Editor’s note: The below article contains spoilers for episodes 1-5 of Agatha All Along.
WandaVision and Agatha All Along delve deep into the nature of magic in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the various mystical artifacts that inhabit it. One of those artifaces happens to be the Darkhold, which is one of the most powerful — if not the most powerful — magical artifacts in the Marvel universe. But what is the Darkhold? More importantly, how does it play into WandaV ision and Agatha All Along? The answers can be traced back to the Darkhold’s first appearance in comics, and its connection to a host of mystical beings who either appeared or have yet to appear in the MCU.
The Darkhold Has a Long History in Marvel Comics
The Darkhold first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #4 by Gerry Conway & Mike Ploog, with Jack Russell — aka the Werewolf by Night — discovering it on an island full of monsters. The book’s true nature was eventually revealed in Avengers #187 by Roger Stern, David Michelinie, Steven Grant & John Byrne; the Darkhold is the work of the evil Elder God Chthon, who inscribed a number of spells and incarnations into its pages that would open a path to his dimension and ours. Throughout the ages, the Darkhold fell into various hands, and its corruptive nature was not unlike the One Ring from The Lord of the Rings. Whoever got ahold of the book was sure to have madness and misfortune visit them.
This includes various characters in the Marvel Universe, who have had their own encounters with the Darkhold. Blade and Doctor Strange attempted to use a spell in its pages, called the Montresi Formula, to wipe out all vampires on Earth. Jack Russell’s grandfather Gregor read from its pages in an attempt to cure his lycanthropy, but failed. Even villains have sought the Darkhold’s power: a cult sought to use Carnage as a sacrifice to summon Chthon with the darkhold, but Chthon instead chose to empower the symbiotic serial killer. But the character who has the longest history with the Darkhold is the Scarlet Witch herself.
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The Scarlet Witch & Agatha Harkness’ History With the Darkhold, in Comics and on Screen
The Darkhold played a role in Wanda Maximoff’s life ever since she was a youngster; a trio of witches, including LilIa Calderu, gathered together to protect her from a sorcerer wielding the Darkhold. The Darkhold: Tales from the Book of Sins miniseries also features a connection to both Wanda and Agatha Harkness, as Agatha reads a prophecy from its pages that refers to Wanda: “A child born of no man and of a woman marked by sin; daughter becomes mother; then will the dark return begin.” This prophecy would come true when Wanda and the Vision had twin sons; those sons were revealed to be born of the demon Mephisto’s existence, yet they were reincarnated at Billy Kaplan — aka Wiccan — and Tommy Shepard — aka Speed.
In WandaVision, the Darkhold makes its appearance during “The Series Finale”, where Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) explains its history to Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen). She even reveals that there’s a whole section prophesizing the return of the Scarlet Witch:
“The Scarlet Witch is not born, she is forged. She has no coven or need for incantation. Your power exceeds that of the Sorcerer Supreme. It’s your destiny to destroy the world.”
That prophecy comes dangerously close to being fulfilled; in “The Series Finale” post-credits scene, Wanda is shown flicking through the pages of the Darkhold when she hears her children’s voices. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness expands upon this in terrifying detail and showcases how Wanda has been corrupted by the Darkhold’s influence. She is willing to do anything to get her sons back, including traveling to Mount Wundagore (where Chthon first inscribed the Darkhold) and hijacking an alternate version of herself — not to mention slaughtering anyone that stands in her way. Eventually, Wanda sacrifices herself — or so it seems — by collapsing Wundagore’s peak. This has the side effect of freeing Agatha, who Wanda trapped in a spell at the end of WandaVision — unfortunately, she’s without her powers, which led her to travel the Witches’ Road.
The Darkhold Showed Up in Other Marvel TV Projects
Agatha All Along has hinted that Agatha’s journey to gain the power of the Darkhold had terrible consequences, including the sacrifice of her son Nicholas Scratch. It isn’t the only time the sinister spellbook has shown up in a Marvel Television project, as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Runaways both wove the Darkhold into their respective narratives. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. introduced the Darkhold during a storyline involving the artificial intelligence Aida (Mallory Jensen), who used the Darkhold to trap Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his team in a virtual reality. Aida also uses the book to give herself a human body to feel emotions but goes insane after Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) rejects her. It took Robbie Reyes (Gabriel Luna) transferring his Ghost Rider powers to Colson to stop Aida; Reyes took the Darkhold into the Dark Dimension.
The Darkhold wound up playing a role in Runaways when Morgan le Fay (Elizabeth Hurley) wound up gaining control of it. With the book supercharging her magic, she attempted to drag Earth into the Dark Dimension until the Runaways – with the help of Cloak and Dagger – stopped her. While Marvel Television head Brad Winderbaumhas remained bullish on whether the events of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and other pre-Disney+ Marvel Television projects are canon, the influence the Darkhold has had on Marvel’s TV and film projects is growing to match those of the comics.
WandaVision, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Agatha All Along are available to stream on Disney+.
Agatha Harkness, following the events of “WandaVision,” embarks on a quest to reclaim her lost powers. Teaming up with unlikely allies, including the son of her former enemy, she faces new mystical threats while navigating a complex world of magic and intrigue.
- Release Date
- September 18, 2024
- Cast
- Kathryn Hahn , Joe Locke , Sasheer Zamata , Ali Ahn , Okwui Okpokwasili , Debra Jo Rupp , Patti LuPone , Aubrey Plaza , David Payton , Emma Caulfield Ford , David Lengel , Asif Ali , Amos Glick , Elaine Valdes , Paria Akbarshahi , Chau Naumova , Bethany Curry , Athena Perample , Alicia Vela-Bailey , Britta Grant , Marina Mazepa
- Seasons
- 1
- Creator(s)
- Jac Schaeffer
Watch on Disney+
