Agatha Harkness

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Creators: Stan Lee (writer); Jack Kirby (artist)

First appearances (Comics):

  • Marvel Comics: Fantastic Four #94, January 1970

Other media appearances:

  • In the MCU miniseries Wanda Vision, Kathryn Hahn portrays Agatha Harkness. In the series, Harkness is more villainous than her comic counterpart.
  • Multiple appearances in MCU animated shows.

Marvel Lore vs MSF

Agatha’s skill-set in MSF can definitely be linked with some of her powers in Comics.

First of all, she is known as someone who manipulates Force Fields. Indeed, with her ultimate, she creates a powerful barrier to all Darkhold allies in MSF. She is also known as a master of Mystic Arts who can control the souls of the dead for her benefit.

In the game, she is extra effective against Mystic enemies and provides magic healing that can be linked with soul manipulation. Most importantly she can place Slow and Stun which fits perfectly with Binding which is her main power in Comics.

All in all, we can say that Devs have successfully implemented her real powers into the game itself.

Agatha’s MCU Powers

Agatha is one of the Earth’s most powerful witches. Due to her age, she generally does not engage in direct combat. Below you can find some of the abilities at her disposal:

  • Binding
  • Dimensional Manipulation
  • Elemental Control
  • Experience Manipulation
  • Flight
  • Force Field
  • Longevity
  • Purification
  • Soul Manipulation
  • Telekinesis, Telepathy, Teleportation

Early life and the witch trials

We can not say with certainty when she was born and how old she is, but she claims to remember events five centuries before Atlantis sank. At that time, Scrier, a cosmic being, and Harkness were in contact. That event took place roughly 18.500 BC.

Many millennia passed until she showed up in the town of Salem. She presided over the local coven.

Firestar (Angelica Jones) had a fierce fight against the Sphinx and was accidentally sent back in time to 1692. Angelica ended up in Salem during the infamous witch trials. The villagers tried to burn Firestar at the stake, they took her for a witch. The mutant furiously attacked the townsfolk, and if not for Agatha, Jones would wreak havoc on Salem.

Agatha told Firestar that she is a witch, the leader of Salem’s Coven and that she approved the witch trials. In her opinion, it was necessary for the “culling” to strengthen her people. Jones received an offer to join Agatha and help with choosing which coven members to sacrifice. Firestar was horrified and pleaded with Agatha to find another option.

Harkness finally decided to leave Salem with her coven. It led to the founding of New Salem.

New Salem

Agatha was the most powerful sorceress in New Salem and became its leader. The people of New Salem referred to outsiders as mortals. It indicates that they had longer lifespans than humans.

Agatha got married to an unidentified man. They had one child named Nicholas Scratch. Harkness tried to raise her son to be a good man, but Nicholas was on the way to the dark side.

Agatha left New Salem, and for several decades she served as a governess, a private tutor. At the time of her retirement, she had a great reputation.

Fantastic Four

Sue and Reed Richards wanted Agatha to tutor their son Franklin. Even though she was retired, Harkness accepted the offer knowing they are members of the Fantastic Four.

The fantastic Four stayed overnight in Agatha’s spooky mansion when they took Franklin to meet Harkness. As they were settling in their rooms, Thing fell through a swiveling painting in his room, and the fight with Frightful Four began.

The evil four captured members of the Fantastic Four but they underestimated Agatha Harkness. Agatha made quick work of them. When the Fantastic Four recovered, they hastily searched for baby Franklin only to find him sleeping soundly. After this event, Agatha became Franklin’s permanent governess.

After some time, Agatha revealed to Reed her powers and often served as a guide to Fantastic Four, saving them on multiple occasions. She was present at the wedding of Crystal and Quicksilver when Ultron attacked. The attack woke Franklin from a coma. He used his powers to cause an overload in the robot’s head, ending the assault.

The Fight in New Salem

Nicholas Scratch became the leader of New Salem and convinced others that Agatha’s relationship with the Fantastic Four led to the betrayal of the town. He manipulated the people of New Salem even though Harkness never mentioned their existence to anyone. Scratch convinced them that they must kill Agatha.

Agatha sensed that danger was close and abducted Franklin to help her against her enemies. She did not know that Reed contained Franklin’s powers to protect him.

The witches sent from New Salem took them both to the town. Agatha’s home, Whisper Hill, was destroyed by the Eliminator. It self-destructed upon the completion of the task. Reed managed to track Eliminator’s shell to New Salem. Fantastic Four were on the move.

With Agatha’s help, Fantastic Four managed to see through the illusion set up on New Salem. Heavy fighting between Salem’s Seven (Nicholas’ children, Agatha’s grandchildren) and the Fantastic Four ensued.

At the trial, Agatha confronted Scratch and argued that she never revealed the existence of New Salem. Scratch killed one of his people, a warlock, who asked Agatha to elaborate on her statement. The rest of the witches finally understood that Nicholas was evil. They sent Scratch to the Dark Realm using the Eternal Banishment spell.

Scarlet Witch

During the return trip from the wedding of Crystal and Quicksilver, Agatha was under attack from Necrodamus. The villain used a sort of lightning that not even Thor could manipulate. Agatha easily defeated the enemy and explained to the Fantastic Four that she had been expecting the attack. At that time, Harkness announced she wasstopping tutoring Franklin. Her new “student” was to be the Scarlet Witch.

Wanda was surprised but accepted the offer. The witch was powerful, but she knew that Agatha’s mentoring would benefit her.

They came under the attack often and repelled the enemies every time.

In one instance, Dormammu managed to kidnap and trap Agatha. Wanda came to her help and took care of their escape from Dormammu’s realm. It was clear to Agatha that Wanda did not need her instructions anymore. The Scarlet Witch would learn on her own from now on.

The Stake

After several fights with Salem’s Seven, they managed to capture Agatha Harkness and decided to punish her by burning her at the stake. They bound Agatha with the ancient rope-binding technique. She was unable to use her magic. Her grandchildren watched Agatha as the flames consumed her…

Even though her physical bodygot destroyed, her spirit survived. She aided Vision and Wanda when trapped by the Salem Seven.

In the fight against Wanda, Salem Seven tried to use the entire community’s energies but could not control them. Wanda captured some of it and channeled the energy to achieve the pregnancy with Vision.

Harkness’ ghost appeared before Wanda on several occasions, alerting her of immediate danger.

Eventually, Agatha managed to return to physical life but did not reveal through which means she did it.

Uncertainty

After all of the tragedies that befall the Scarlet Witch, her meltdown was not surprising.

Scarlet’s twins were a product of magic and existed as long as their mother actively thought of them.

After returning to her cottage from a mission, Wanda, to her surprise, found Agatha there, alive and well. Harkness confronted Wanda about her children, insisting that there is nothing normal about them. We have learned that Wanda’s twins were fragments of the soul of Mephisto. Agatha wiped Wanda’s memory of her children.

The spell prevented the Scarlet Witch from remembering her lost twins, but it wore off. Wanda was emotionally unstable and wanted an explanation from Harkness. Agatha tried to calm her, but it did not help.

Agatha’s decomposing body was found in the reality-altered version of Whisper Hill when Nick Fury led a team of S.H.I.E.L.D agents into the mansion.

Agatha was resurrected when Natalya Maximoff (Wanda’s mother) sacrificed her soul to revive the Goddes of Witchcraft.

Nevertheless, when we talk about Agatha, one question will always appear. Is Agatha Harkness alive or dead?

Basic information

  • Real name: Agatha Harkness
  • Species: Human
  • Gender: Female
  • Place of Birth: Unknown
  • Occupation: Witch
  • Height: 5’11’’
  • Weight: 130 lbs.
  • Eyes: Blue
  • Hair: Grey, originally Blond