Well for those of you watching WandaVision, it appears the cat is out of the bag. If you have not been a Marvel fan since the '70's, you maybe a little lost right now. So, let me explain exactly who Agatha Harkness is with my Saturday Showcase.
Agatha Harkness was first introduced as the governess of Franklin Richards. She easily fended off the Frightful Four when they came to abduct Franklin Richards, and admitted to the Fantastic Four that she is a witch. She then aided the Fantastic Four in battle against Annihilus. (Fantastic Four#109-110)
Through the actions of her son Nicholas Scratch, she was revealed as being a member of the previously unknown New Salem, Colorado, a colony of witches of whom she had been the leader. Scratch had taken control of the town and had persuaded its inhabitants that Agatha had betrayed the community's secrets by working for the Fantastic Four. She was abducted and taken back to the community with Franklin so that she might be put on trial. (F4 #185) The Fantastic Four followed and came into conflict with the Salem's Seven, Agatha's grandchildren that were fathered by Scratch. The Fantastic Four defeated them and freed Agatha. In the process, Scratch's evil was revealed to the community of New Salem and he was banished to another dimension. (F4 #186) Agatha became the magical tutor for the Scarlet Witch in the use of witchcraft. (the Avengers #128)
Scratch and Salem's Seven returned, and Agatha foiled their attempt to conquer the world. (F4 Annual #14) Eventually Salem's Seven took over the New Salem community again. They captured Agatha and killed her by burning her at the stake, though Agatha soon made her presence known to Wanda in what appeared to be a post-death astral form. In an ensuing battle between the Scarlet Witch and Salem's Seven, the entire community's energies were drawn into Vertigo of the Seven, who lost control of them. Wanda managed to capture some of the energy and funnel it away, but the entire town was still decimated. Following hints from Agatha's astral form, Wanda channeled the remaining energy to become pregnant with her husband’s, The Vision, children. (Vision and Scarlet Witch Vol. 2, #3)
Once again, Agatha resurfaced, again alive and well, when Wanda's infant children began exhibiting odd behavior (disappearing for brief periods of time) and Wanda became unstable after her husband's dismantling; Agatha provided no explanation for her return. (Avengers West Coast #51) After Mephisto claimed that Scarlet Witch's children were actually fragments of his own soul and reabsorbs them, Agatha briefly mind-wiped Wanda's memory of her children in an attempt to help her deal with the trauma.
Agatha Harkness
Publisher: Marvel Comics
First appearance: Fantastic Four #94 (January 1970)
Created by: Stan Lee (writer) &Jack Kirby (artist)
Species: Human/Witch
Team affiliations: Daughters of Liberty
Partnerships: Fantastic Four
Scarlet Witch
Abilities: Highly skilled magic user
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