Wanda Maximoff was first a prominent member of the X-Men and daughter of Magneto; alas, Marvel Studios was cautious about treading too closely to the 20th Century FoX-Men saga as they tested the concept of mutants in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A momentary tease of the Maximoff twins was caught during the post-credit scenes of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and promised that the gifted duo would make their reprise as a constant within the once-unfurling phase of the cinematic saga. Wanda faced a merciless future of pain, grief, and loss as she was forced to confront personal truths, as well as the pressure of guarding the galaxy. As she persevered, she was asked to carry the aches of her unresolved anguish consequential to a life’s worth of suffering. Her power grew as Wanda internalized her despair and nagging remorse. The uncontrollable intensity of her mutations was muddled with her unstable emotional being.
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WandaVision stands as one of the most creative projects to fly under Marvel Studios’ banner. Its unique interpretation of the evolution of sitcom television and finding a somewhat-surreal place for it in superhero media escalated how comic book-inspired entertainment could surpass its tired formula. The limited series was dedicated to Wanda following the events of the Infinity Saga arc, and effectively marked a transition into Marvel Studios’ next phase of live-action media. WandaVision centered around Wanda’s delirium and the magnitude of her hysteria. Each episode layered on an even more sinister level of intrigue until all was told in the eighth episode, where truths were revealed and fates were assigned. Along the way, Kathryn Hahn’s nosy neighbor “Agnes” is revealed to be more than just that. The theorists and comic book zealots were right in their prediction: Agnes was revealed to be no other than witch Agatha Harkness. This discovery peeled back the openings to an even more elaborate layer in Marvel Comics’ history with the mystic arts and magical beings. The concluding episode of WandaVision took another important step for supernatural powers existing in the MCU through the utterance of two single words: Chaos Magic. Wanda kept the Chaos Magic for herself in WandaVison and beyond, though the question still persists: what would have happened if Agatha stripped her powers from her?
What is Chaos Magic?
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Chaos Magic abides by the will of those who use it. Marvel Comics has streamlined the practice of Chaos Magic to allow reality to be warped into any shape and to deteriorate away at current states of reality. Elder God Chton was the first documented user of Chaos Magic, which was later declared to be the most powerful form of witchcraft and wizardry. Its power is immeasurable when set in comparison to potential counterparts, though it has been likened to the Time Stone when looking to find a relic that may be a worthy contender in strength. The magic was said to be so unbelievably powerful that there was doubt cast on if it truly did exist at all. Its limitless nature does not completely restrict its user from facing any bars or holds over what they are able to create (or destroy).
The history of Chaos Magic freshly introduced into the MCU has yet to fully align with its comic book origins, and there is a suggestion that Chaos Magic is generated from Wanda’s grief. Only a few magic-users are deemed powerful enough to handle such unpredictable sorcery for themselves as it can potentially shatter the universe if misused. Chaos Magic can birth new life, rewrite the state of reality, control personal favor or probability, and alter the world to fit their deepest desires.
How Agatha Absorbs Other Forms of Magic
WandaVision has canonized Agatha’s ability to steal magic from others as she attempts to unsuccessfully claim the Chaos Magic for herself. The first glimpse of Agatha’s tactic of taking magic and energy for herself was seen in the WandaVision episode “Previously On,” which featured flashbacks to her time with her previous coven in Salem, Massachusetts. Agatha’s obsessive nature drove her to seek out even the most forbidden knowledge for herself. She studied meticulously the Darkhold and its ill-boding secrets to heighten her practice of black magic. From there, she was able to dive deeper into the more selfish purposes of dark witchcraft. WandaVision had made it exceedingly clear that Agatha could nab others’ powers as her own, though the one-off show did not accommodate any veritable answer as to how she achieved this ritual. Power-stealing was not a concept created for WandaVision alone as Agatha was able to undergo magical osmosis in the comics. Looper cites that the witch’s power was first drawn from extra-dimensional energy, her personal energy, and ambient magic. Theorizations can suggest that Agatha is effective at consuming external magic due to her lifelong devotion to her deviltry.
What Would Have Happened if Agatha Harkness Took Wanda’s Chaos Magic?
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Marvel Studios has only half-committed to their definitive endings as the Multiverse continues to expand. WandaVision’s choice to seemingly seal Agatha’s fate still leaves her return open-ended as Agatha: House of Harkness has announced its arrival in 2023. Hypothetically, the Chaos Magic could have been hers if she were not drained of her powers at the show’s end. Those who are gifted with the capability of possessing Chaos Magic are deemed to be the Scarlet Witch. While it was necessary for Wanda to assume her destiny as such, foreseen since her initiation into the MCU, the itch of “what if?” still persists. Hypothetically, the Chaos Magic could have been hers for the taking, and if Agatha was able to relieve Wanda of it, she would assert herself as the new Scarlet Witch.
Suppose a prediction for Agatha’s plan with Chaos Magic could fall within the bounds of all who use it. Her reality would take shape to fit her most unobtainable desires, now transforming them into a reality of her own design. Perhaps she could recruit an all-new coven created for the MCU that would plunge deeper into its more supernatural angles, or build upon the budding Multiverse that has proven itself to be an even greater threat. She would hold the fate of the townspeople of Westview in her magic-tinged hands, decisions of their livelihoods left at her discretion. Agatha views Wanda’s robust magic as being misused, and her thievery of Chaos Magic could be a pivotal step taken towards unlocking her darkest potential. If the MCU were to avoid a more blackened outlook, Agatha could rewrite the world so that it was more favorable towards her. She could manipulate how she was viewed by her coven and her mother in hopes to dash the fateful night she was attacked. Possibilities remain endless for what could have happened if Agatha had Chaos Magic at her disposal, and though Marvel Studios may never bestow such power upon her, she will return in a spin-off of her own.
