Agatha All Along won't get caught up in the debate about Marvel and superhero fatigue, as creator says it's about a group "that don't normally get the spotlight"
Sep. 14, 2024Exclusive: Agatha All Along’s writer/director Jac Schaeffer reveals why she isn’t concerned by the ongoing superhero fatigue debate
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‘Superhero fatigue’ has been an inescapable phrase recently, as people have been questioning whether audiences have grown tired of comic book stories. A hot topic in Hollywood, naturally Marvel is at the forefront of the conversation given that the MCU is such a powerhouse in both film and television.
However, as she reveals in conversation with GamesRadar+ and theInside Total Film podcast, the ongoing debate doesn’t trouble her – instead it further encourages Schaeffer to think outside of the box, pushing for original ideas with her MCU projects.
Which is exactly what she feels her newDisney Plusshow Agatha All Along is, as it puts the spotlight on characters who normally wouldn’t be a focus for the MCU. Spinning off from WandaVision, this new Marvel series reunites us with Kathryn Hahn’sAgatha Harknessas she assembles a coven of misfit witches.
As Schaeffer explains, this helps it sit outside of the superhero fatigue conversation: “There’s so much conversation and rhetoric about Marvel. I follow it because I’m part of that world but everything ebbs and flows, like it’s one big pendulum, so it doesn’t rattle me or freak me out. I don’t know if it’s there or not.
“I think it speaks to that audiences are always craving originality. You know, every story is the same story. We’re all kind of doing the same thing. But what is the fresh filter we can put on something? What is the POV that we can center that hasn’t been centered before? And that’s what I think is different about our show. I think it’s a group of characters that normally don’t get the spotlight, but they do in this show.”
However, whilst Agatha All Along is indeed “fresh” as Schaeffer puts it, it continues the traditions laid out in WandaVision. The challenge, therefore, was how do you balance following in the footsteps of WandaVision, whilst also ensuring Agatha All Along has its own voice too. Schaeffer admits that at the very beginning of the process, this was causing pressure.
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The writer/director tells us: “That was the thing keeping me up at night, it was about diagnosing what was special about WandaVision, what resonated, and then trying to capture those things but give them a fresh spin. I think part of that fresh spin is that we are really immersing in witch culture. The Scarlet Witch is a witch by name but Wanda knows nothing about witches and witchcraft in a cultural way. That’s what this show is. The opportunity to dive into that.”
Continuing, Schaeffer also emphasizes that Agatha is a different villain to others the MCU has featured - again, making this show something new. Her goals aren’t world domination or the deaths of millions, they are much more personal than that, which helps make Agatha All Along feel more intimate.
For Schaeffer, this also allows us to form a closer connection with the fan-favorite witch stating: “The reason I’m able to attach to Agatha is because she’s not interested in like snapping half of the population away. Her intention isn’t to hurt people for hurts sake, that doesn’t interest her. What does interest her is power and she will hurt people in her efforts to get that power.
“And there is something intimate about that because she has to like slither around, get close to people, when she has no power. She’s really on the backfoot, clawing her way out, she’s got to cozy up with a lot of people who wouldn’t normally want to be next to. The show is then intimate across the board, all the relationships are close quarters and very emotional.”
Agatha All Along debuts with a double episode premiere viaDisneyPlus on September 18 in the US and September 19 in the UK. You can listen to our full interview with Schaeffer in next week’s episode of theInside Total Film podcastwhich is available on various platforms.
For more from the world of the MCU, check out our guides to all theupcoming Marvel movies and shows. as well as how to watch theMarvel movies in orderandwhat to watch to before Agatha All Along.
As Entertainment Editor at GamesRadar, I oversee all the online content for Total Film and SFX magazine. Previously I’ve worked for the BBC, Zavvi, UNILAD, Yahoo, Digital Spy and more.
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