'Agatha All Along': 3 Things to Know Before the Witchy Marvel Series Arrives

Marvel’s newest TV release is serving coven mischief in Agatha All Along, and viewers are invited to hitch a ride on a broomstick to witness what awaits on the Witches’ Road. WandaVision‘s showdown between Scarlet Witch — aka Wanda Maximoff — and Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) left such an impression that it sparked a spinoff series and catchy anthem centering on the villain. The road to get here may have been paved with tricks and title dupes like Coven of Chaos and Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, but we now know that it was Agatha All Along, and it’s debuting on Disney Plus on Sept 18. 

Fans may have scanned the show’s trailers for clues or rewatched WandaVision to prepare, but we’re sharing what we know ahead of the premiere (without spoilers, of course). Cast members Hahn, Joe Locke, Patti LuPone, Sasheer Zamata, Aubrey Plaza, Ali Ahn and Debra Jo Rupp appeared at a press conference for the show during D23. They, along with showrunner Jac Schaeffer and producers Mary Livanos and Brad Winderbaum, offered a peek into the series. 

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Agatha Harkness and the Teen are ‘blooming onions’

Hahn loves playing Agatha, a fact she shared during the press event, but she was excited to go further into the character after the way things unfolded in WandaVision. She described Agatha as a performer, and because of the multiple layers Agatha pulled off in WandaVision, Hahn said that led to the Marvel team calling her a “blooming onion.” The new Disney Plus show will allow her to strip down “those layers of defense that have been built up over centuries.”

Locke plays the mysterious Teen in Agatha All Along, and his role in the story is so cryptic that when he utters his name, the words — and his mouth — are obscured. Of course, it’s intentional. We know he’s got a gothic vibe and is involved in assembling Agatha’s coven, but guessing his identity and predicting his story arc is par for the course for fans. The actor shared that Teen also has many layers and “when you first meet him, he’s very different to how you end up with him,” said Locke. “He goes on a big journey in the show.” He and Hahn agreed that both characters are of the blooming onion variety. 

Real blood, sweat and tears on the Witches’ Road

One thing to know about Agatha All Along is that instead of using CGI, the creative team employed practical effects. The scenery was crafted by hand to help elevate the fantasy elements of the series. LuPone — who plays a 450-year-old psychic witch — mentioned how the set brought some of the cast to tears, particularly when seeing the Witches’ Road come to life.

“When we walked onto the set, I think several of us burst into tears or started weeping, because I don’t think in my case, I’ve ever seen a more beautiful set in my life. And it was stunning,” she said. Individually painted leaves and no green screens on set added to magical and immersive experience the cast felt. Hahn called it witchy yet “unexpectedly trippy.”

Because the production didn’t rely on special effects, the dirt and blood fans will see in the show is real. Schaeffer said the cast “got filthy, wet, scarred, scratched” and that what you see is legit as there was no “adding of digital blood and digital mud.”

This version of Agatha is for the small screen

Though Marvel fans may be familiar with the witch’s story and her history with Wanda Maximoff, the series’ iteration of Agatha Harkness is made for TV. Winderbaum pointed out that the villain does not have a comic book dedicated solely to her character. There’s a comic story that explores the Witches’ Road that centers on Scarlet Witch, dark magic and witch trials, but what viewers see onscreen is an original creation. 

“This is an icon that Kathryn and Jac created on screen in Wandavision and was so inspiring to all of us at Marvel that we had to continue her story,” said Winderbaum. “And I would say Marvel’s at its best when we bring these icons from the character to life and and have amazing performers that bring humanity to the role.”

Agatha All Along premieres on Sept. 18 with two episodes streaming on Disney Plus.