The MCU needs to ditch superheroes and go all in on magic

It’s been almost a month since Agatha All Along ended its stellar nine-episode season, and I’m still thinking about it. Ostensibly a spinoff centered on Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), the show was actually a successful expansion of the MCU’s magical corner, introducing major players like Death (Aubrey Plaza) and Wiccan (Joe Locke) and opening the door for more stories to happen in this mystical and magical yet still vastly unexplored corner of the MCU.

It’s no secret that the franchise is currently going through something of a tough time. Between box office bombs and heated debates regarding content and quality, the MCU is no longer the leading entertainment force it once was. However, almost every project taking place in the magical side of the series has been well-received, begging the question: why is more not being done in it? Rather than a fourth Captain America movie or yet another Spider-Man animated series, the MCU should be going all-in on its magical corner, which has proven to be not only reliable but surprisingly versatile and fascinating, too.

Burn and brew with coven true

Marvel Studios

For years, the magical corner of the MCU was supported only by Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). The Master of the Mystic Arts made his debut in 2016’s Doctor Strange before playing a major role in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War. His 2016 movie was well-received, but it’s not like he was atop many people’s lists of most exciting characters in the MCU — indeed, many even doubted how he would fit with the more tech-focused Avengers. However, Infinity War turned the tide, largely thanks to his now-iconic duel against Thanos (Josh Brolin). The film showed just how cool magic could really be, using Strange’s powers creatively and showing him to be strong enough to go toe-to-toe with the Mad Titan, albeit for a while only.

It wasn’t until 2021’s WandaVision that the MCU confirmed its second major magical player. Technically speaking, Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff predated Strange by two years — she first appeared in a cameo during Captain America: The Winter Soldier‘s post-credits scene. However, throughout the first half of her on-screen journey, the MCU flat-out refused to reference her magical powers, going so far as to refer to her as “enhanced” and explaining her powers came from the Mind Stone. WandaVision retconned her origin and finally referred to her as the Scarlet Witch, cementing her as a major threat in the overarching universe.

Disney

Strange and Wanda would’ve been enough to support the magic side of the MCU, but WandaVision‘s Agatha Harkness was such a scene-stealer that she easily warranted a spinoff of her own. Agatha All Along embraced the campiness of the superhero genre and the very idea of witchcraft, bringing the playful side back to both.

The show introduced several great new additions to this quickly expanding corner, most notably Locke’s Billy Kaplan, aka Billy Maximoff, and Sasheer Zamata’s Jennifer Kale. By openly celebrating the idea of witchcraft as a bond of sisterhood that is as appealing as it is dangerous, the show came up with a distinct approach to magic that distinguishes the MCU from other similar IPs like Harry Potter.

Marvel

The MCU now has a real identity for its witchy and sorcery side that easily towers over other corners of the franchise. No offense to the street-level heroes or spy corners of the series, but neither has the potential of their supernatural counterpart, which now has more than enough players to thrive on its own.

With the overwhelmingly positive reception for characters like Wiccan (arguably the most popular of the potential Young Avengers introduced thus far) and Kale, the ever-increasing popularity of Agatha (especially now that her tortuous romance with Plaza’s Rio has a horde of passionate fans), and the enduring longing for Wanda’s eventual return, the witch corner of the MCU is at an all-time high, popularity-wise, and the MCU would do well to strike while the iron is hot.

“Let’s go find Tommy”

Marvel Studios

Those are the final words of Agatha All Along, which seemingly hint at the next chapter of Billy and Agatha’s story. Whether it comes as a second season of Agatha All Along (unlikely, if you ask me) or a Wiccan-centric show (makes more sense) remains uncertain. There’s also the chance that the long-speculated Young Avengers show will focus on the search for Billy. Alas, we can only speculate, as the notoriously slow MCU has yet to announce any plans. And yet, I can’t help but feel like time is running out. The MCU needs to move fast with these things, and making fans wait three years for the next chapter of the story is outright ridiculous. Too much time between projects can make anticipation for anything dwindle to the point of disinterest.

Don’t believe me? Let’s rewind to 2022, then; the post-credit scene of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness introduced a major character to the fold, Clea, played by Oscar-winner Charlize Theron. In the comics, Clea is a powerful sorceress, the niece of the tyrant Dormammu (yes, that Dormammu), and the eventual wife of Doctor Strange, not to mention his successor as Sorcerer Supreme. This character is major in Strange’s story, and the MCU got one of the most popular and reliable genre actresses to play her. Yet, two years later, hardly anyone remembers, let alone cares, about Clea’s brief appearance.

Marvel

The MCU needs to hurry up with these projects if it wants to capitalize on the success of Agatha, and it absolutely should. After all, the magical corner of the MCU is the easiest way to expand the larger supernatural vertical, where characters like Blade (if he ever actually makes it to the big screen) and Ghost Rider exist. Kale’s presence is already a hint that the Midnight Sons are at play, and at this point, the MCU is just wasting time to actually introduce them.

Furthermore, now that Wiccan is here, the MCU can explore his mentor-mentee relationship with Strange, who he will eventually succeed as Sorcerer Supreme. All these characters have proven themselves with fans and critics and deserve a more prominent role in the franchise. Whether it happens before or after Secret Wars remains to be seen, but considering the MCU moves at a glacial pace, it will most likely be after.

MCU, I’ve come to bargain

Marvel Studios

The MCU needs to bet on its magical corner, and it must be sooner rather than later. The possibilities are endless, and the characters are ready to graduate to the big leagues. Realistically speaking, the first step will likely be Wanda’s long-awaited return, probably during Avengers: Doomsday — comic book fans will know Wanda has a… complicated history with Doctor Doom.

After that, it’s anyone’s guess. It’s pretty clear that the next major chapters in the magic side of the MCU — Doctor Strange 3, a Wiccan-centric or Young Avengers show, and a potential Midnight Sons project — will happen only after the Multiverse Saga is over, which can’t come soon enough if you ask me.

Marvel

And yet, I’m hopeful that magic will only keep growing in importance in the MCU. Wanda, Wiccan, Agatha, and Strange are among the franchise’s most popular and powerful characters, and we are craving more of them. The Marvel Trinity is at an all-time low — Thor is unpopular again after Love and Thunder, the next Captain America movie is somehow still scheduling reshoots less than three months before its release, and who the hell knows what’s happening with Downey Jr.

It’s the perfect time to elevate other less prominent yet equally capable characters to the spotlight, and who better than this group of witches and one Sorcerer Supreme? Olsen and Cumberbatch have more than paid their dues, and Locke and Hahn are more than willing to do it. Chop, chop, Marvel Studios, and get your witch on. God knows you need it.