Rest assured, you do not need to watch all 34 Marvel Cinematic Universe to enjoy Agatha All Along, but there are a couple of things you’ll want to catch up on to truly enjoy the story.
Premiering on Disney+ Wednesday, September 18, Agatha All Along follows Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) as she tries to reclaim her powers after being defeated by Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen). The centuries-old witch puts together a coven of misfits (including Aubrey Plaza, Patti Lupone, Sasheer Zamata and Joe Locke) to walk the mysterious Witches’ Road and get back what was stolen from her.
So what do you actually need to watch to understand the story?
‘WandaVision’ Is the Truly Essential Viewing for ‘Agatha All Along’
WandaVision is the one title Agatha All Along viewers really should watch. The acclaimed 2021 show follows Wanda as she finds herself in a sitcom-inspired with a mysteriously alive Vision (Paul Bettany) and a gaggle of interesting neighbors, including Agatha. Along the way, Wanda not only discovers how she ended up in this bizarre reality but how her powers work — and how to become even more powerful.
Creator Jac Schaeffer explained that while the show can stand on its own, the influence of Scarlet Witch is undeniable. “Agatha is not a character who’s going to stand in anyone’s shadow. This is emphatically an Agatha Harkness show,” she told Entertainment Weekly earlier this month. “However, we are in the WandaVision corner of the universe, so Wanda’s legacy has threads in this narrative.”
Not Gonna Watch? Here’s What to Know About ‘WandaVision’ Before ‘Agatha All Along’
Wanda accidentally turned a New Jersey town into her idyllic sitcom-esque life when she was overcome with grief after Vision’s death. She created a fake Vision, two children (sons Billy and Tommy, who were about 10 by the series’ end) and more without even realizing what she was doing.
Agatha, a centuries-old witch, came to town because she sensed Wanda’s massive powers and hoped to take Wanda’s chaos magic for herself. She explains that the Scarlet Witch is prophesied in the Darkhold, or The Book of the Damned, and is destined to destroy the world. Determined to prove her wrong, Scarlet Witch lets go of her fantasy world, letting her magical sons and Vision fade with the spell and allowing Westview to return to normal — except for Agatha. She punishes Agatha by cursing her to live as Agnes, the busybody neighbor persona that the villain initially assumed when she met Wanda.
As WandaVision ends, viewers see Scarlet Witch flipping through the Darkhold and she suddenly hears her sons calling out to her, presumably from a parallel universe.
‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Is Recommended Viewing Before ‘Agatha All Along’
The 2021 movie picks up right where WandaVision left off — well, kind of. It isn’t clear exactly how much time has passed, but it’s obvious that Wanda has had the Darkhold for a while. The book has turned her rather dark, even blackening her fingertips like Agatha’s once were, and she’ll stop at nothing to get her sons from a parallel universe.
Not Gonna Watch? Here’s What to Know About ‘Doctor Strange’ Before ‘Agatha All Along’
The film ends with Wanda realizing the errors of her ways after seeing how terrified her sons are as she becomes more and more unhinged. She decides to bring down Mount Wundagore, which is the source of the Darkhold’s power. By doing so, Wanda destroys every copy of the Darkhold in the multiverse and seemingly sacrifices herself. She is believed to be dead at the end of the film.
What About ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’?
These two aren’t super necessary to watch before Agatha All Along, though they do set up the events of WandaVision. Infinity War shows Wanda’s anxiety about losing Vision and, ultimately, her heartbreak upon his death. Then, Endgame shows her taking out her anger on Thanos — and why you never want to be on Scarlet Witch’s bad side.
What About ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ and ‘Captain America: Civil War’?
You really don’t need them for Agatha All Along, but if you want to watch Scarlet Witch’s story from start to finish, viewers can watch her introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron. She comes into her own and learns how scary her powers are in Captain America: Civil War.
What About ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’?
Since Scarlet Witch is literally just in the post-credits scene, it’s unnecessary for the purpose of watching Agatha All Along. But hey, you already paid for Disney+, and it’s arguably the best MCU movie, so Winter Soldier is always worth a rewatch.
