WandaVision: What’s The Significance of Agatha’s Brooch?
What Agatha’s Brooch Significance?
WandaVision episode 8 revealed Agatha’s past in 1693 placed in Salem, Massachusetts, the infamous “Salem Witch Trials” took place. In Marvel Comics (Earth-616), Agatha Harkness formed the coven of witches that were persecuted during the trials. However, she actually approved of the trials ultimately because she thought it would weed out the weak witches, thereby making the magical people on Earth stronger. The “Salem Witch Trial” in WandaVision, unlike the comics, went something like this:
As the scene opens we see Agatha being dragged to her own trial pleading “Please, no. No. No, please.” She is then magically restrained to a wooden beam and asked “Agatha Harkness, are you a witch?” She replies, “Yes. I am a Witch” and this shows how this is a role-reversal witch trial. Typically, the person being questioned will deny it, because being accused of witchcraft would mean capital punishment (often by burning at the stake). So this twist of a typical Salem Witch Trial is not about whether she is a witch or not, but what Agatha’s true intentions are.
Agatha’s mother, the leader of the coven, accuses Agatha of betraying them and practicing “the darkest of magic.” As Agatha denies the crimes she is being accused of, her mother shouts “Enough deception” and all Agatha can do is a smirk, aware of what she has done. Agatha then clarifies her denial saying, “I did not break your rules. They simply bent to my power.” Agatha’s mother earlier accuses her of stealing “knowledge above [her] age and station” hinting that Agatha’s strength is well beyond where others would be at her age.
Agatha swings her hands and a blast of purple magic shoots to the circle of witches, killing them all. With only her mother remaining, Agatha looks up at her and says, “Please, I can be good.” Her mother is not convinced, replying, “No, you cannot.” As the leader of this fallen coven, Agatha’s mother attempted to shoot one more magical beam at Agatha to stop her. While the final blast of magic from her mother is powerful, her fate is the same as the rest. As the scene comes to a close, Agatha surrounded by her dead coven leans over her body and grabs a familiar brooch. Many fans saw this brooch worn by Agnes in Episode 1 of WandaVision and theorized that she was Agatha all along.
Let’s talk about the brooch. That same brooch has been seen in multiple episodes of the series. It also served as the main point of evidence for fans who were convinced that Agatha was behind everything the entire time. Only recently, WandaVision revealed the full extent of Agatha’s powers and where she stands in Westview. Undoubtedly, people instantly noticed that she was always more independent than everyone else in Westview, and was a master at hiding in plain sight. But anyway, the creators of WandaVision have hidden Agatha’s plot and intentions completely. What we know so far is that she is a sucker for knowledge and power.
She takes her mother’s broach and flees the scene. In the comics, Agatha starts the New Salem, a secret city based in Colorado where only magic-users are allowed. It is unclear if we will ever get any answers to what the MCU’s Agatha Harkness has been doing from 1693 to 2023, but it is clear she is aware of other magical beings on Earth. Wanda’s creation of the Hex was enough to get Agatha’s attention. Leading her to proclaim Wanda is using chaos magic which makes her The Scarlet Witch.
It is believed that Agatha is willing to prey on Wanda and her family to get it. But her main motivations and actions make her a fantastic version of the old witch from the comics. She has shown to have a much greater understanding of magic than Wanda, and it’s also possible that her brooch signifies the strength she has as a witch. As the pieces come together, even more, there is still one more episode left to see what more Agatha has up her sleeve.
People were sad to see the Marvel Cinematic Universe killed Hela in Thor: Ragnarok as we all loved her evil vibe. And clearly, the fans do not want that to happen with Agatha as well. If Agatha survives the finale of WandaVision, it would be surprising not to see her make an appearance in Strange’s sequel.
The multiverse will be a major factor in the upcoming MCU project, but it cannot be overlooked where Wanda and Agatha fit in this world of magic and sorcery. As someone who has been practicing witchcraft for at least 300 years or more, Agatha could turn out to be a major ally or enemy in the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe.