Agatha All Along's secret weapon may surprise Marvel fans

Spoilers ahead: Don't even consider traveling the Witch Road if you haven't watched the latest episode of Agatha All Along.

If the general public had some skepticism about the appearance of Agatha All Along, no one could blame them. On paper, it was a spin-off series from the main series myself spin-offs of larger Marvel Cinematic Universe films don't inspire much credibility – or originality. But it's actually a testament to showrunner Jac Schaeffer and her team of writers that the coven of mismatched witches seeking ultimate power on the Witch Trail proved to be as fun and entertaining as ever. While “WandaVision” mostly only hinted at the supernatural events taking place within Wanda Maximoff's (Elizabeth Olsen) curse, this new adventure was able to embrace its own horror charm to a degree never before seen in the MCU. For fans, the opportunity to go full camp and pay homage to one of our most misunderstood forms of witchcraft media was well worth the price of a Disney+ subscription. But if you dig into the details, that's not the defining factor that sets Agatha All Along apart from anything that's come before in the series.

Over the past decade and a half, as the MCU has dominated pop culture, much has been said about the interconnectedness of the superhero universe as a reason for its success, starting with 2012's The Avengers. The novelty factor has been waning dramatically in recent years, especially with several high-profile flops and poorly received shows coming out one after the other. Perhaps it was only a matter of time before the same problem that plagued comics came to light again.

In light of this, Agatha All Along may be exactly what (the sorcerer) ordered. Taking place in a walled-off part of the MCU and remaining free from any major franchise obligations, the series should be able to tell its story entirely on its own terms. And what's more, with no less authority than Schaeffer herself confirms.

Somehow, against all odds, Agatha All Along became a haven in the middle of an MCU storm of character cameos, callbacks, and self-reflexive references connecting every last detail to the overall canon of the series. As of episode 5, titled “Darkest Hour/Wake Thy Power,” the only overt examples of connective tissue on “WandaVision” were the stray name of Wanda Maximoff very early on and the amusing inclusion of Debra Jo Rupp's Mrs. Hart (um, let that be Sharon Davis )…until her sudden death last week. Still, the show's plot hasn't been affected in the slightest by the new status quo established at the end of, say, “The Marvels” or the multiverse shenanigans of “Deadpool and Wolverine.” If you ask showrunner Jac Schaeffer, that's the main difference between this movie and “WandaVision.”

In a recent interview with Hollywood Reporter, Schaeffer explained:

“We weren't the burden of modernizing any canon. In WandaVision, both (Vision actor Paul Bettany) and (Elizabeth Olsen) had so much history within themselves and with each other (…) So we wanted to highlight those moments and fill them in more. We also had the greater burden of the Scarlet Witch in the form of the Infinity Stone and things like that.

Granted, it would be disingenuous to ignore how much “Agatha All Along” still loves to tease all sorts of “wonders” – including stray references to Mephisto and even the great mystery surrounding the identity of unnamed teenager Joe Locke that has only just been revealed . But there could very well be a canyon of differences between these relatively minor crossovers, and the upcoming “Captain America: Brave New World” turns into a re-tour of “The Incredible Hulk.” The release from the “burden” of the MCU that Schaeffer mentions is visible to all.

In the key scene of the latest episode of “Agata All Along” there is a telling moment. Pursued by the nefarious Salem Seven, who we learn are the vengeful children of witches that Agatha herself turned on and killed hundreds of years ago, Teen comes up with the brilliant idea of ​​using various branches along the Road as makeshift brooms with which they can fly away to safety. place. This crazy (and somewhat stereotypical) pattern works, incredibly, to say the least, but only for the briefest of teases. Flying well above the treeline, our coven of misfits suddenly feel pulled back to the Witches Path by an unseen force – almost as if the MCU itself was warning them against too original and independent. No matter how high this show soars, the scene seems to suggest that franchise commitments will always threaten to bring things down to earth… quite literally.

Even after five episodes, it's still too early to say whether “Agata All Along” will stick around or not. The results so far are extremely promising, not to mention some truly inspired elements like this worm from the original song Or basically everything about Aubrey Plaza's enigmatic nemesis, Rio. So far, there's no indication on the show that Kevin Feige swooped in and ordered reshoots at the last minute to create something random, like, I don't know, “Avengers: Doomsday” or “Armor Wars” or what have you. Most likely, these specific witches will be able to exist in the MCU, but separate from the always complex story that lurks Just beyond the magical land of the Witches' Way. Let's hope this magical ride doesn't end anytime soon.

New episodes of the series “Agata All Along” every Wednesday on the Disney+ platform.