Who's Agatha Harkness in Marvel Comics? Explore her strengths, secrets
Get ready, Marvel fans. Kathryn Hahn is set to reprise her role as the enigmatic Agatha Harkness in the Disney+ series, Agatha: Darkhold Diaries. A behind-the-scenes featurette—part of the WandaVision Blu-ray release—gave us a sneak peek into the show. Darkhold Diaries—initially slated for a late 2023 premiere—will now debut in 2024. As viewers eagerly await the series, the question lingers: Who is Agatha Harkness?
Who is Agatha in the comics?
Agatha is a 12,500-year-old witch! This mystical character first made her debut in Fantastic Four 94 in 1970, crafted by the creative minds of Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Initially introduced as the governess to Franklin Richards, the son of Reed and Sue Richards (Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman), Agatha was seemingly a benign caretaker with a penchant for the occult.
Agatha's backstory: Witchcraft and New Salem
As her story unfolded, it became apparent that Agatha was no ordinary nanny. Agatha's backstory is quite fascinating. In the comics, she once led the witches of Salem in the 17th century before guiding them to create a hidden city called New Salem in modern-day Colorado. Eventually, she left New Salem to rejoin the outside world and settled in a home called Whisper Hill.
Agatha is a powerful sorcerer: Know her strengths
Agatha kept her magical abilities under wraps for a while, but she later disclosed to the Fantastic Four that she was indeed a witch. Agatha proved to be an exceptionally strong sorcerer, ranking among the most powerful during that period. Her powers range from precognition and communication to mind manipulation and transportation spells. Agatha even has a shape-shifting cat named Ebony with regenerative powers.
Agatha's enemies and challenges
Agatha's son, Nicholas Scratch betrayed her with the assistance of his magically mutated superhuman children known as Salem's Seven. Despite being burned at the stake by her grandchildren, Agatha returned to aid her former student Wanda Maximoff and the Vision. She's faced off against foes like Immortus, who tried to exploit Wanda's powers, and the Magus, the evil counterpart of Adam Warlock.
Agatha served as the Scarlet Witch's teacher
As time passed, the Fantastic Four didn't need Agatha as Franklin's nanny. She then began working with the Scarlet Witch (Maximoff) to help her deal with the challenges of her peculiar children and the traumatic memories of her husband's death. Agatha realized that Maximoff had powerful but risky abilities that needed better control. That's when Agatha stepped in and became her mentor.
Who kills Agatha?
In comics, Agatha discloses that Maximoff's twin children are parts of the soul of Mephisto, a big Marvel villain. When Mephisto absorbs the children back, Agatha erases their memories from Maximoff's mind. When Maximoff learns the truth, she coldly kills Agatha.
Is Agatha evil in comics?
As time passed, Agatha rose to prominence in her group and secretly handed over some witches to authorities who targeted witches. She did this undercover, with her main aim being to eliminate weaker witches in New Salem to strengthen her coven. Does this make Agatha evil? Not exactly. In the comics, this witch operates in shades of gray, performing both good and questionable actions.
