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Revision as of 01:55, 4 February 2007
| Agatha Harkness | |
|---|---|
| File:AgathaHarkness.jpg | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Fantastic Four vol. 1 #94 (January, 1970) |
| Created by | Stan Lee (writer), Jack Kirby (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Agatha Harkness |
| Abilities | Highly skilled magic user |
Agatha Harkness is a fictional character, a powerful witch in the Marvel Comics universe. Supposedly, she was one of the original witches from the Salem Witch Trials in Salem, Massachusetts. She somehow survived and later became a significant figure in Marvel continuity, protecting Franklin as his nanny and notably becoming the Scarlet Witch's mentor in real magic. She died helping the Fantastic Four. She also had a familiar named Ebony, a weird cat-like creature that could sense the presence of mystical beings.
Character biography
Agatha Harkness was first introduced as Franklin Richards' nanny. Through the actions of Nicholas Scratch, her son, she was revealed as being a member of the previously unknown New Salem, Colorado colony of witches. Scratch had taken control of the town and had persuaded its inhabitants that Agatha had betrayed the communities' secrets by working for the Fantastic Four. She was abducted back to the community along with Franklin so that she might be put on trial. The Fantastic Four followed and came into conflict with Salem's Seven, who were Agatha's grandchildren by Scratch. The Fantastic Four eventually won out and freed Agatha. In the process, the community of New Salem was shown the evil of Scratch and he was banished to another dimension.
Scratch would later on try multiple times to escape and get his revenge on the Fantastic Four. Each time they were assisted by Agatha, who eventually disowned Scratch.
Agatha became the magical tutor for the Scarlet Witch.
Eventually Salem's Seven took over the New Salem community again. They captured Agatha and killed her by burning her at the stake. In an ensuing battle between the Scarlet Witch and Salem's Seven, the entire community's energies were drawn into Vertigo of the Seven, who lost control of them. Wanda managed to capture some of the energy and funnel it away, but the entire town was still decimated. Wanda channelled the remaining energy to set in motion her becoming pregnant with her husband, synthezoid's children.
Later, Agatha resurfaced, avoiding explanations for her return. She claimed that Scarlet Witch's children were actually fragments of the soul of Mephisto and mindwiped Wanda's memory of her children rather than fight to free the two from Mephisto when he reasorbed the two.
She went on to aid other mystics in a number of crisis situations, and trained Wanda further in the use of her powers, claiming that her mutant ability was actually to use "chaos magic" and helped fully resurrect the Avenger Wonder Man.
In truth, Agatha's corpse had been reanimated by Wanda's powers in her time of need, with both of them unaware of the truth of her status. She would ultimately die a second death, this time for good, during the Avengers Disassembled storyline. In a controversial sequence during Avengers #503, Wanda had a violent confrontation with Agatha about her children. At the end of the issue, Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. found Agatha's corpse in the house she had been hiding in.
In the recent issue of New Avengers 26 Wanda mentions an Aunt Agatha, whether this is the one and the same remains to be seen.
Powers and abilities
Like many of the other magicians of the Marvel universe, Agatha Harkness possesses vast and almost incalculable magical powers, which she can use to manifest various effects.
Other Media
Harkness has appeared in The Avengers: United They Stand, voiced by Elizabeth Shepherd.
Harkness has appeared in a few episodes of X-Men: Evolution, voiced by Pauline Newstone.
In Ultimate Spider-Man: The Game, during a race with Johnny Storm, if he is in the lead, will shout to Spider-Man "Agatha Harkness is faster than you!".
The character of Captain Jack Harkness from the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood was named after Agatha Harkness.[1]
References
- ^ Barrowman, John (2006-10-21). "Jonathan Ross" (Interview). Interviewed by Jonathan Ross.
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