Agatha Harkness was first introduced to the MCU in WandaVision under the guise of a nosy neighbour called Agnes. Eventually, her true identity as a puppet-master and powerful witch was uncovered by Wanda Maximoff.
Now, we have confirmation that Agatha will return in her own standalone series, which will make up part of phase five of the MCU.
Initially, the production was titled Agatha: House of Harkness but was renamed Coven of Chaos in July 2022. The series’ latest (and hopefully final) title is Darkhold Diaries. Find out what we already know about the production.
Marvel Studios
Agatha: Darkhold Diaries release date
At the moment, Disney hasn’t set an exact release date for the new series. However, according to rumours from The Hollywood Reporter, the studio plans to present Agatha’s adventures around Halloween 2024.
Who is Agatha Harkness?
Agatha first appeared in 1970’s Fantastic Four #94 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. She was depicted as an elderly nanny hired by Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman to care for their son, Franklin. As it turned out, she was a witch who remembered the sinking of Atlantis and was one of the defendants in the 17th-century trial in Salem. After many adventures with the Fantastic Four and Scarlet Witch, Agatha was finally burned at the stake. However, she returned to life, and eventually she regained her youth.
In the comics, Agatha was Wanda’s mentor who taught her how to use and control magic powers. Eventually, she discovered that the Maximoff children were merely manifestations of the soul of Mephisto – one of Marvel’s villains – and erased Wanda’s memory of them, protecting her from the trauma. However, when Scarlett Witch discovered the truth, she killed Agatha in cold blood.
Agatha Harkness was the most powerful witch on the Earth. Among other abilities, she could levitate, teleport, use telekinesis, manipulate the four elements, cast illusions and read people’s minds. She also had a familiar, cat named Ebony, possessing mystical powers.
Agatha: Darkhold Diaries plot
Spoilers for WandaVision below.
In WandaVision we saw a much grimmer version of Agatha. Rather than Wanda’s mentor, she was her enemy and power-seeking sinister witch – though she was still funny and charismatic. At the end of the series, she was trapped by Wanda in the persona of Agnes and condemned to live in an ordinary world.
The creators haven’t yet revealed any plot details for Darkhold Diaries. However, they will surely depict Agatha’s fate after the events of WandaVision. The witch will most likely find a way to break Maximoff’s hex and return to her witchy antics.
We may also learn more about her past and family as a witch. We’re also keeping our fingers crossed for another musical number like ‘Agatha All Along’.
Marvel Studios
Agatha: Darkhold Diaries cast
In the upcoming series, Kathryn Hahn will reprise her role as Agatha Harkness. Also returning to their roles will be:
- Emma Caulfield Ford – Sarah Proctor/Dottie Jones
- David Lengel – Harold Proctor/Phil Jones, Sarah’s husband
- Debra Jo Rupp – Sharon Davis/Mrs. Hart
- David Payton – John Collins/Herb
- Asif Ali – Abilash Tandon/Norm
- Kate Forbes – Evanora Harkness, Agatha’s mother
- Brian Brightman – the Eastview, New Jersey sheriff
As far as we know, Elizabeth Olsen won’t appear in the series.
The cast also includes:
- Aubrey Plaza – Rio Vidal, a witch
- Patti LuPone – Lilia Calderu, a 450-year-old Sicilian witch
- Sasheer Zamata – Jennifer Kale, a sorceress
- Joe Locke – Billy Kaplan, a familiar
- Miles Gutierrez-Riley – Hulkling, Billy’s boyfriend
- Ali Ahn
- Maria Dizzia
- Okwui Okpokwasili