5 Future MCU Properties For The Return Of WandaVision's Breakout Villain
Marvel Studios and Disney +'s WandaVision was a massive success for not only spotlighting supporting Avengers Scarlet Witch and The Vision but bringing yet another classic Marvel Comics villain to the screen in the form of acting veteran Kathryn Hahn (Step Brothers) 's devious witch Agatha Harkness, formerly known as Wanda's nosey neighbor Agnes.
Though Agatha managed to rival the Scarlet Witch herself in magical abilities, Marvel Studios wisely chose to keep Agatha's character on the table, leaving the newly introduced personality impotent yet available to appear for future storylines within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). However, with Marvel's slate of plans extending to 2023 and Scarlet Witch only confirmed for one film, the selection for Hahn to make a villainous (or friendly) return is somewhat limited. But, the MCU has long established a precedent for unlikely characters to show up where fans least expect.
5. What If? (2021)
Premiering sometime this summer on Disney +, Marvel Studios' first animated TV series What If will revisit several past MCU events, albeit with added twists to characters and storylines. Whether it occurs in the debut season or a follow-up, WandaVision's experimentation of the MCU formula makes it a natural candidate to be included at some point in the series. In order to do complete justice to the stories being screened in a new light, the show will see the return of several MCU favorites, voiced by their designated actors and actresses. Throughout WandaVision, Agatha Harkness frequently manipulated Wanda and quite nearly succeeded in her defeat of the young witch toward the series' end. A potential avenue could entail, "What if Agatha Stole the Magic of the Scarlet Witch?" The outcome would likely have been disastrous, but then viewers get to see more Kathryn Hahn chew up the scenery in the role so you have to take the good with the bad.
4. Loki (2021)
Similar to What If, June's Disney + TV series release Loki (starring Tom Hiddleston as the trickster god) will be an episodic adventure across various points in Marvel Cinematic Universe history. Alongside the time cops known as the Time Variance Authority, Loki will likely be helping to restore the damage inflicted onto separate timelines throughout the ever-shifting Marvel Multiverse. Now, Kathryn Hahn is currently not a part of the main Loki cast but there should exist a timeline wherein Agatha is not yet under Wanda's magical control. Aside from his deceased half-mother Frigga (Rene Russo) and the sorcerer Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Loki has yet to meet another magic-user on his level and a malicious one at that. Fans cannot deny the possibility of having Loki teamed up with another magic user just as malicious if not more so than himself; the mischief that the two would have...
3. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Though Spider-Man may be a hero based in New York City's Queens, the nature of the superhero-infested world in which he occupies will occasionally take the teenage champion from the five boroughs to other realms entirely. Set for a tentative release of December 2021, No Way Home promises to have just as solid a connection with WandaVision as the next Doctor Strange film. WandaVision left off with Scarlet Witch and seemingly planning to locate her children, which may or may not require an attempt of colliding her world with another. A larger hint of this connection to WandaVision lies in two recent additions to the cast; Jamie Foxx as the electrical human conductor Electro and Alfred Molina as a gentle scientist turned eight-armed supervillain Doctor Octopus. Foxx and Molina are two former comic book movie, alumni having played and perished as central antagonists in separate Spidey franchises.
2. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
The clear and most likely immediate option for Agatha to make a follow-up appearance in spring 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, directed by Sam Raimi (remember him?). Not only will the film expand on the multiverse ideas referenced in WandaVision and the upcoming Loki series but will see WandaVision star Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) act as co-lead alongside actor Benedict Cumberbatch's titular Doctor Strange. The Scarlet Witch's journey on the show involving Agatha has set the witch in training on a greater path of unlocking the true potential within her. Now that Wanda has gained a new set of magical upgrades from Harkness's sinister book of forbidden magic known as the Darkhold, Wanda is now perhaps on equal footing with Strange himself. If Doctor Strange does end up on Scarlet Witch's bad side by chance, the good doctor may be in need of a stable insurance plan to take care of the Avenger... in the form of a nosy neighbor.
1. Fantastic Four (TBD)
In the world of Marvel Comics, Agatha Harkness was not introduced as the archenemy of Scarlet Witch but the elderly babysitter of Franklin Richards, the Fantastic Four's youngest family member. Though Agatha's Fantastic Four connection has diminished quite a bit in recent years, the team of adventurers will soon be making their way to the MCU. With her magical abilities all but extinguished, for the time being, Agatha may not find herself on the magical battlefield anytime soon. Depending on whether the Fantastic Four are introduced as established heroes with children in their first outing, Agatha can serve as a lynchpin to tie both the whimsical 9 episode Disney + series and new film together. An appearance from Westview's Agatha may even entice audiences to watch the latest entry of Marvel's First Family, after their three past box office misfires.
The benefit of Marvel Studios expanding their terrain to Disney + are the extended library of characters and stories that can be introduced, before setting them off into the feature films. After the praised reception of Kathryn Hahn's performance, it's not so much a question of if the character will return but when. Disney would be remiss in not attempting to top WandaVision's breakout hit.