#valtorr

[rickyriddle]

Agatha and Corina (Midnight Suns)

Spoilers for the Midnight Suns (2022-2023) comic series.

Just read Midnight Suns (it was part of the Agatha anthology I bought) and in this comic, Agatha seems to have a very special relationship with another witch named Corina. She was part of her coven back in the 1400s. The deeper details of their relationship isn't explored other than a few flashbacks, which I'd like to talk about.

Agatha's coven (including Corina) attempted to summon a powerful demon (Valtorr) to kill their enemies (witch hunters) but it required a sacrifice, which Agatha was unaware of. The other witches decided to sacrifice Corina, which is where Agatha drew the line and decided to stop the ritual (which would have killed all non-magic people). Agatha was really protective of Corina here.

Unfortunately, even if Agatha managed to stop the ritual, Valtorr had already taken Corina. Her sacrifice was in vain. Something that still haunts Agatha even centuries later.

Agatha spent years trying to find Corina, and save her from Valtorr. Unfortunately, Agatha wasn't strong enough to defeat him and had to leave Corina behind. She probably assumed Corina had died afterward. It's probably one of Agatha's biggest regret, not being able to save her and leaving her to her fate.

But then turns out, Corina (now going by Korrosion) wasn't dead, she survived all those centuries inside Valtorr's dimension and managed to steal his power. And she kept a grudge against Agatha for abandoning her and leaving her behind. Agatha was definitely conflicted about Corina's return and what she had become, but she knew she had to stop her old friend.

In the end, Agatha stopped Corina, and stole the powers she herself stole from Valtorr.

Both Agatha and Corina vanished afterward, leaving the others to think they had both perished. But Corina didn't actually die, and she definitely intends to come back for Agatha. Meanwhile thanks to the powers she took, Agatha got de-aged.

There is very little information about these two's relationship outside of what I showed here, but I can easily see them as ex-lovers. Agatha seemed to have a deeper bond with Corina than the rest of the coven's members, defending her when they insulted her and protecting her when they attempted to sacrifice her. She even spent years trying to rescue her, so it does feel to me that they were more than just friends. This would make Corina feeling betrayed and abandoned by Agatha even more tragic. She did wait for Agatha to return, and eventually lost hope and took it upon herself to kill Valtorr by stealing his power.

Some of the language used regarding Agatha and Corina also feels more like something you'd say about a lover than a friend, like "Corina is lost to you forever" or "I won't let you keep her away from me". There's a sense of "ownership" towards Corina from Agatha, which would feel more appropriate if they were indeed lovers. Corina also mentioned doing what she and Agatha once promised they would do together, and that with all the power she now has, they could. Said promise isn't made clear, but it does show their strong bond, and that they did want to be together in some way. Even with all the resentment Corina now has towards Agatha, she still holds to that promise.

So far, there are three versions of Agatha Harkness that are confirmed queer (Marvel's Midnight Suns, Agatha All Along and What If) and two among them in canon sapphic relationships (Rio and Sara/Caretaker), so I could see the comics potentially going that route too, and making Corina her ex-girlfriend would be a good way to do so. As far as I'm aware, the main comic book Agatha doesn't have any love interest, it's unclear who Nicholas Scratch's father is and if Agatha had an actual romantic relationship with him, so there isn't much to contradict she might also be sapphic in this continuity. So far, Corina hasn't reappeared in the comics (at least, not physically, she does keep sending demons after Agatha), but they were definitely setting up a conflict between her and Agatha at the end, so I'm hopeful she will come back eventually.

Agatha was always depicted as a benevolent witch up until her de-aging. I know it displeased some long-time fans, but I think in context, it makes sense she had a massive personality shift, for different reasons. Agatha spent centuries feeling guilty for what happened to Corina and failing to save her. Helping others, especially magical individuals, is like a way to atone for that. But after finding out Corina is alive and now resents her, and having to stop her, Agatha let go of that burden, she confronted the source of her guilt. A big part of the Midnight Suns comic was to not let the past dictate your future, and this is what Agatha did. She gained back her youth and decided to go on a different path, taking it as a second chance at life, without feeling burdened by her past mistakes and regrets.

Alternatively, it could be the exact opposite. She was confronted with the direct consequences of her action, leaving Corina behind led for her to resent her and become a villain who attempted to destroy the world. She nearly succeeded, and it's one more thing for Agatha to feel guilty about. Her actions could have caused the end of the world. This could have been a wake-up call that she needed to change her methods, taking a more passive role as a mentor and teacher isn't enough for her. She wants to take matter into her own hands and go more extreme, even if this makes her more of an antagonist.

And there is the possibility that the power she got from Valtorr affected her personality, since it's unclear if Corina turning evil is simply because of the centuries of resenting Agatha, or if she was also corrupted by the power she took from Valtorr. I'd say it's both personally, so it's possible that this power also had an effect on Agatha's personality.

Either way, I'm looking forward to what the comics have in store for Agatha and I'm hoping for the official return of Corina.

[doctorofmagic]

The magic lore in Midnight Suns is amazing and here's why

From the previous issues, we already know that Valtorr is involved and they managed to explain how Stephen and other sorcerers were able to draw power from dark entities without being corrupted. But Midnight Suns #3 dove even deeper into the possibilities and references that Marvel’s magic lore (most often overlooked) can offer in terms of potential plots.

First of all, here’s a cameo of Asti, a demon who was once loyal to Dormammu and dwells in the Dark Dimension. I’m pointing its appearance because it’s not much of a popular or known character, which is kinda important to me when writing about magic lore, especially Doctor Strange’s. Asti was last seen in New Avengers v4, when Wiccan defeated it. I feel like it was a sweet homage to classic stories and also shows that Ethan Sacks has a good amount of knowledge of this part of the Marvel universe.

Kushala using Asti’s bat as a ride was also a nice touch and it reminded me of the first Ghost Rider and more “summoning” animals used by other Riders, although this is a more recent reference (and I'm not completely familiar with the Riders so it could have happened before and I wasn’t aware of it).

Now, let’s untangle this panel here. Bear with me.

*breathes in*

The Mhuruuk were the original people who ruled the Dark Dimension before Umar and Dormammu. They are born with magic and were called wizard-kings, until Olnar became friends with the exiled siblings and were deceived by them. Driven by greed, Olnar wanted to conquer more and more realms and annex them to the Dark Dimension, and that’s when he released the Mindless Ones, dying on the battlefield. Orini, Clea’s father, was too young to rule, and so Umar and Dormammu raised and twisted the story to be loved by the kingdom (and yes, Clea is half-faltine, half-mhuruuk).

The Mhuruuk then lost most of their magic and could only perform simple tricks when gathered in groups. They were exhiled until Clea returned and became the rule of Dark Dimension. However, they had a very sad fate when they were forced to fuse with the G'uranthic Guardian by Dormammu. No one could undo said spell, and thus they remained bound to the Guardian forever.

So, who are these children of the Mhuruuk?  I *think* they’re the offspring of the remaining Mhuruuk who survived the rebellion against Dormammu, before they were fused with the Guardian. They weren’t supposed to ressemble vampires, but it could be a product of their corruption. Dormammu did mention he used a dark spell to mesh them. And why do they hate Clea and want war? Because the Mhuruuk fought to defend her right to rule, but were “abandoned” by her to suffer such miserable fate. Besides, they could resent her for her faltine side. She is, after all, the daughter of Umar.

This is insanely cool because it could open the possibilities to a bigger plot in a DS story. Or even a limited series about Clea and her journey to become the Sorcerer Supreme of the Dark Dimension!! The potential is all there!! I’m just so excited to see this happen!!

Next, this is not entirely about lore, but I simply loved this moment between Yana and Nico <3 Still, I can’t help but think that they’re doing a better job at portraying Zoe’s past and family than we’ll ever see in SA.

AAAAND lastly!! Here he is! Sorcerer Supreme Tony Stark, the same character from All-New X-Men Annual #1 and Infamous Iron Man. And am I glad to see a reference from Infamous Iron Man? YES, I AM. I miss you, Bictor ;-;

In any case, this book is just so good when it comes to lore, references, cameos, homages and fanservice. I’m very grateful and actually super surprised with the quality and care this book brings, even though it was made to promote the game. IT’S REALLY GOOD!!