Marvel deliberately making it look like it has no idea what it’s doing with a much-hyped Disney Plus spinoff is a bold choice

The recent landslide of Marvel’s Disney Plus release slate was an inevitable consequence of the ongoing strikes, but it’s unfortunately only added to the public perception that the Multiverse Saga continues to be a bit of a mess. And that goes double — no, triple — for Agatha: Darkhold Diaries. Notice anything different? Yes, the Kathryn Hahn WandaVision spin-off has got itself a new title, its third after the originally announced House of Harkness and the long-standing Coven of Chaos.

The show’s trio of title changes and continual delays — it was just pushed back from this winter season to fall 2024 — have combined to give the impression that the creative direction on Agatha must be all over the place. But evidence is now building that, actually, this is a deliberate, if risky, tactic from Marvel Studios to reflect the mercurial and untrustworthy nature of its anti-hero protagonist.

Variety first suggested there was some method behind this title multiverse of madness by revealing that “a source with knowledge of the show” claims that the different titles are “less a sign of indecision on Marvel’s part and more a suggestion that Agatha is up to her old skulduggery.” What’s more, we have cast-iron evidence that Darkhold Diaries was always intended to be the series’ “true” title as well, thanks to a behind-the-scenes video taken during filming back in May, by none other than star Aubrey Plaza.

In theory, keeping the fandom wrong-footed in an attempt to drum up further interest in Agatha is a nifty idea — an echo of the memorable “Captain America 3 is called Serpent Society” trick Kevin Feige pulled at Comic-Con eons ago. However, at this point in time, Marvel lovers have seen major shakeups behind the scenes more times than we can count in recent years. So acting the part of a studio not being able to make up its mind becomes all too convincing a performance.