Weeks ago, it may have seemed fair to question the existence of Agatha All Along. Most notable for its rotating list of name changes in the lead-up to release (Coven of Chaos is still our favorite), it seemed inevitable that the Kathryn Hahn-led series would join the ever-growing selection of MCU TV series that have failed to dazzle in recent years – such as Secret Invasion and Echo.
Instead, what we have been gifted is a bewitching series that has put a spell on viewers. Agatha All Along is fun, genuinely hilarious, and teeming with personality. The end result? A stunningly original, auteur-led project that also satiates Marvel fans by simultaneously feeding into the larger universe – a creative tightrope walk that many have tried and failed to pull off over the years.
In fact, its most recent Lilia-focused Agatha All Along episode 7 has not only bested the previous MCU gold standard in its sister show WandaVision, but, in my opinion, has given us Marvel’s best standalone TV episode – and a reason why creator Jac Schaeffer needs to become Marvel Television’s answer to Kevin Feige. Not bad going for 30 minutes of tarot card readings and on-the-pointy-nose cosplays of famous pop culture witches.
Agatha All Along’s seventh episode, ‘Death’s Hand in Mine’, is – essentially – a perfect Marvel episode. Taking a character that, by her own admission, felt like the “kooky” side of a coven in Lilia (Patti LuPone), it delivered a Witches’ Road trial that fleshed out her character and backstory to immensely satisfying effect.
We didn’t need to know about Lilia’s Italian past and the fate of her previous home, but it sure helped make the final sacrifice even more of a gut punch than it already was. The final cherry on top? Her tarot skills being the reason she turned the tables (and the tower) on the Salem Seven. Throw in some pitch-perfect jokes and deliveries from its immensely talented cast (Teen’s ‘full name’ is a howlingly good line), and it’s a well-rounded winner. Death’s Hand in Mine even enriches a future second viewing of Agatha All Along thanks to the callbacks to Lilia’s tarot cards dotted throughout the show so far.
Season of the witch
On that basis alone, Jac Schaeffer, who now has WandaVision and Agatha All Along on her resume, can certainly make the case to step in and be the TV equivalent of Kevin Feige.
For too long, the Disney Plus efforts have lacked a cohesive vision and are only characterized by how different and disparate it all feels. In a cinematic universe where one thread is picked up just as quickly as it’s put down again, WandaVision and Agatha All Along feel like two parts of a whole – and it’s that sort of thinking that can really get the MCU up and running again on the small screen.
And, simply put, Kevin Feige can’t oversee everything – no matter how much of his public perception or in-universe ribbing of She-Hulk’s K.E.V.I.N would have you believe. It’s no surprise that, post-WandaVision, the MCU as a whole suffered a noticeable dip in quality. Feige and his team of producers were spread too thin; Schaeffer can help fix that, lest they make the same mistake they did with Loki director Kate Herron and let another towering talent slip through their fingers.
So, what next for Schaeffer? Social media speculation would suggest that an adaptation of Marvel comic series Children’s Crusade, which sees Billy hunt for the Scarlet Witch, would form part of the upcoming Vision Quest series. Curiously, that comic is also a present she gave to Billy Maximoff actor Joe Locke before filming Agatha All Along. But Schaeffer, it seems, is too busy to round out the WandaVision trilogy. Might she be working on a Scarlet Witch movie? Those new 2027 and 2028 Marvel release dates are looking mighty tempting, and would be a nice way to cap off her time at Marvel Studios.
Hopefully, though, there’s a bigger seat at the table for Agatha All Along’s creator. Schaeffer running the rule over the witchier side of the MCU could certainly work but maybe – just maybe – she should be handed the keys to Marvel’s television kingdom. It is, after all, the season of the witch.
For more on all things MCU, check out our guides to Marvel Phase 5 and Marvel Phase 6. Then dip into the dozens of movies and shows so far with our guide to the Marvel timeline and how to watch the Marvel movies in order.
