Agatha Harkness is a character portrayed by Kathryn Hahn in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Harkness is depicted as a powerful witch who has long dabbled in dark magic. After murdering her original coven and failing to prevent the death of her son Nicholas Scratch, Harkness spends centuries as a conwoman, using "The Ballad of the Witches' Road" to lure in gullible witches and siphon their powers.

Harkness infiltrates the Westview anomaly and inserts herself into Wanda Maximoff's life in hopes of unraveling the mystery of her reality-warping abilities. Once her intentions are uncovered, Harkness battles Maximoff and is trapped in a spell that overrides her identity. She spends three years in Westview playing the part of a harmless, nosy neighbor, until Billy Maximoff breaks her out of the spell. With the Salem Seven and her ex-lover Death chasing after her, Harkness forms a coven of troubled witches and sets out on the Witches' Road in search of power. Having survived the Road's trials, Harkness and Billy Maximoff face Death in battle, with Harkness sacrificing herself to save Maximoff's life. She returns as a ghost to guide Maximoff on his quest to find his twin brother Tommy.

The character made her debut in the 2021 Disney+ miniseries WandaVision, and has since appeared in its spinoff, Agatha All Along (2024). An alternate version of Agatha Harkness appeared in the third season of the animated series What If...? (2024). Hahn's portrayal of the character has received critical praise. She has earned several accolades for her performance, notably being nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2021 and a Golden Globe Award in 2024.

Fictional character biography Youth and motherhood

After being sentenced to death by her coven for practicing dark magic, Agatha Harkness murdered her fellow witches—including her mother, Evanora—in 1693. She absorbed their powers but spared their children, who later formed the Salem's Seven, a group that sought revenge against her. In 1750, Harkness had a son, Nicholas Scratch, who was fated to die at birth. Harkness negotiated with her lover Death to extend Scratch's life. Over the next six years, Scratch traveled with his mother and reluctantly assisted her in luring witches to their deaths. Together, they created a song that gained popularity as a folk tune called "The Ballad of the Witches' Road". After Death claimed Scratch in 1756, Harkness maintained a centuries-long practice of deceiving witches with tales of the Witches' Road in order to drain their powers and kill them.

Present at disasters

Harkness was allegedly present at several major historical events in the 20th century, including the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and the Hindenburg disaster in 1937. In the 1920s, Harkness lived in Boston where she sold spells for financial gain. By the 1970s, she had relocated to Nashville, where she crossed paths with Dolly Parton. Parton slapped her, an event that was caught on camera and inspired the song "Jolene".

Westview Anomaly

In late 2023, Harkness is drawn to the anomaly of Westview, New Jersey. Intrigued by Wanda Maximoff's ability to alter reality, she infiltrates the Hex and, unaffected by its properties, adopts the persona of "Agnes," a nosy neighbor. Harkness inserts herself into Maximoff's life to investigate the source of her powers. She assists Maximoff with household tasks, introduces her to the local planning committee, and attends the Westview Talent Show. She influences situations to raise suspicion about newcomer Geraldine (Monica Rambeau) and later controls the mind of local actor Ralph Bohner to impersonate Maximoff's deceased brother, Pietro. Harkness is involved in looking after Maximoff's children, Tommy and Billy, while also manipulating circumstances to make Maximoff and Vision uncertain of their reality.

She eventually reveals her true identity and tricks Maximoff into showing her how she created the Westview anomaly by forcing her to recall the past. Using the Darkholds power, Harkness demonstrates her own magical abilities and tries to extract the source of Maximoff's power, chaos magic, while holding Maximoff's children captive. In their final confrontation, Maximoff overwhelms Harkness by using runes to limit her magic. Maximoff then traps Harkness in her "Agnes" persona and leaves her in Westview as a powerless, harmless neighbor.

Under the Scarlet Witch's spell

For three years, Harkness remains in Westview under Maximoff's spell as Agnes O'Connor. After Maximoff's death in 2024, O'Connor takes on a detective persona to investigate a mysterious corpse found in town. She is forced to collaborate with FBI agent Rio Vidal—an old acquaintance. O'Connor apprehends a teenage boy for attempted robbery, but his cryptic answers lead her to question her environment. She later visits the coroner's office and, with Vidal's help, identifies the victim's name to be "W. Maximoff". O'Connor recalls her true identity when she sees her own name on the victim's toe tag next to Maximoff's.

Assembling a coven

After breaking free from Maximoff's spell, Harkness finds herself without magic. She is confronted by Vidal, who vows to disclose Harkness' location to the Salem Seven. Intrigued by the Teen she apprehended, Harkness agrees to guide him down the Witches' Road—a dangerous path of magical trials that bestows great rewards on those who survive. In order to access the Road, Harkness and Teen set out to gather a coven. Using persuasion, threats and appeals, the two recruit Lilia Calderu, a divination witch, Jennifer Kale, a potions witch whose magic is bound, and Alice Wu-Gulliver, a blood witch. The coven's final member is Sharon Davis, a local gardener with no magical abilities. When the witches fail to access the Road, Harkness attempts to draw them into conflict in order to steal their power. The Road opens unexpectedly with Teen's arrival, and Harkness follows the group through the gate to escape the Salem Seven.

On the Witches' Road

Harkness and her coven emerge onto the Witches' Road, where they must face trials themed around diverse branches of witchcraft. The coven enters a coastal house, unknowingly drinking from a poisoned bottle of wine. As they brew an antidote, Harkness hallucinates a crib containing the Darkhold. She helps spur Kale into finishing the antidote at the critical moment. Upon returning to the Road, Harkness and the coven discover that Mrs. Davis is dead.

The witches call upon a replacement green witch. To Harkness' dismay, Vidal raises from Mrs. Davis' grave. At a recording studio tied to Lorna Wu—a famous witch musician and Wu-Gulliver's late mother—Vidal approaches Harkness and they flirtatiously discuss betraying the group. The coven is attacked by Wu-Gulliver's generational curse. Harkness deduces that Wu's renowned cover of "The Ballad of the Witches' Road" carries protective magic. To destroy the curse, the witches play Wu's version of the Ballad, with Harkness fronting the group. On the Road, Kale successfully tends to Teen's injuries and Harkness oversees his recovery. The two discuss his sigil, but Harkness refuses to engage in conversation about her son Nicholas Scratch. Vidal approaches Harkness privately, but when Harkness attempts to kiss her, Vidal stops her, cautioning that Teen is not hers.

As the Salem Seven close in, Harkness leads the coven in an attempt to flee on makeshift flying broomsticks. They enter a forest cabin, where Vidal recognizes that the trial is designed for Harkness. The witches use a Ouija board to contact the dead. Harkness is possessed by the spirit of her mother Evanora Harkness, whom she murdered. Wu-Gulliver intervenes, successfully expelling the ghost. Harkness seizes the opportunity to absorb Wu-Gulliver's power, killing her. Following a violent argument with Teen, Harkness deduces that he is Billy Maximoff, Wanda Maximoff's reincarnated son.

Upon entering a castle, Harkness and Maximoff are faced with a tarot reading table for their next trial. As they attempt to read for each other, a sword drops from the ceiling every time they draw the wrong card. Calderu and Kale join them, and, during Calderu's reading for the coven, Harkness' card is revealed to be the Three of Swords—depicting grief, betrayal and heartbreak. Vidal is exposed as the personification of Death and Harkness' ex-lover.

Following the divination trial, Harkness strikes a deal with Death, guaranteeing Billy Maximoff's surrender in return for Death's promise to never seek her out again. As Harkness rejoins Maximoff and Kale, the trio are transported to the final trial, where they must cultivate a plant within a time limit. It is revealed that Harkness was responsible for binding Kale's magic. She aids Maximoff in locating his twin brother's soul and transferring it into the body of a drowning boy. Acknowledging her grief over her son's death, Harkness completes the trial by herself and escapes the Road.

Battle with Death

Harkness reappears in her backyard in Westview, still without magical powers. Death confronts her for rejecting her affection and failing to deliver Billy Maximoff. Maximoff comes to Harkness' rescue, letting Harkness siphon some of his magic to restore hers. Harkness battles Death but soon accepts the futility of it. Death demands that one of them accompany her, and Maximoff volunteers. Harkness agrees to let him proceed, but Maximoff infiltrates her mind to ask if her son met a similar demise. In a change of heart, Harkness kisses Death and dies, with flowers growing where her body fell.

Return as a ghost

Following her death, Harkness manifests as a ghost in Maximoff's room, revealing that his magic created the Road—a fact she had always known. Maximoff returns to Westview and attempts to banish Harkness to the afterlife, but changes his mind when she admits she isn't ready to face her son, whom Maximoff reminds her of. Maximoff agrees to work alongside Harkness, sealing the Witches' Road's entrance as they begin their search for his reincarnated brother.

Alternate versions An alternate version of Harkness is depicted in the third season of the animated series What If...? (2024), also voiced by Kathryn Hahn.

Hollywood actress

In an alternate version of the 1930s, actress Agatha Harkness devises a plan to steal Tiamut's energy. To carry out the required ritual, she stars in Howard Stark's production and eventually persuades co-star Kingo to help prevent the Emergence. Harkness taps into Kingo's energy to siphon Tiamut's power, transforming herself into a godlike being. Arishem arrives to confront her, but Harkness traps him with a rune and absorbs his power. With Arishem gone, Harkness reveals her true plan: to use her newfound Celestial power to dominate the world. Kingo convinces her otherwise, appealing to her love of fame and the transformative power of cinema. At the premiere of their film, Harkness and Kingo discuss their vision to inspire humanity, while Kingo expresses concern that other Celestials may react to the news of Arishem's death.

Background

In the comics, Agatha Harkness first appeared in Fantastic Four #94 (October 1969) as Franklin Richards's governess and an ally to the Fantastic Four. She mentored Scarlet Witch / Wanda Maximoff in the ways of magic, and it was later revealed that she is the mother of warlock Nicholas Scratch and the grandmother of the Salem's Seven. She has also been a member of the Daughters of Liberty. Originally depicted as an elderly woman, Harkness was able to rejuvenate and enhance her power.

Adaptation and appearances