Wanda, Wanda, Wanda: The Scarlet Witch of It (Agatha) All [Along]
I recently ran into some of the fandom's discussions around Wanda, Agatha, and the Hex, and I have found myself vaguely frustrated by the ways in which everything is discussed. I think everyone is entitled to their reading of it; however, I want to dissect my own personal reading, and personally how I see their dynamic.
Upfront, I do not see Agatha as a victim in this situation, in any form. As I read Agatha during Wandavision, she was a hunter and murderer who was staking out her prey, and that went ass up for her. She lost the fight, and the Hex following was a form of imprisonment that Wanda thought best fit, for what I read as a multitude of reasons. So, I want to unpack all of this. What the Hex was during WV, what Agatha's personal Hex is, and the Wanda of it all.
The Hex within the context of Wandavision seems like a near bodily reaction to Wanda's grief. It is interesting how much emotions seem to matter to witches for the fulfillment of their magic (Billy, the fear of the Seven, mixed with the belief of the Road; witches blasting Agatha after a certain point of verbal abuse). The Hex is her pain manifested, mixed with the fantasy of what she was denied and desired.
Wanda is, at this point in her life, only a few decades old. She is not a child; however, in the short time she has been on the planet, her life has been riddled with pain and suffering. She has taken blow after blow, and this blow seems to have broken the lid on the jar of her magic. Protective and self-soothing, it flows out to give her what she wanted. However!
She is not the only one taken into the Hex. All of Westview falls under it, and becomes tethered in the strings of her magic (and her grief).
While Wanda shows throughout the show she understands to some extent her power over what is going on, wishing to keep it going even though the specter of Vision is slowly awakening to the false reality--I would argue it is not until the finale that she fully understands the extent of what she is doing. She believes at first that it is Agatha making Sarah (Dotty) say what she is saying. She even looks distressed by what is being said.
Just a great shot of Darkhold Agatha, and fantastic lines, okay, back to the ramble.
And this is where we understand the extent of how mixed in with her emotions that Wanda's magic is. The resonance of her magic is dragging others through her pain, her nightmares.
Which Wanda, does not want to believe! Wanda is at her heart, a very mixed up, but wants to be better person. She is at her core, hurt, but has wanted to change the world for the better. This, in my opinion, is one of the greatest differences between her character and Agatha's. Agatha hungers for power and knowledge, and I do not think young Agatha was deeply different (and not as a slight against her character, this is why I like her). Wanda's wants and desires, on the other hand, is exemplified by the genre she chose for her Hex: a sitcom. She wants a place to belong, to be safe, to have friends and a family, to be loved.
Even as this begins to dawn on her, she sees what she has done as righteous, because this isn't about them...
This is about Wanda. This is how Wanda wants to/needs to feel. She needs to be at peace, to feel safe. Because the reality is, even in the Hex, there have always been cracks... At the end of the day, she cannot wish away the pain.
Oof Sharon.
And the overwhelming pain and anxiety and stress Wanda feels, her magic lashes out.
And it fully dawns on her the extent of what she is doing, and what is going on.
Wanda is not being heroic, but this is not active malice. While that does not change the trauma she put the residents of Westview through...
She tries to do her best with what she is working with, as reality really is sinking in. She is a mess, but she wants to be good.
So, it comes back to Agatha now.
This evil cockroach watching from the sidelines!
With Agatha the Hex she is put under is somewhat different. It happens once the Scarlet Witch is fully realized. Once Wanda has resurrected herself by reclaiming her powers and claiming her identity.
Agatha bit off more than she can chew with this situation!
So smug for someone who is about to lose badly.
Yeah.....
Agatha led to her own downfall too, which is so on point for her! Agatha's arrogance, her hunger for power led her to Westview, and it is also what made her yap the exact thing that gave Wanda the way to win.
She is resigned to her loss. Even if she will beg and plead in a moment.
And Wanda fully realizes her potential, her crown manifests.
Agatha, in some ways, made the Scarlet Witch! She helped forge her! And Wanda drains Agatha of centuries of stolen magic while forging herself as the Scarlet Witch.
This is not the Wanda who cast the Hex over Westview anymore. This is not the girl who is doing magic by merely her emotional outbursts.
What Wanda has done?
Okay, let's get back to the point of this entire ramble: what does Wanda do with Agatha at the end of Wandavision! Put her under a Hex.
Agatha first asks if she will send her to prison, which Wanda responds in the negative to. And for good reason from Wanda's perspective: Agatha, like a bloodhound, came into Westview to kill and take all of Wanda's powers! Wanda also knows now: Agatha is a centuries years old witch! What's a prison going to do?
And the moment Agatha got out? Would Wanda be promised any peace or protection? And if Agatha did manage to befriend her again, is that a promise of a reality--because Agatha lied and wheedled her way in before. How long until Agatha uses the comforting lie of friendship to turn on Wanda and reclaim all of that magic that Wanda just took?
In Wanda's mind this is self-preservation. And beyond that: this is not the spell cast as it was before. No dramatic falling to her knees, no! Wanda merely waves her hand and traps Agatha in her role of the nosy neighbor. Because of this, I do not personally read Agatha as genuinely trapped in the same way the other residents were--Wanda's grief and pain are not part of this spell, this is not broken in that way. This is the Scarlet Witch fully bending reality.
This is house arrest! From Agatha's perspective: it sucks; however, Agatha is not stupid enough to think she did not have a heavy hand in creating this scenario. She does not want it to happen, of course!
I think it is fun to explore other routes, about the Hex still emotionally tormenting Agatha. And yes, her identity and self being locked away is terrifying and terrible! It is cruel to an extent; however, Agatha wanted to murder Wanda, threw the first punch, dragged her through her grief (gave Wanda false hope with a fake version of her very dead brother), lied and manipulated her...
And eventually, in 'Agatha All Along,' we get to see Agatha find the keys to her prison and begin to wiggle her way out--dropping the Nosy Neighbor, and donning Detective Agnes to solve her own imprisonment.
Wanda's role to Agatha is a strange one, not easily given name. She's a jailer, certainly, but she also does not truly know Agatha Harkness. At the end of the day of Wandavision, she is a former Avenger, trying to take care of a scenario the best way she knows how, and the safest way she can think of.
Agatha, the reason we love her, is the Witch Killer. And she lost the bet on this Witch she came to kill, this time.
I am certain for some folks I earned the NGL I got back in the day for this, so please enjoy the silly meme I made of it... But I promise I do like her!!
"This is house arrest" is the PERFECT way to look at this situation, god I love when fans actually understand the nuance of the characters they're talking about. Yes. A thousand times YES.
Wanda knew deep down that if she let Agatha go she'd never know a moment's peace, and that disruption could drag Wanda back into the fray in a way she couldn't emotionally or mentally handle. The final Hex wasn't messy. It was clean and tight with a massive dose of irony, but I love how you pointed out that Agatha was starting to dig her way out of the Hex rather than succumbing to it. We never get the full scope of what Agatha endured during the Hex, so we're left to speculate. Was it torture? Was she aware of what was happening? Did the cracks start once Wanda "removed" herself from our known reality in MoM? It's anyone's guess, and at the end of the day, we're just playing in a sandbox of someone else's imagining. We can't create canon events, so we stick to headcanons and theories.
happy four-year anniversary of us starting to write i am not a monster! who would've thought this little conversation would spiral into over 500k words? 💀 gay witch family, you will ALWAYS be famous!
new sturstead fic alert because i just can't quit them 🫡
#CarolSturkaIsOverParty
Rumors swirl after someone tweets that they saw Carol looking cozy with her manager at a Shadowstorm of Wycaro book signing. Naturally, Carol takes matters into her own hands — with disastrous results.
@nieladasdenani requested "carol" for the sturstead oneshot!
Carol had even permitted herself the smallest indulgence of danger. She’d given Helen a quick kiss in the store’s bathroom after checking that every stall was empty — allowed her fingers to brush against Helen’s when she had handed her a new Sharpie after hers had run out of ink, a fresh bottle of water once she’d drunk the first one down, a tissue when a woman’s aggressive perfume had made her sneeze. Helen was always there, giving her exactly what she needed before Carol even realized she wanted for something.
Helen has never once pressured Carol to go public with their relationship — has never once used it as ammo against her, even in their ugliest fights, many of which Carol was guilty of starting — but there is a small, giddy glimmer in her eye whenever Carol breaks her own rules and offers any kind of public display of affection, even if it's always subtle. Even if there could always be plausible deniability.
no coral mentions i fear, so you're getting corralled instead! 💀 (this one actually feels pretty perfect for you, so it worked out asdfghjkl)
i am not a monster - chapter 137
“Good job,” Agatha praises before glancing back at the teenagers. “Do you two want to walk over while I get Petra corralled?”
Kamala opens her mouth to respond, but America cuts her off before she can. “No, that’s okay — we can wait a few minutes.” She’d never admit it, but she’s more than a little apprehensive about this. She doesn’t want to show up without one of her moms, even if Wanda was already there. What if she couldn’t find her right away?
Agatha’s eyes narrow ever so slightly, but she lets it go with a nod. “In that case, would you mind grabbing my purse?”
America floats the bag from the hook near the door over to Agatha. “The two milligrams of magic that required too much for you?” she teases. “Am I about to surpass your abilities? Student becomes the teacher and all that?”
“No. But I am—” She bends down to take Scratchy from Petra before picking her up as well. “ —carrying these two.”
She raises a brow. “You’re telling me you can’t multitask with mom duties? Didn’t you used to singlehandedly fight groups of, like, eight people at a time back in the day?”
“Eight,” Agatha repeats with a scoff. “Don’t insult me. You’re lowballing me by about 12, dear.”
happy wip wednesday, a game i shamelessly stole from @trickofthelights. 🫡 comment/DM me/whatever with a word + the fic you want a sneak peek of, and i'll post a little snippet. 👀
your options are:
i am not a monster (the wagatha adopts america chavez fic)
beats for me (the post-canon agathario fic)
untitled high infidelity sequel (agathario white lotus au fic continuation)
we interrupt our regularly scheduled agatha updates to bring you a pre-canon pluribus fic that's half angsty character study, half enemies-to-lovers meet-cute. 🫡
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
“I’m one of the lit managers,” the woman explains.
“Yet you can’t manage to take a hint," Carol retorts. "I’m not in the mood for conversation.”
It’s meant to be rude — to get this beautiful, annoying woman to leave her alone once and for all — but instead, the corner of her mouth curves into a smirk. Carol hates how sexy she finds it. “Clever wordplay,” she commends. “You really are a writer.”
Or: After sending dozens of query letters with no success, Carol reluctantly goes to a literary speed-dating event to try to find representation. There, she meets Helen.
we interrupt our regularly scheduled agatha updates to bring you a pre-canon pluribus fic that's half angsty character study, half enemies-to-lovers meet-cute. 🫡
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
“I’m one of the lit managers,” the woman explains.
“Yet you can’t manage to take a hint," Carol retorts. "I’m not in the mood for conversation.”
It’s meant to be rude — to get this beautiful, annoying woman to leave her alone once and for all — but instead, the corner of her mouth curves into a smirk. Carol hates how sexy she finds it. “Clever wordplay,” she commends. “You really are a writer.”
Or: After sending dozens of query letters with no success, Carol reluctantly goes to a literary speed-dating event to try to find representation. There, she meets Helen.
trickmas 2025, day three, for @yelenaslightchangeofplan -(au, rated M for crude language/Florida typical behaviors, crack taken with academic gravity)
truly the silliest thing we're doing this trickmas, yet somehow not the silliest thing in the list of prompts @yelenaslightchangeofplan gave me. you're welcome, everyone else.
Long time readers will recall, I am, myself, a Florida woman, so know what I say, I say with all the affection (and Agent Orange) in my heart: Florida is both the worst state in the union (suck it New Jersey), and also a strangely compelling one. At once a microcosm, of not only the US, but also the other countries that surround the Gulf of Mexico; most Floridians will tell you that the state should at least be three states, minimally. Or about twenty different micro-nations.
The only reason that this has not yet happened is because some nerd did the numbers, and discovered that if Orlando became its own nation-state, everyone else would bankrupt in under a week (This is what happens when you have no income tax). Thus, Florida hangs on- here for a good time, not a long time; half the state will be consumed by the sea in the next century (Miami is basically New Atlantis), while the other half is affectionately referred to as "God's Waiting Room", due to its heavy population of senior citizens.
Florida is where some people come to live, and where many people come to die.
Hence: the state of chaos is actually a remarkably good fit for the Coven of Chaos. Meet me below, where I will identify where everyone would be from- assisted by my Knowledge of Florida, and illustrative examples from my personal bible: 30 Rock.
"Now just like any penis, Florida is very complicated."
Note for my international readers unfamiliar with my home state: 30 Rock dunked on Florida with a remarkable, venomous, and personal accuracy. Whatever we did to Tina Fey, I'm sorry and also you're welcome. Here's a good article to catch you up on the Florida 30 Rock jokes
Rio Vidal would be from the Everglades
Of all the wilderness and strange things in Florida, nothing would appeal more to Rio than the primordial thunderdome that is the Everglades.
Already a horror show- home to massive Florida predators such as the American alligator and the American crocodile, who fight each other for survival- in the last century it’s turned into a full-out, all-comers-welcome melee, as invasive species (mostly from Miami) were imported as pets, and then released into the Everglades when they became too much to handle.
Which is why there are now anacondas eatings alligators, hoards of iguanas, and tens of thousand of Burmese pythons slithering all over the place- having found a perfect home. It’s like the age of the dinosaurs never ended there; a perfect place for Rio to call home. She’d drive an air boat, she’d run python hunts (they’re legal all year round), she'd secretly have a PhD in biology from Miami, she’d scare the shit out of people trying to dump animals off into her swamp. The place swarms with life- and teams with death.
Lilia Calderu would be from Tampa
Patti LuPone also did multiple guest episodes on 30 Rock, fun fact.
Lilia was a fairly successful psychic in Jersey her entire working career (along with her several many side hustles), thanks to her uncanny ability to cold read and her hobby of reading actuarial tables.
At a certain point, those winters start to wear on her old bones. So she moves to Tampa (Bayshore Gardens, specifically)- a city with plentiful sunshine, a lot of other Sicilian-Americans (immigrants and descendants alike), the lowest number of hurricane landfalls in Florida (suspiciously low, feeding into local myths about protections stemming from Native American burial grounds), plenty of mildly successful sports teams to bookie for, and the best thing of all: plentiful, rich marks.
Lilia does very well there. Eventually, she buys into a local Sicilian restaurant, and she enjoys Sicilian cuisine made with Gulf Coast seafood, and watches the sunset every evening from her deck of her new boat: the Wheel of For-tuna.
Billy Maximoff would be from Orlando
"Central Florida is dominated by Jewish retirees, serial killers, and secretly gay Disney princes."
Billy gives such strong Orlando vibes- a gay theater kid, with two immigrant parents and a jock twin brother; it's the stuff Orlando dreams are made of. His mother and father naturally were drawn to immigrate to Orlando (although specifically, they live in Winter Park), as, alongside Miami, the city draws the highest number of immigrants, in a state where one in five people are from another country.
Billy works at Disney during the summers, Tommy at Universal. They both go to UCF, because they want to stay close to home after the premature death of their father (accident on I-4)- for their mother's sake.
Eventually, Billy becomes an author, writing eccentric and creative stories about the sun-bleached cocktail that is Orlando, capitalism, and tourism; he's broke until he hits it big on the NYT best sellers list, but he still refuses to move to New York. Someone has to make sure his mother stays afloat, and Tommy's in the middle of qualifying for the US Olympic track team.
Alice Wu-Gulliver would be from Gainesville
"It's 4:30 in Florida. Your fans should be waking up on a beach or getting fired from their telemarketing jobs right about now."
Lorna Wu, like many hippies of her generation, settled in the cheap central Florida swamps and springs- specifically near the town that grew up around and with the University of Florida (the place where Gatorade was invented!).
Gainesville (Alice is technically from Micanopy) and the surrounding area have a rich music culture (shout out to Tom Petty and like half of the Eagles) so Alice, as a bonafide ACR (Alachua County Resident) would have grown up in the rock and counter-culture soundscape; going to music festivals, dodging her mom's groupies- normal rock star kid stuff.
If she still wanted to be a cop like her dad, she'd have done criminal justice at Florida, and maybe stayed in Gainesville, determined to help out the kids just trying to figure out their lives. On the weekends, she'd turn a blind eye to her mom, her hippie friends, and their growth of a local delicacy: the Gainesville Green.
Jennifer Kale would be from St. Augustine
Jen is from St. Augustine, born and raised- and is immensely proud of being from the oldest city in the US, (Agatha: No it's not! Jen: Continuously! Agatha: WE'RE SIX YEARS OLDER. Jen: THERE WAS A GAP.) as well as a descendent of the first free Black settlement in what would be the United States, at Fort Mose (founded in 1738).
Jen loves her beautiful, historic, perfect little gem of a city- and both despairs of, and concedes the need for, the damn tourists. Jen went to Flagler (natch), and after getting her degree in business administration, set to work.
Kale Kare is a very bougie tourist trap, set off of King Street, where Jen upsells "bespoken" "elixirs" from "Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth", but in the most goop way possible. She is: very successful, but only offline; the shtick doesn't work as well if Jen isn't there to charm the customers. Nonetheless, Jen uses a percentage of her profits and reinvests them in her community, with an eye toward preserving St. Augustine's role in the Civil Rights movement.
Agatha Harkness would be from Pensacola
"These people don't like being told what to do, they just want to sit on the beach and drink."
Untrusting, scam-y, resourceful, persistent, deeply individualistic, the belief that the rules are more like suggestions than guidelines? Will pay more (if any) in taxes over their dead bodies? Shoot first, ask questions later? Agatha (like this author) would also be from the Panhandle (She tells people its Pensacola, but its really Pace).
Agatha's father died in Desert Storm, and her mother never forgave her for it (Note: Agatha was two at the time). Heavily influenced by the nearby Bible Belt, Evanora becomes a Baptist religious zealot- while Agatha, fermenting in the heady combination of US military-inspired survivalism, Mardi Gras hedonism, and the cantankerous culture of people who refuse to die of various disasters, manmade (Agent Orange in the groundwater) and natural (hurricanes), turns 18 and splits.
She scams her way up, down and around Florida's big bend; she likes it here- the loose laws and constant influx of people (via immigration and plain ol' death) means that if a scheme is blown, she's just got to wait a while before the population resets. She's got a few vindictive exes she's skipped out on (Jen in St. Augustine, Billy's mom in Orlando, Rio in wherever her airboat currently floats), but its not a bad life. She plans to retire down to the Keys; the old, independent, and fiercely queer culture down there suits her just fine, and is a startling contrast to the repression of where she grew up.
˖⁺‧₊˚✦
@yelenaslightchangeofplan asked for: If Agatha characters were from Florida, which city would they be from and why (ik you love your Florida lore)
Thank you for your attention. I will be taking no questions (joking, y'all know I love questions), but if you're a fellow Floridan, I'm happy to engage in our favorite pastime (fighting) in the comments.
“She was doomed to survive even with this Agatha-shaped hole in her chest — the place where her black heart used to beat. She has no choice but to try to fill it with something. She’ll start with tossing Jen in.”
Or: After Agatha’s death, Rio seeks comfort from an unlikely source.
Written for @aaararepairszine [zine link here]
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
the level of care, thought, and detail that clearly went into every page of this?! absolutely stunning. i feel honored to be included. this is what fandom is all about, baby!!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
if at any point you need a little break from consuming agathario kinktober fics, we've got some soft bloodpotions and alice and rio friendship content ready and waiting for you 🫡
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
