Who Is Agatha Harkness In Marvel Comics: Powers And Abilities

Agatha Harkness grabbed our attention in WandaVision, which saw her as the villain who tried to steal Wanda’s powers. However, in the end, she is defeated by Wanda, who reveals herself as Scarlet and captures Agatha in Westview with her spells. While fans waited for Vision’s standalone series, Marvel decided to give us a television series that kept the evil witch Agatha at the forefront. Well, WandaVision didn’t reveal much about the witch, so fans are curious to learn who she is and what her powers and abilities are. Let’s delve deeper into this article to gain insights into Agatha Harkness.

Who Is Agatha Harkness?

Agatha Harkness is an ancient witch who has existed for many centuries. She was highly devoted to Occult practices, and that’s why, with the help of her coven of witches, she tried to stop the witch hunts taking place in Europe. Later, in the 17th century, she led the coven of Salem, Massachusetts, and continued the occult practices until she was caught during the Salem Witch Trials. Her mother accused her and called her a betrayer. Agatha’s story would have ended if she hadn’t fought back and killed the witches, including her mother.

Agatha Harkness built a mystical city in Colorado named New Salem. The witch eventually got married in New Salem, gave birth to a son, and named him Nicholas. Later, she decided to flee from the city. In the 18th Century, she trained the members of the Daughters of Liberty during the American Revolutionary War.

Agatha Harkness Was Hired As a Nanny by Reed Richards

Following Nicholas’ birth, Agatha wanted to leave the witchcraft practices behind, so she left the witch city and started living in Whisper Hill. There, she spent her days teaching children. Reed Richards and her wife realized that their infant son Franklin needed a nanny, so they appointed Agatha as his governess. The witch puts all the effort into taking care of the infant without letting the heroes know about her real identity. However, she had to open up about her powers to protect Reed from the negative zone in which he gets captured.

Agatha often protected the heroes and warned them about the dangers involving the Watcher and Overmind. However, she couldn’t prevent Annihilus from kidnapping Sue and Franklin into the Negative Zone. When the heroes bring the duo back with Agatha’s help, the witch becomes Franklin’s permanent nanny until the young boy gains consciousness.

Agatha’s Role in Wanda Maximoff’s Story

After resigning from Franklin’s governance duty, Agatha tutored Wanda Maximoff, who was struggling with her potent powers. Wanda was raised by the demon Chthon, so she had no control over her powers, and that’s when Agatha showed up and began helping the little girl stabilize her powers. However, she didn’t tell Wanda everything about her powers and continued training her until she got married to Vision. Years later, Wanda returned to Agatha’s doorstep when an interdimensional being named Lore drove her crazy, and she needed external help; Agatha was the only one she could trust.

Agatha took ownership of the most sinful book, Darkhold, and became power-thirsty after reading the powerful spells mentioned in it. That’s when she sensed Wanda Maximoff’s powers and started living in the locality where Maximoff lived with her husband. Agatha introduced herself as a housewife named Agnes and started getting over-friendly with them. After Wanda and Vision became parents, Agatha couldn’t hide her identity for long, and to execute her plan, she had to trap the children. The evil act of Agatha called for a duel between her and Wanda. The latter took possession of Darkhold and trapped the cunning witch using the powerful spells of the book.

Agatha Harkness: Powers and Abilities Explained

As a witch, Agatha has extensive knowledge of magic. She can alter people’s appearances or turn them into non-living things. In addition, Agatha has been seen nullifying her opponent’s magic in many instances. She’s a master at Witchcraft, so she can easily tap into the universe’s limitless magic and mold it however she wishes.

Along with that, Agatha has learned countless powerful spells, which also allow her to tap into the power from other dimensions. We saw Agatha erasing Wanda’s memory of her children in the comics, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what Agatha can do with her spells. She can manipulate elements such as air, electricity, water, and fire. So, the Witch is surely a force to be reckoned with.

The potential of Agatha’s spells is unlimited, and even in the comics, the creators kept introducing new spells. For instance, she can cast a barrier to prevent anyone from leaving or entering that zone. Along with that, she can get inside anyone’s brain and show them whatever she wants. She can even let someone experience their entire lives within seconds. At the same time, she can also read anyone’s mind and let them experience certain illusions.

Knowing magic means Agatha can see beyond what a normal human can see with their eyes. She can sense positive and negative energies around her. And since Agatha can see beyond the physical dimension, she can also teleport herself from one place to another by jumping in and out of other dimensions.

Agatha All Along premieres on September 18, 2024 on Disney+. Check out Agatha All Along release schedule here.