Agatha All Along is exactly what the MCU needs right now

In an era where audiences don’t have a lot of faith in the Marvel brand, Agatha All Along could be the project the universe needs to revitalize itself.

It’s safe to say that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has seen a dip in quality since Avengers: Endgame premiered in 2019.

Between disconnected storylines, unpopular characters, and an unclear end game (pun not intended), some MCU fans have given up on returning to the superhero universe.

However, the upcoming spinoff series Agatha All Along seems to be exactly what the studio needs to rejuvenate its world because it harks back to what made the MCU so great in the first place.

Returning to building block roots

One widely accepted fact about the MCU is that Phases One to Three (aka the Infinity Saga) told the best and most cohesive storylines.

While charismatic characters and memorable action sequences could be credited with this success, the Infinity Saga was a triumph because it built a seamless ongoing narrative through numerous movies.

From 2008’s Iron Man all the way to Endgame, each new movie used its predecessor as a stepping stone to either establish character motivations or contribute to the overarching story.

Marvel

This gave the saga a clear direction that viewers could easily follow and made the stakes in every movie feel incredibly important. In modern Marvel projects like The Marvels and Moon Knight, each entry feels disjointed from the next, and that can cause fans to lose interest in the material.

But Agatha All Along is returning to the MCU’s roots by building off one of its most successful post-Endgame works: WandaVision.

The main character,  Agatha Harkness, was the main antagonist of WandaVision, and the events of the series finale directly correlate to what will occur in the spinoff.

Even though it debuted three years ago, WandaVision is still highly regarded. So the decision to make a spinoff based on this show was incredibly smart as it allows the opportunity for old fans to see their favorite characters again and newcomers to discover both works at the same time.

Originality has entered the chat again

The majority of characters and stories in the MCU come from one comic book or another, but the writers and directors of earlier works made sure to put their own spin on things to make them feel fresh.

Nowadays, it feels like we’re getting the same structured plot in most Marvel TV shows and movies. There’s one (or more) good guy looking for a McGuffin that could destroy the world, the bad guy steals the McGuffin from the group once they find it, and then there’s a CGI third-act fight scene.

The old MCU also had some of these elements, but we weren’t bogged down with tens of projects within a short amount of time, so we didn’t notice it as much.

Agatha All Along is set to bring back the touch of originality the studio has been missing for quite some time.

The first trailer for the spinoff depicted a dark, harrowing world with some over-the-top horrifying moments that could’ve been taken out of a Wes Craven movie.

Disney+

Marvel has dabbled in the world of horror before with Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But, unlike Doctor Strange 2, Agatha All Along seems like it is trying to be a really scary project and not just sprinkle in some frightening moments here and there.

The MCU is at its best when it is most unpredictable and eccentric, like when they committed to fully going into weird space territory with Guardians of the Galaxy. And Agatha All Along’s foray into a hitherto uncharted genre could help put that spark back into the studio.

Agatha All Along doesn’t require any prior knowledge to be enjoyed

One of the biggest complaints of the modern MCU is that fans have to watch several shows to understand one movie or vice versa.

Now more than ever, the universe feels more expansive and connected, but in a very confusing and jumbled way.

The Infinity Saga didn’t have this issue because the choice to skip a movie or two didn’t completely derail you from understanding the main message. Plus, the post-credits did a great job of catching fans up on what they missed from other works.

And although Agatha All Along is based on the events seen in WandaVision, the show’s trailer seems to tell audiences that it can stand on its own.

There were a few sly mentions of Wanda Maximoff within the first few seconds of the trailer, but those moments are going to be used to bring everyone up to speed on how Agatha got into the position she’s currently in before she explains her plan to get out of Westview and regain her status as a chaos witch.

While it’s fun to follow a thorough line that spans multiple MCU projects, it can feel overwhelming knowing you have to do a lot of background work in order to keep up with a show or movie.

The upcoming series could be the key to bringing back simpler Marvel stories that can be enjoyed independently, something we haven’t seen since the Infinity Saga and 2022’s Werewolf by Night.

Agatha All Along could be the best thing for the Marvel Cinematic Universe right now because it could help bring back the most beloved parts of the world and deliver it in a way that gets fans back into the brand once more.

Agatha All Along premieres on Disney+ on September 18. Until then, you can read up on every Deadpool 3 cameo we know about so far, the best new movies on streaming this month, or all the upcoming Disney+ releases.