - in relation to people with superpowers - it was likely no coincidence.
Introduced in WandaVision episode 1, Agatha wasted little time inserting herself into Wanda's life. Strolling right in with an array of questions, Wanda cut her off and only answered the first. "I'm Wanda," she offered. The pair immediately shook hands. As they did, Agatha replied. "Wanda. Charmed." Of course, on the surface, that seemed like an extremely ordinary greeting. However, Charmed also happened to be a show about witches — first airing between 1998 and 2006 before being rebooted in 2018. Given the attention to detail that WandaVision (a show about two now-conflicting magic users) has exhibited, especially relating to TV homages and references, it can't be discounted as intentional. Agatha would likely also have known of it, having retained her anachronistic knowledge and sensibilities throughout.
Making herself at home, Agatha rapidly enquired as to what event Wanda and Vision were celebrating. Skirting around the subject, Wanda ultimately settled on it being their anniversary. Agatha promptly congratulated her and deemed her lucky. Simultaneously, she lamented her marriage to the as-yet-unseen and possibly completely fictional Ralph. "The only way Ralph would remember our anniversary is if there was a beer named June 2nd," Agatha said. Again, that seemed potentially innocuous, in terms of dates. However, that date is of great significance to the Salem Witch Trials. It marked the indictment, trial, and conviction of Bridget Bishop — formally kicking off that brutal era of history.
The date was no doubt an allusion to Agatha's true identity. In the comics, already centuries old, Agatha settled in Salem, Massachusetts shortly before the trials began. Unlike many, however, she was neither fearful nor horrified by them. Instead, she viewed them as necessary to separate the strong from the weak among her coven. To that end, she even turned members over to the Puritans for trial. It'll be interesting to see if these parts of Agatha's history are translated to WandaVision, especially since the TV version seems infinitely more villainous. Equally intriguing is whether or not the show's Agatha will eventually see the light and turn more towards good. The comics version very much did, later even learning firsthand what it was like for those she gave up after she herself got burned at the stake. As such, anything is possible.
Ahead of the talent show, Agatha returned in WandaVision episode 2. As Wanda was distracted by the newly-transformed but brightly-colored S.W.O.R.D. drone, Agatha caught her by surprise. "Look," she said, startingly. "It's the star of the show!" The statement had several different connotations. Firstly, she was addressing Wanda - who has served as the main character of both the show and the show-within-the-show. Secondly, she was signifying her rabbit, Señor Scratchy, which she repeatedly declared to have theater experience and real stage presence. However, courtesy of the reveals in WandaVision episode 7, Agatha might have also been indicating to herself. A brief montage in the most recent episode depicted her as the star of her own show that intersected with Wanda's. Based on her tone, Agatha had been eager to reveal herself all this time. And, like all great villains, she has likely viewed herself as the hero of her own story.
Another statement that carried several potential meanings came later in WandaVision episode 2. At the local planning committee, Dottie lambasted Beverly regarding an oversight in her talent show preparations. As she did so, Dottie offered the statement, "The devil is in the details." Agnes immediately leaned over to Wanda and added, "That's not the only place he is." Outwardly, it appeared to be an insult aimed at Dottie. In truth, given the newly-revealed extent of her awareness, knowledge, and almost bragging nature, the nod could be construed as being one about herself. As yet, it's unknown from which realm Agatha draws power. However, given that Mephisto could be MCU's Phase 4 main villain, the line could have been a foreshadowing tease of her connection to Marvel's demonic entity.
As well as demonstrating an unparalleled level of awareness and control, Agatha's revealing of Monica's identity was suspicious. The moment occurred in WandaVision episode 3, shortly after Wanda had given birth to Tommy and Billy. Seeing the doctor out and on his way, Vision overheard Agnes and Herb talking. Though they spoke in hushed tones, the subtitles revealed that they were talking about Geraldine. "What is she doing in there?" Agatha asked. "I don't know," Herb replied, before adding, "She just went in." The conversation was enough to draw Vision's attention. It was at that point that Agnes openly emphasized that Geraldine didn't belong in town, since she had no husband, no family, and not even a home. That was enough to send Vision rushing back into the house and emphasize that Agnes had a lot more sentience than most of Westview.
However, the scene has a few more additional layers to it, in retrospect. Agatha clearly knew Monica to be a threat to her goals, which were previously hidden behind Wanda's own actions. And that wasn't just in terms of S.W.O.R.D. being drawn to the situation. Agatha had positioned herself as Wanda's trusted neighbor and guide — the one that popped by whenever needed and with whatever required. As such, the fact Geraldine had subconsciously earned Wanda's trust, to the point of delivering her babies, was an unforeseen obstacle. Monica Rambeau's in-Westview character was usurping Agatha's position and, thus, access to the power and such that she sought. Hence, Agatha telling Vision was a deliberate manipulation designed to engender distrust. Equally, it served as a clue to Agatha's true identity and intentions, even if they only came into sharper focus when she again scorned Monica in WandaVision episode 7.
In terms of identity, another red flag was that S.W.O.R.D. hadn't managed to uncover her real one. When the agency arrived on the scene, they were swiftly able to discover that Herb was a man named John Collins, Beverly was really Isabel Matsueida, and that Todd and Sharon Davis played Mr. and Mrs. Hart. The list went on. However, Dottie was seen nowhere among the board of Westview residents. Equally, Agnes hadn't been attributed to a real-life individual. Given S.W.O.R.D.'s extensive resources, both counts were infinitely suspicious and further provoked theories. It remains to be seen whether the theory that Dottie is Emma Frost or somebody else significant pans out. Regardless, it served as a pretty big hint toward Agnes being Agatha Harkness.
In WandaVision episode 5, Agatha returned to her role as Wanda's helpful neighbor of choice. In service of that, she popped up repeatedly with an array of useful items. When Tommy and Billy wouldn't stop crying, she was on hand to try and help soothe the babies. She would go on to miss her cue - which, upon reflection, was likely a further manipulation to drive Vision away. Following that, she doused the fussy babies in what she referred to as lavender spray. "It's supposed to have a calming effect," she explained. Traditionally, that would have seemed typical of a new-age 1980s sitcom character. However, what made it especially suspicious in this case, was that the babies aged up to five years old. The timing felt infinitely more magical than coincidental timing. Following the reveals, that felt even more so. Even though the mere talent show made the town briefly question things, Agnes didn't bat an eye to the aging. As such, it seemed part of her orchestrated design.
The next part of that design saw her return with a kennel for their newfound pet. Helping to make Tommy and Billy all the more eager to keep him, they aged themselves up again. The Maximoff family wouldn't see Agnes again until the end of the episode — when Sparky was tragically revealed to have died. Viewers immediately latched on to the suspicious timing and nature of it. Firstly, the fact Agnes was even growing plants with poisonous leaves felt extremely witchy to many. Plus, Wanda seemed to control the storylines, designing them to avoid pain. Therefore, she likely would have avoided her sons enduring such a tribulation. As such, it would have taken a sentient person to actively rebel against the system in that way.
Equally, by that point in the episode, Agnes would have caught onto what triggered the twins to activate their aging abilities. As such, the theory emerged that she'd purposefully killed the dog in order to provoke another growth spurt. Though the full reasoning behind that endeavor has yet to be revealed, it likely has something to do with maturing their power. Whatever the case, the Sparky theory proved true in WandaVision episode 7, when Agatha gleefully confessed. It also felt oddly like a test for Wanda's abilities. And with Wanda openly talking about her grief for lost loved ones in front of Agnes, it led all-too-coincidentally to the recast version of Pietro arriving on the Maximoff doorstep.
One of the earliest hints to Agnes actually being Agatha Harkness actually came in the first trailer. It was later seen in its full context during WandaVision episode 6. With Halloween in full swing in Westview, the characters all dressed up in ways that reflected their comic book counterparts. That went as much for Wanda and Vision as it did the twins and even Evan Peters' version of Quicksilver. As such, the fact that Agnes opted to dress as a classic style of witch felt especially telling, even before the series began.
Agnes's Halloween costume wasn't the only thing that caught people's attention in WandaVision episode 6. Eagle-eyed fans spotted that her car didn't have New Jersey license plates but actually from Connecticut. Ordinarily, that could be attributed to an overlooked continuity error or something that didn't truly matter. Given the show's attention to detail, however, that felt unlikely. The scene in question even noted the fact that Agnes had told Wanda and Vision that she'd lived her whole life in Westview. As such, her having ill-matching plates felt significant. Equally, Connecticutt has as much of a witchy connection as her aforementioned anniversary. Also known as the Hartford Witch Trials, the barbaric acts committed in Connecticutt predated Salem's own official trials by over thirty years.
Though it came close to the actual reveal itself, the veil started to slip with a number of telling lines early in WandaVision episode 7. Principally, Agnes confessed to the camera that she "actually did bite a kid once." She made the statement shortly after promising Tommy and Billy that she didn't bite. Of course, the imagery of the line, though delivered as a quip, called back to the shark of the Yo-Magic commercial. Equally, it felt like something very much akin to fairytales, which often featured classic witchy tropes, the kind of witches that would lure in children with gingerbread houses before attempting to devour them. With the whereabouts of the twins left up in the air, fans will likely be hoping that such a fate didn't actually befall the young Maximoffs.
Another that returned in WandaVision episode 7 was Señor Scratchy. In truth, he served as yet another clue regarding Agnes's true identity. After all, in the comic books, she has a villainous son that just happens to be named Nicholas Scratch. The fact that her rabbit has an extremely similar name felt infinitely telling from the onset. Regardless, it hasn't been made clear whether the rabbit is merely a familiar or something more significant. There's a chance it could actually be her son who has been transmogrified for some reason. Then again, Old Scratch is also a nickname given to the Devil himself. As such, there's been a persistent belief that the rabbit may be one of Mephisto's many forms. Whatever the case, it remained a rather foretelling note up through the reveal. Much like Agatha Harkness's overall agenda and what happened to Tommy and Billy, whether or not there is more to Scratchy than that will become clear in WandaVision's final two episodes.
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