Credit: Marvel StudiosAgatha: Coven of Chaos is the highly-anticipated successor to the bewitching hit series, WandaVision, which was Marvel Studios first project to be released on Disney+ back in January 2021. It had the formidable task of having to be the flagship TV series to grab new subscribers for the streaming service. The show became an immense hit that wracked up 4.8 billion minutes of streaming over its nine episode release. The series gripped viewers for weeks due to its initially mysterious premise of Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) living through a different series of American-inspired sitcoms.
Many Marvel fans may have started watching the show for the two renowned Avengers, but it was the character of Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) that mesmerized audiences with her playfully devious portrayal of the power-hungry sorceress. Plus, the earworm banger of “Agatha All Along” cemented her fan-favorite status. The massive amount of fanfare for the character prompted Marvel to announce a spin-off series featuring Agatha at San Diego Comic-Con in 2022.
Since then, the upcoming series has been plagued with delays and even retconned its subtitle from House of Harkness to Coven of Chaos. Most of the setbacks are a result of the current Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) strikes. However, it was recently confirmed that Marvel Studios has finally slated Agatha: Coven of Chaos for a 2024 release. Leaked set photos on social media have revealed that the series ended its initial round of production in early June 2023, but Marvel, like many studios are known for their reshoots. Fans have speculated that the current pacing would estimate for a late spring or summer release.
Agatha was last seen defeated by Wanda at the end of the season finale. The newly monikered, Scarlet Witch, cruelly enchanted Agatha to be trapped in the mind of her sitcom persona, Agnes, indefinitely. Marvel is known for keeping plot details close to the chest, but the spin-off show suggests that Agatha will break free of Wanda’s spell and look to build a coven of witches to take down her new nemesis.
Aubrey Plaza has been cast as Agatha’s antagonist, but there are no details as to which Marvel character she will embody in the series. It will be an ensemble cast featuring Ali Ahn, Maria Dizzia, Debra Jo Rupp, Sasheer Zamata, Joe Locke and Broadway star, Patti LuPone. LuPone divulged in an interview that she will play Lilia Calderu, a 450-year-old Sicilian witch of the Book of Cagliostro, that becomes an occasional ally of Doctor Strange in the comics. More updates are to be conjured later this year, but at least it is a relief to know that the series will have a mid-2024 release.
Are you excited for Agatha: Coven of Chaos? Will Agatha turn hero? Or become a more powerful villain?