The MCU has just introduced a way to bring back Wanda Maximoff's Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). As seen in the first trailer for Agatha All Along, the titular witch played by Kathryn Hahn has finalle broken free from the spell placed on her by Wanda. Now, Agatha's new mission could very well lead to Wanda's return to the land of the living.
Custom Image by Kevin Erdmann
As seen in the ending of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the Scarlet Witch gave her life to make up for all the chaos and destruction she'd brought in her uncompromising mission to be reunited with her children Billy and Tommy. Now, it seems as though Wanda's death created the means for Agatha to break free from her spell-bound prison in Agatha All Along. Having built a coven to join her on the "Witches' Road", Agatha's new journey could lead to the Scarlet Witch's eventual resurrection in the MCU timeline.
The Witches' Road In Marvel Comics Explained
A Special Plane Of Existence For Marvel Sorcerers
As seen in the trailer for Agatha All Along that released prior to the show's debut, the titular witch is seen recruiting various others to join her on the "Witches' Road", a path that Patti Lupone's Lilia Calderu refers to as a "death wish". Providing a means to seemingly restore her power that was taken by Wanda, Agatha looks determined to venture into this new realm for the MCU. Additionally, the Witches' Road does have a fascinating history in the original Marvel Comics as well.
The Witches' Road first appeared in Marvel Comics in 2016's Scarlet Witch solo series by James Robinson and Chris Visions, particularly in its fourth issue. Seeking to discover the source of a new sickness within witchcraft itself, Wanda and the spirit of a deceased Agatha travel the Witches' Road, revealed to be a plane of existence reserved only for sorcerers and practitioners of magic. It's also filled with all sorts of dangerous magical threats and powerful creatures to face. As such, the Witches' Road is the perfect realm to make its introduction in this new show all about Agatha and her fellow MCU witches set to become a new coven.
How Marvel Can Use The Witches' Road To Bring Back Scarlet Witch
Flipping The Comics Arc That Brought Back Agatha
Marvel Studios' plot synopsis for Agatha All Along reveals quite a bit about the MCU's version of the Witches' Road:
In “Agatha All Along,” the infamous Agatha Harkness finds herself down and out of power after a suspicious goth Teen helps break her free from a distorted spell. Her interest is piqued when he begs her to take him on the legendary Witches’ Road, a magical gauntlet of trials that, if survived, rewards a witch with what they’re missing. Together, Agatha and this mysterious Teen pull together a desperate coven, and set off down, down, down The Road…
While it seems obvious that Agatha is willing to go down the Road to restore her missing power, the real question is who Joe Locke's "mysterious goth Teen" truly is, and why he wants her to take him down the Road as well. Based on his appearance in the trailer and one shot in particular where he's wearing a red shirt and blue headband, it does seem as though this is a teenage version of Billy Kaplan, one of Wanda and Vision's reincarnated sons who becomes the magical hero named Wiccan in the comics. Hiding the character's name only exacerbates this theory, since it appears to set up for exactly this reveal.
This would certainly fit with Billy's reincarnation origins from the comics after Wanda lost both her sons on the page, mirroring the similar loss of her boys in the MCU. Teen mentioning his own passed mother also aligns with this idea, supporting the concept that the MCU character is intentionally or unintentionally seeking to bring his lost family back together again once more.
Likewise, perhaps Billy's motives behind freeing Agatha and requesting her help with the Witches' Road surround a hope to bring Wanda back from the dead. It's certainly possible considering that the comics' primary Witches' Road arc did see Agatha herself returning to the land of the living. Agatha All Along could easily flip the script where Wanda's the one who's now dead and stands a chance at resurrection via this magical new plane of existence.
How The Witches' Road Can Further Explain Chaos Magic In The MCU
Chaos Magic Can Truly Be Explored
The Witches' Road is also an exciting opportunity to further explore the concept of chaos magic in the MCU. A unique source of magical energy that Wanda was able to tap into as the prophesied nexus being known as the Scarlet Witch, Wanda's Witches' Road arc in the comics did help flesh out the underlying principles and concepts regarding her chaos magic on the page. To that end, it would make sense if the MCU ends up using Agatha All Along and the Witches' Road to continue developing what chaos magic truly is and how it operates on the screen.
This seems doubly true now that the show has revealed that each member of the main coven is able to use different types of magic. While none of the members are chaos magic users, the fact that they're traveling through the Witch's Road makes the possibility of chaos magic - or another chaos magic user - appearing feel very much possible.
Whether Wanda returns or not, it's also possible her magic may still be glimpsed as the show goes on, as Agatha is potentially still marked by the spell that was previously cast on her. There's also the matter of the Salem Seven, who certainly seem ominous enough that they could be revealed capable of using chaos magic should they appear again, particularly since their arrival does seem to require warping reality much in the manner that chaos magic itself does.
Agatha All Along's First Two Episodes Have Further Teased The Scarlet Witch's Return Chances
Agatha All Along episode 1 and episode 2 make the prospect of Scarlet Witch potentially returning to the MCU either in the show or because of the events that take place in it all the more likely. While it initially appears Agatha is literally looking at the body of a dead Wanda, this is revealed to be part of Agatha's warped perception of reality, immediately disproving the prior speculation that this would cement Scarlet Witch as concretely dead and not to return in the MCU.
Joe Locke's "Teen" - who was theorized to be Wanda's son Billy Kaplan prior to the show even releasing - reveals his mother is dead in episode 2, and also mentions he was the one who broke Agatha free of Wanda's spell. Agatha notes this should theoretically make him a very powerful magic-user, but Teen reveals that while he has done his research, he actually isn't, and is instead looking to use the Witch's Road to give himself magical abilities.
This raises the possibility that the character is able to break Wanda's magic because of his ties to her, either by being a variant of her child or due to something more complex. It's also possible this is a lie from the character, and this reasoning is given in order to hide his true motivation for traveling the Witch's Road if it is indeed to bring back the Scarlet Witch.
Finally, Agatha All Along shows that Agatha can't hear the name of Locke's character when he says it, and episode 2 shows she can't hear him say where he comes from or when he talks about his past either. This is interesting as it suggests that this may be lingering effects of Wanda's spell - further supporting the idea "Teen" is her son - or because of some other protective magic on the character. Whatever the case, all this makes the prospect of Wanda's return seem more likely, since it makes the theory that Locke's character will bring back the Scarlet Witch feel more tangible.
