The MCU"s newest and most intense new power upgrade has left me relieved that one Marvel character is currently dead. 2024 was a fascinating year for the MCU"s power levels, as the franchise has introduced a range of characters who change the way we can look at this topic, with figures like Cassandra Nova and Death herself changing the landscape of the franchise. However, not every character needs to be a universe-shattering deity-level being - and indeed, some characters arguably work better in the MCU timeline when they"re not at this power level.
Marvel"s newest release reinforces this idea, as it shows one character at their absolute most powerful, and absolute most threatening - in fact, perhaps a little too threatening. While a power boost is often the most entertaining look we get at Marvel"s heroes and villains - as evidenced by moments like Captain America using Mjolnir towards the end of Avengers: Endgame, or Star-Lord using powers inherited from his father in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 - there"s a reason these moments often tend to be temporary, and one of 2024"s final MCU stories reinforces this idea.
What If Season 3 Makes Agatha Way More Powerful Than We've Ever Seen Her Close What If...? season 3, episode 2 covers an alternate universe wherein Agatha Harkness is a Hollywood movie star - though her ability to absorb the energy and powers others appears to be the same, as she swiftly reveals to Eternals member Kingo that she"s stolen the powers of the other members of his team. This alone initially appears to put Agatha in a more powerful position than WandaVison and Agatha All Along largely have her in, but her power upgrades very much do not stop there.
When Arishem the Judge threatens to destroy the Earth, Kingo and Agatha decide to work together to protect the planet, with Kingo allowing Agatha to also draw from his powers. Agatha then also draws from Tiamut - the dormant Celestial buried within the Earth - to ensure she can actively stand up to Arishem. These bolstered abilities allow her to defeat the Judge, and then even draw from his own powers, leading to a Celestial-sized and glowing Agatha, who"s very clearly worlds more powerful than we"ve ever seen her before given how many immensely powerful beings she drained of their own powers.
What If's Agatha Story Underlines Why It's A Good Thing She's A Ghost In The Main MCU Timeline Close Upon gaining all these abilities, Agatha immediately presents herself as the new antagonist of the story, revealing she"d intentionally set herself up as the hero who would defend Earth in order to get the chance to gain this power level. As such, the alternate universe this takes place in comes very close to being basically ruled over by an all-powerful Agatha - with only Kingo"s reminder to her that she"s just as powerful in terms of making an influence on people through her movie career able to stop her from becoming Earth"s new greatest threat.
The hair"s breadth the story gets from showing us Agatha becoming Earth"s cosmic dictator goes a long way to remind us that Agatha is motivated primarily by the opportunity to gain more power, reinforcing just how much of a threat she can be. It also serves as a reminder of how lucky Wanda"s son Billy really was that he met Agatha again at a reduced power level, since her abilities offer her real opportunities to become eye-wateringly powerful - especially since the main universe"s Agatha appears to have existed for a good chunk of time more.
While Agatha"s tricky nature makes for great viewing, What If...? has made me all the more glad she"s seemingly at a reduced power level currently now she"s a ghost, since this offers us a better chance at seeing her working alongside Billy Maximoff for at least the time being, and thus to see more of their dynamic. It also means we run a lower risk of Agatha being an outright villain should she and Billy appear in a new release, which paradoxically reduces the chances of her needing to be defeated and destroyed, and her entertaining story being cut short.
What If Season 3 Has Made Me Even More Excited To See Where Agatha Harkness' MCU Story Goes Close One of the highlights of Agatha All Along for me was that, while the show made sure to give us a look at the more sympathetic and more well-intentioned parts of Agatha"s life and personality, they didn"t feel the need to give her a full redemption arc that left her a total do-gooder by the end of the series. Agatha is clearly still very power-hungry and still clad with questionable morals by the end of the story, and these balance out with her more positive qualities to make her as a character all the more interesting.
What If...? season 3 debuted on December 22, 2024, with new episodes set to release daily until December 29, 2024.
This also makes Agatha"s future as Billy"s ghost guide more interesting, as though she clearly cares for the teen a not inconsiderable amount, it also seems like she"d be willing to sell him out in a lot of scenarios for the chance to gain her corporeal form back - or any other form of power. What If...? season 3, episode 2 serves to reinforce this complicated characterization, meaning that while I"m glad Agatha won"t be posing this level of a threat in the MCU anytime soon, I"m also even more excited to see where her unique story goes.
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Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount's Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
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