Agatha All Along’s Power Absorption: Clarified

Spoilers for “Agatha All Along” Episode 5 are found here under Editor’s Note. Agatha All Along won’t let go and has drawn viewers in. Avoiding the usual review bombing, the Kathryn Hahn-led miniseries ␠which features the great Patti LuPone and Saturday Night Live veteran Sasheer Zamata ␠has had a wild, head-spinning trip in the most recent episode. The fifth episode of the series, “Darkest Hour/Wake Thy Power,” was somewhat startling with the unexpected and premature death of one Alice Wu-Gulliver (Ali Ahn), who wasted her life trying to save Agatha, only to have Agatha herself absorb her talents and life energy.

Regarding proving the scope of her abilities, Agatha‒s whole shtick has been absorbing the powers of other witches since her arrival into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Agatha would be ready to employ this ability on a member of her new coven at the beginning of WandaVision’s “ Previously On,” as well as semi-robbing Wanda ( Elizabeth Olsen) of her own powers during “The Series Finale. The episode leaves things open, and it’s unclear whether Agatha intended to completely drain Alice or not. Nevertheless, it begs issues about how Agatha’s power-absorbing ability function works. She seems completely in control; how did she initially learn these? Agatha All Along hasn’t yet provided all the answers, but thus far what we know is this.

The Darkhold Possessed Agatha’s Forbidden Magic

Agatha absorbs power quite simply: she may absorb the magic and assume the powers of another witch instead of being harmed by a blast of magic from another witch. She basically cannot be harmed by magical attacks and aggressively absorbs strength from anybody attempting to use magic against her. Even Wanda — the Scarlet Witch ␠is only to vanquish Agatha by imprisoning her in a rune circle, therefore rendering her magic worthless.

According to WandaVision’s “ Previously On” Agatha learned to find and use her power absorption from hundreds of years spent with the Darkhold. Agatha’s mother Evanora (Kate Forbes) charges Agatha’s mother of exercising authority beyond her place and violating the coven’s policies before her attempted execution by her Salem coven, but Agatha argues she followed the rules, rather than the rules bent to her power. Though the chronology is not exact, this fits the character motive she has been given since the Darkhold bestowed upon her rule-breaking authority. Agatha spent generations perfecting her trade, while Wanda’s great power comes from unfettered natural aptitude. One may see Agatha’s capacity to absorb other witches’ powers as a manifestation of her jealousy toward the raw power of the foretold Scarlet Witch.

Although she is also endowed with a full range of magical abilities to which there is no equivalent in comics, where Agatha can only teleport, read minds, and move objects with telekinesis-power absorption is an ability of comic book Agatha that she does not possess. The makers of WandaVision, as well as Agatha All Along, seem to have pinched MCU Agatha’s magic trick -power absorption from the celebrated comic character X-Men ␔ Rogue.

With the exception of physically touching them, Rogue is able to absorb both strength and life energy from others both in the books and the movies. Like Agatha’s victims, those infected with Rogue’s ability to absorb life energy and power are left as mere shells of who they once were, and the side effects can be deadly.

Does Agatha Master Her Absorption Powers in “Agatha All Along”?

When Wanda is extolling her power over everything in Westview, Agatha accuses her of just running magic on autopilot through WandaVision. Agatha might be qualified to do just that. In Previously On, Agatha uses whispered incantations to show Wanda her magical arsenal, which includes metamorphosis and mind control.
Agatha never employs verbal magic to start absorbing power, unlike most of her mastered skills. Using this skill clearly distinguishes the magic being cast at Agatha from Agatha’s beginning to pull it out of the witches, suggesting some choice in the issue.

One cannot overstate the value of Agatha All Along.

She is very obviously doing this very deliberately with intent in Salem and Westview-but she may not have been with Alice, as far as we know. Teen (Joe Locke) leaps into action and comes upon another presence in the room—the Ouija board spelling out Nicholas Scratch ␠the name of Agatha’s son—while she is having her power leak. Nicholas and the Darkhold might have a relationship; if Agatha learned to absorb power from the Darkhold, could its knowledge have taken over at that very instant?

Agatha most certainly spotted an opportunity and seized it very much in line with her nature, however, there is a chance she is not totally in charge of this ability. While the title of the show, “Darkest Hour/Wake Thy Power,” probably refers to what is found at the end, it also could subtly hint at something innate to this power. Agatha’s true intention to drain (and kill) Alice has not yet been revealed.

In Agatha’s darkest hour, could her prohibited ability have awakened and repowered her even though it meant sacrificing a member of her coven?

Following “WandaVision’s events, Agatha Harkness sets out to recover her lost abilities. She negotiates a complicated world of magic and intrigue while facing fresh magical challenges teaming with unusual friends like the son of her former nemesis.

Conclusion:

Agatha Harkness’s ability to absorb abilities sets her in the strong position of a witch with the ability to suck out and use others’ energy given her behavior in WandaVision. Few Marvel villains have been able to survive by channeling the powers of their victims. Her supremacy through black magic distinguishes her as an amazing character in the MCU. Agatha is thus more than just Wanda’s antagonist; she is a self-sustaining powerhouse with unrealized promise in the next stories.

FAQs: