Since Agatha All Along failed to explain all of Agatha Harkness’ powers in the MCU, it’s possible the original Salem witch might be much more than she seems. Agatha All Along’s finale explored Agatha Harkness’ history in the MCU, revealing that she used the legend of the Witches’ Road to lure witches into her trap, but the popular Phase 5 series still left out some key pieces of information. Most notably, how Agatha Harkness’ power works is still a mystery, but the fact it’s so different to other witches in the MCU has spurred some huge new theories.
Kathryn Hahn first appeared as Agatha Harkness in 2021’s WandaVision, introduced as a powerful witch who entered the Hex around Westview, New Jersey, in hopes of stealing the Scarlet Witch’s power. 2024’s Agatha All Along was the perfect follow-up to WandaVision, and set up some exciting storylines for Agatha Harkness in her new form in the MCU’s future. According to a shocking new theory, this future could see Agatha involved in the MCU’s upcoming mutant-centric storylines, as she could have actually been teased to be a mutant as well as a formidable witch.
Agatha Harknessโ Superpower Suggests She May Be A Mutant As Well As A Witch
Agatha’s Power Absorption Ability Seems To Be Unique To Her
While Agatha Harkness seemingly has many of the same abilities as the other witches of the MCU, including spell-casting, incantation, deep knowledge of witchcraft and energy manipulation and projection, there is something unique about Kathryn Hahn’s witch. Agatha Harkness is able to absorb the magic and life force from other witches, increasing her own power in the process. The uniqueness of Agatha Harkness’ gift wasn’t explained in Agatha All Along, but a new theory posed by Reddit user Minniboe suggests that this could in fact be Agatha’s mutant ability.
Agatha All Along didn’t reveal Agatha Harkness to be a mutant in the MCU, but given the increasing focus on this slowly-emerging species, it’s very possible that this could be the case. This draws similarities to Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan, who learns that she is a Djinn and mutant hybrid in 2022’s Ms. Marvel, which also gifts her unique powers. While Agatha Harkness is not a mutant in Marvel Comics, this would make a lot of sense, explaining exactly why her ability is so different to the MCU’s other witches, while also contributing to the wider mutant narrative.
Agatha As A Mutant Means 1 Agatha All Along Quote Makes More Sense
Evanora Harkness May Have Hinted At Agatha Being A Mutant
One of the most heart-breaking and emotional moments in Agatha All Along was delivered in episode 5, “Darkest Hour/Wake Thy Power.” This saw the ghost of Evanora Harkness meet the coven in Agatha’s own trial on the Witches’ Road, urging the coven to leave Agatha behind so that she can finally punish her daughter, noting that Agatha was “born evil.” This haunting quote takes on a new meaning if Agatha Harkness is revealed to be a mutant, as her mother’s hatred of her would mirror the greater hatred and discrimination felt by the entire mutant community.
Related
10 Existing MCU Characters That Could Be Revealed As Mutants
After that drastic reveal in Ms. Marvel’s finale, fans are beginning to speculate which other classic Marvel superheroes could be revealed as mutants.
Ever since their debut in Marvel Comics, mutants and the X-Men have faced adversity in the form of “regular” humans who deem them inferior or less-than due to their differences and sometimes-terrifying abilities. This narrative of discrimination and segregation must be important to the MCU’s upcoming mutant focus, too, and Agatha All Along may have provided the first major tease to this being explored. If even Evanora Harkness hated her own daughter back in the 1600s, perhaps because of her mutation, humans in the present day may feel this fear and caution even more so.
Agatha Harkness May Set Up Other Power-Absorbing Mutants For The MCU
Many Of Marvel’s Mutants Can Absorb The Powers Of Others
Agatha Harkness being revealed to be a mutant with the ability to absorb the power of others wouldn’t be too outlandish at all, as there are many other power-absorbing mutants in Marvel Comics who could soon be joining the MCU. Most notably, beloved X-Men member Rogue has the ability to absorb the power and life force from anyone she makes skin-to-skin contact with. Rogue’s power is strikingly similar to that of Agatha Harkness, though Rogue’s works on anybody, whereas Agatha is limited to only taking the power of other witches.
Rogue was previously portrayed in live-action by Anna Paquin in 20th Century Fox’s
X-Men
franchise, while Lenore Zann voices the power-absorbing mutant in the animated
X-Men ’97
series, reprising her role from
X-Men: The Animated Series
.
The prospect of Agatha All Along setting the stage for Rogue’s MCU debut is very exciting, as she is expected to be a central member of the MCU’s X-Men team, seeking redemption after being wasted in Fox’s X-Men franchise. This could also create the opportunity for a number of other mutants to debut, including the likes of Leech, Bishop and Vulcan, among many others, all of whom can absorb the energy and powers of other mutants. Teasing these characters so early would be huge for the MCU, so Agatha Harkness being outed as a mutant could be game-changing.