Under the leadership of Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and under the ownership of The Walt Disney Company, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has transformed the superhero film genre. The pinnacle of Marvel Studios’ Phase Three was achieved through the blockbuster successes of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), signifying the culmination of the Infinity Saga. These movies played a vital role in the expansion of the franchise, solidifying its place as a prevailing influence in today’s film landscape.
Credit: Marvel Studios
After Robert Downey Jr.’s emotional sacrifice as Iron Man/Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame, and Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers passing on the Captain America mantle, the Marvel Cinematic Universe now faces even greater and more formidable challenges, with Earth’s superheroes standing on the edge of the unknown.
Credit: Marvel StudiosMarvel’s Disney+ Scarlet Witch Success
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) took a daring leap into streaming television by incorporating mainline movie actors into their new Marvel TV shows. The official commencement of Phase Four occurred in 2021 with the highly anticipated debut of WandaVision on Disney+ (Disney Plus).
Credit: Marvel Studios
Related: No Longer Part of MCU Future, Beloved Series Sequel Axed
This Emmy-winning series, starring Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany), explored a unique concept by breaking the fourth wall and delving into their lives as a blissfully newlywed couple — despite Vision being deceased in the MCU canon.
It draws inspiration from the Marvel Comics’ “The Vision and the Scarlet Witch” storyline. Set against the picturesque backdrop of Westview, New Jersey, the show unfolds the couple’s narrative as they navigate seemingly perfect lives, only for reality to gradually unravel before their eyes.
Credit: Marvel Studios
WandaVision brings fans on an engaging yet thought-provoking journey through grief, uncovering the hidden truths of Wanda Maximoff and Vision’s existence, along with the mystery surrounding their two children, Billy Maximoff (Julian Hilliard) and Tommy Maximoff (Jett Klyne).
The skilled ensemble cast features Kathryn Hahn as nosy neighbor Agnes, later revealed to be the witch Agatha Harkness, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, Randall Park as Jimmy Woo, Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis, Evan Peters as Ralph Bohner/Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff, Debra Jo Rupp as Mrs. Hart, and Fred Melamed as Arthur Hart.
The Truth Behind Scarlet Witch’s Demise
Time for some Scarlet Witch updates.
Recently, Marvel Studios themselves dropped behind-the-scenes footage of the upcoming WandaVision spinoff and sequel, Agatha: Darkhold Diaries (formerly Agatha: Coven of Chaos and Agatha: House of Harkness).
Credit: Marvel Studios
In the 2022 film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange/Stephen Strange, the villain of that movie eventually turned out to be none other than Wanda Maximoff herself, following the events of her own Disney+ series, Wandavision. Fans were rather shocked at the turn, as the (former) Avenger, who had seemingly made peace with her grief during her solo show, had already said goodbye to Paul Bettany’s Vision and her two sons, Billy and Tommy Maximoff.
The movie Multiverse of Madness by director Sam Raimi however, undid a fair amount of her emotional progress, with her character almost regressing to a desperate, hate-filled former hero consumed by the trauma of her loved ones’ deaths. With that more villainous turn, Wanda Maximoff finally met her demise at Mount Wundagore.
Until now, it seems. The truth will seemingly be revealed — and officially confirmed — in Agatha: Darkhold Diaries.
According to known Hollywood insider CanWeGetSomeToast, it appears that the “morgue” scene from the new Agatha TV promo will confirm that Agatha is not experiencing reality in the most… necessarily accurate way. That is to say, all of this “morgue” business could be Scarlet Witch’s spell still going strong — which means that Agatha is attempting to break free from the hold that Wanda Maximoff has on her — adding to the proof that Wanda Maximoff is in fact, alive.
The exclusive report reads as follows:
🍞EXCLUSIVE🍞
In the first episode of ‘AGATHA: DARKHOLD DIARIES’, Agatha will still be under the Scarlet Witch’s spell. As such, “Detective Agnes” is investigating a murder case. At first, the toe tag of the victim on the table reads: W. MAXIMOFF.
This is actually Agnes trying to claw her way out of the spell, with a little nudge from her ex, Rio Vidal.
Rio tells Agnes that there are TWO Jane Doe’s to this case. Agnes reaches for the toe tag and a new name sits above Wanda’s:A. HARKNESS. 🔮✨
🍞EXCLUSIVE🍞
In the first episode of ‘AGATHA: DARKHOLD DIARIES’, Agatha will still be under the Scarlet Witch’s spell. As such, “Detective Agnes” is investigating a murder case. At first, the toe tag of the victim on the table reads: W. MAXIMOFF.
This is actually Agnes trying… pic.twitter.com/eaOYhzNArZ
— CanWeGetSomeToast (@CanWeGetToast) November 26, 2023
It definitely seems as if Marvel Studios are not ready to definitively kill the Scarlet Witch off — ironic, as this news comes in the form of Marvel revealing the “body” of Wanda Maximoff in a morgue.
Joining Secret Invasion (2023), Captain Marvel 2 AKA The Marvels (2023), Marvel is cooking up something new — yes, aside from the Fantastic Four. The upcoming WandaVision spinoff, Agatha: Darkhold Diaries (formerly known as Agatha: Coven of Chaos and Agatha: House of Harkness), marks the return of Kathryn Hahn to her role as Agatha Harkness. The actual Agatha show will be created by head writer Jac Schaeffer with directors Gandja Monteiro and Rachel Goldberg, with executive producer Feige. Leading a witches’ coven, Hahn’s character is recovering from her old murderous ways, and set to shake up the established style of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in this highly anticipated Disney+ series. Official announcements have confirmed the participation of several actors, including Aubrey Plaza, Ali Ahn, and Maria Dizzia, with details about their specific roles kept under wraps.
A recent revelation unveiled Joe Locke’s casting, presumably as Billy Maximoff/Billy Kaplan, Wanda’s son and the superhero Wiccan from Marvel Comics. Additionally, Sasheer Zamata is set to portray Sorceress Jennifer Kale. Returning from WandaVision, Debra Jo Rupp will reprise her role as Mrs. Hart, and Fred Melamed will again embody Arthur Hart. Broadway icon Patti LuPone joins the cast as an elder witch named Lilia Calderu, central to the witches’ coven.
David Payton joins as John Collins/”Herb”, David Lengel as Harold Proctor/”Phil Jones”, Asif Ali as Abilash Tandon/”Norm”, Amos Glick as a pizza delivery man/”Dennis”, Brian Brightman as the Eastview, New Jersey sheriff, and Agatha’s mother Evanora Harkness is played by Kate Forbes. Miles Gutierrez Riley will portray Hulkling, and Okwui Okpokwasili in an undisclosed role.
The artistic direction of this Disney+ series leans towards a “musical theater” aesthetic, drawing inspiration from the unexpected popularity of tracks like “Agatha All Along.” Notably, renowned lyricists and composers Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, acclaimed for their work on Broadway hits such as Book of Mormon and Disney’s Frozen, have crafted memorable melodies showcased in WandaVision.
