Agatha All Along: Mephisto Mention Is Major Clue to Teen’s Identity

Agatha All Along: Mephisto Mention Is Major Clue to Teen's Identity

As a long-time Marvel enthusiast and comic book aficionado with years of experience dissecting every intricate detail in these grand storylines, I find the clues surrounding the identity of Teen in “Agatha All Along” nothing short of mind-boggling. The connections to WandaVision three years prior, coupled with the subtle references to Wiccan’s origins, have me questioning whether we’re witnessing Billy Kaplan/Billy Maximoff unfold before our very eyes.


[Caution: The following discussion reveals key plot points from episode 3 of Agatha All Along.] The identity of the enigmatic teen companion to Agatha Harkness in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is shrouded in mystery. In the spin-off series, Agatha All Along, the character’s name has been obscured by a magical sigil, with Joe Locke portraying this elusive figure. Agatha, played by Kathryn Hahn, is on a mission to regain her stolen powers from Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), who appears to have perished at Mount Wundagore following her corruption by the Darkhold – the Book of the Damned – in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, another name Agatha All Along is willing to disclose is Mephisto. This demonic entity is mentioned by Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata) during the coven’s first trial on the Witches’ Road in “Through Many Miles of Tricks and Trials.

Jennifer explains to Teen about Nicholas, Agatha’s son, “People speculate different things about his fate, some believe he could be deceased. Others suggest he might be a demon or working for Mephisto. After all, it seems fitting given Agatha Harkness as his mother, doesn’t it? I hardly think she’d recognize him if he suddenly appeared at her doorstep.

Agatha All Along: Mephisto Mention Is Major Clue to Teen's Identity

It seems plausible that “Teen” might be Agatha’s son, but it appears this could be a misdirection. In actuality, there are hints suggesting “Teen” is William Kaplan, more commonly known as Billy Maximoff or one of Wanda’s twin boys who vanished when the Hex enchantment set by Wanda on Westview, New Jersey in the finale of WandaVision was broken. Interestingly, Agatha, Wanda, and the twins all share a connection to Mephisto in the comic books.

Billy and Tommy: The Twin Sons of Wanda and Vision

For people not familiar with Billy’s comic book background, the twin boys, Thomas and William, are born in the last installment of the 12-part series, “The Vision and the Scarlet Witch.” This series concludes with the couple settling down in New Jersey suburbs to raise a family after leaving the Avengers. In the comics, Wanda’s centuries-old mentor and caretaker, Agatha, takes over after Agatha’s demise at the hands of the Salem’s Seven coven and subsequent resurrection. It is Agatha who discovers in 1989’s “Avengers West Coast” #51 that Tommy and Billy are not genuine, and they vanish whenever Wanda isn’t focusing on them.

Agatha All Along: Mephisto Mention Is Major Clue to Teen's Identity

The twins are abducted and transported to Hell by the multitude of demons led by Master Pandemonium, who gained his power from the Hell-lord when Mephisto claimed Martin Preston’s soul as he succumbed to injuries in a car crash. In an attempt to recover the five fragments of his stolen soul (each one leaving a pentagram-shaped void in his body), it was eventually disclosed that Master Pandemonium had deceived Martin: he was actually gathering parts of Mephisto’s own soul, which were shattered by Franklin Richards back in 1984 during issue #277 of the Fantastic Four. (Agatha, who was also their nanny, took care of the mutant child born to Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman.)

Agatha discloses that, due to her deep desire for offspring, Wanda unintentionally employed her power to reshape reality, giving birth to the twins from two stray spirits. These spirits were fragments of Mephisto. When Mephisto reclaimed the souls transformed by Wanda’s chaotic magic and they destroyed him, they dissipated. Although Thomas and William no longer existed and their memory was erased from Wanda’s mind by Agatha to prevent her from feeling the sorrow of losing her children, they resurfaced following a heartbroken Scarlet Witch’s loss of control over her powers during the 2004 Avengers Disassembled incident, leading to the Avengers disbanding.

Agatha All Along: Mephisto Mention Is Major Clue to Teen's Identity

In issue #11 of Young Avengers from 2006, the characters Wiccan (Billy Kaplan) and Speed (Thomas Shepherd) discover they are the twin sons of the Scarlet Witch. Billy deduces that when Mephisto was momentarily defeated, their souls became free, leading to their reincarnation. As a result, Billy joined the Kaplan family in New York, while Tommy belonged to the Shepherds in New Jersey.

Eventually, the young superheroes find an amnesiac woman who introduces herself as Wanda Maximoff, also known as the Scarlet Witch. In the sixth issue of Avengers: The Children’s Crusade from 2011, she says, “I am Wanda Maximoff, but they call me the Scarlet Witch.” She goes on to explain that her husband, the Vision, and she had twin sons, Thomas and William. These two boys were spirits she brought into the physical world with magic, only to have to release them later. For this, she holds the Avengers responsible, feeling forced to set them free.

Following her apology for destroying the Vision, Jack of Hearts, and Scott Lang (Ant-Man) in Avengers #500, as well as for speaking words that devastated Earth’s mutant population later, Wiccan encourages Wanda to unveil the truth with her powers: Billy and Tommy are her children.

Agatha All Along: Mephisto Mention Is Major Clue to Teen's Identity

Wiccan All Along?

In the initial three episodes of ‘Agatha All Along’, there are hints suggesting that Teen is Billy Kaplan / Billy Maximoff. For instance, the book that “Detective” Agnes O’Connor checks out during her ‘Mare of Easttown’-inspired fantasy in “Seekest Thou the Road” is titled “Dialogue And Rhetoric: Known History Of Learning & Debate”, which spells out “Darkhold” – a notorious book, and “Andrew Ugo” is an anagram of Wundagore. It’s worth noting that every copy of this book was destroyed in a fire three years ago, which coincides with the length of time Agatha/Agnes has been living in Westview. Detective O’Connor’s “Jane Doe” is Wanda, who was believed to have died when she brought down Darkhold Castle at Mount Wundagore to eradicate every version of the Darkhold across the multiverse. Additionally, another detective mentions a car wreck in nearby Eastview that occurred approximately an hour before Wanda’s reported time of death, which could be a reference to Master Pandemonium’s origin story.

In “Circle Sewn with Fate Unlock Thy Hidden Gate,” Teen shares with Agatha that he grew up in Eastview, has a romantic partner believed to be Teddy Altman (also known as the Young Avenger Hulking and Wiccan’s boyfriend from the comic books), and is 16 years old. In “Through Many Miles of Tricks and Trials,” he reveals that he had some significant events occur in his life at the age of 13, similar to Alice who is investigating the disappearance of Lorna Wu, a singer from “The Ballad of the Witches’ Road.

Agatha All Along: Mephisto Mention Is Major Clue to Teen's Identity

In the narrative of “WandaVision” three years prior, Wanda and Vision (played by Paul Bettany) suddenly had twin children who grew from newborns to preteens (portrayed by Julian Hilliard and Jett Klyne) only to vanish. The third episode subtly mentions Mephisto as a possible decoy for Teen being Agatha’s son, but the most convincing clue yet suggests that the symbol conceals his true identity – he is actually Wiccan, the son of the Scarlet Witch.

In a recent conversation, showrunner Jac Schaeffer explained that Marvel shows often contain elements that are funny, symbolic, and meaningful at the same time. For instance, Mephisto is a character deeply connected to Agatha’s narrative. While viewers should tune in to find out more, they can expect to be kept guessing as we enjoy playing with our audience in this manner.

New episodes of Agatha All Along premiere Wednesdays on Disney+.

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2024-09-26 22:40