Agatha All Along episode 6: is Billy the Blackheart?

The sixth episode of Agatha All Along gave me what I'd been craving from this show: the knowledge and the lore. This is the Wiccan breakdown episode, and I feel the comic book material was breadcrumbed in beautifully while still being woven into the story the MCU is telling.

Agatha All Along (2024), starring Kathryn Hahn, Joe Locke and Aubrey Plaza, ties the world of WandaVision to Wanda's twins after Mephisto. It brings us that much closer to the Young Avengers. Long story short, "the comic book people are fed" in this one. If you enjoy Wiccan's backstory, I think you're going to enjoy this episode.

Why this Wiccan episode works for comic readers and newcomers alike

I love when Marvel Comics and the MCU collide in a symbiotic way. Those with comic book knowledge can play along, and those without it might be inspired to go read the comics or figure out where something comes from. In this episode, viewers without much Wiccan lore could finally feel like part of the ride, because we learned a lot about Billy.

We also learned how the witches, and especially this coven, have always been in each other's lives. It wasn't arbitrary that these witches happened to live near each other. I think the show said that within a certain radius you'll always find witches to join your coven. I find it interesting that Billy is the through line connecting them.

Many Marvel shows have teased us without leaving us satisfied, with no payoff on the teases. With this episode, I do think there was a bit more payoff. If I were on the writing team, I'd still play with the teasing more. The fly on the wall would be Mephisto, and it would be more than jokes for the sake of jokes, though I'm glad the jokes about Ralph's name were finally tied together.

Ralph Bohner connects Wanda's twins across the multiverse

Ralph Bohner is back, and I love that he's the one who connects who these twins are. The actor played the speedster in the live-action X-Men films, so it's nice that these multiverses are still being tied together. In this show he's just a regular guy named Ralph, but across Marvel's MCU and the X-Men I think it's fun to see something like a passing of the torch.

It reads almost like the speedster saying: I was your twin in a prior version of ourselves, so if I can help you find the me in this universe, I pass the baton on to you. Whether the writers thought that deeply about it or not, I think it was a nice tribute to the next generation of heroes. I think passing knowledge down and giving our blessing to the next generation is what we should always be doing.

Is Billy Kaplan the Blackheart in Agatha's prophecy?

Before Teen goes into Agatha's house, he texts his boyfriend, telling him something like I love you, you're my heart, and he sends a black heart. That's interesting, because there's a character called Blackheart in the comics. When Agatha first got the prophecy listing the people she would need, the list included Blackheart.

Many people thought Rio might be Blackheart before we learned who she really is. If the Funko boxes didn't already spoil it for you, Rio is Death. The further we get, the more it seems that Wiccan is the Blackheart. This could be one of those frustrating cases where it is but it isn't, since a separate Blackheart character exists.

The big thing about Wiccan and Billy Kaplan is that he has the potential to be both good and evil. He's a neutral character in his magic, in his abilities, in how he could end up, and in lore and prophecy. So the black heart might simply mean he could go evil or not. In my mind, we're solidifying that Wiccan, Billy Kaplan, Billy Maximoff is the Blackheart, the one who was needed to continue the journey.

My theory: the witches who were pulled into the muck are still alive

I'm still on the thread that these women aren't actually dead. Yes, they were pulled into the muck, but it's an offscreen death, and we all know an offscreen death leaves room for them coming back. I think that when Agatha walked the Road the first time, she took their powers and she was the one who killed them. I don't think the Road kills witches. I think the Road challenges them.

I hope that's the one thing I get right about this show. Otherwise, what a waste, and "what a boring way to die" for these powerful women. Jennifer Kale going in the mud is not how she goes, and I don't buy it. By my count at the time, there were nine episodes in the season, which left three to go. I'm not buying any of it: I believe all of these witches are coming back.

How Billy Kaplan took over a new body, and the quest to find his brother

Here is the Billy Kaplan lore that has me excited about the comics being intertwined with the MCU. In the comics, once Mephisto took Wanda's children, their spirits went into other children in the area. That's where Billy Kaplan comes from. When Wanda's kids went into these children, they took over, and the minds that were there no longer exist. Wanda's kids now live in their psyche, their subconscious and their bodies.

It's unfortunate, but I like what the show did here. It was a tragic accident, and the vessel was empty, which allowed Billy to merge himself with this new body. What's exciting is that we now have a quest. It isn't only about bringing the Young Avengers together; it's about Billy finding his brother. "It's not the magic, it's not the Mommy, it's finding my other half, it's finding my brother." I love stories with emotion and purpose behind them.

My one complaint about Agatha All Along: low level magic

The show is a bit slow paced for me, which is unfortunate. There isn't much magic in it, even for a witch show; it's very low level magic. I know Agatha doesn't have her powers, and we've only just discovered that Billy has his but can't access them. Still, the one thing I wish is that they would raise the stakes and the powers.

Even so, I like where it's going, and I think we are getting so close to a really epic season.