Warning: This article contains wicked spoilers for Agatha All Along episode 5.
Sure, surprises are great, but the real test of a movie or TV show twist is whether it can stand up even if it’s been spoiled. Thankfully, Marvel Studios has become adept at that over the years, given that its works are perhaps the most frequently leaked of all Hollywood productions. Sometimes, though, it doesn’t even need to leak, as the fans are just so savvy at this point that they can see a plot twist coming a mile away.
Take Agatha All Along, for instance. As soon as Joe Locke was cast as Teen, the whole world went “WICCAN!” Many grumbled that it was a mistake for Marvel to keep the true identity of his character under wraps when even Wanda Maximoff’s corpse trapped under Mount Wundagore could see who he really was. We should’ve had faith, however, as the (witchy) cat is now finally out of the bag as of Agatha episode five, and the reveal proved to be worth it.
To recap, the episode ends with Teen turning against Agatha after she (appears to) kill Alice during the third trial. It’s unclear how, but Agatha at last realizes who he really is, noting how he’s so much like “his mother.” Teen then enchants Lilia and Jennifer to act as his minions, who throw Agatha into the quicksand before themselves getting swallowed up by the mud, all while a magical crown materializes around Teen — or should I say, Wiccan’s — head. Cue Billie Eilish’s “You Should See Me In A Crown.”
“This was one of the greatest MCU moments of all time,” said one excited fan, and I see no lies.
Music maketh the moment, so whoever nabbed the rights to use Eilish’s anthem should get all the awards.
Because Eilish is singing about crowns when Wiccan’s crown appears, get it?! Yeah, OK, what this scene lacks in subtlety it makes up for in chutzpah.
“This is going down in history…” Young Avengers history, fingers crossed.
Here’s the thing, though: the Wiccan reveal is a barely concealed redo of Agatha’s own unmasking from WandaVision. Just like here, most had already called that “Agnes” was going to be outed as Agatha Harkness, but thanks to the OTT energy of the ultimate reveal we were all blown away by the twist just the same. It also helps that both scenes were accompanied by absolute bops: Eilish’s song and, in WandaVision, the “Agatha All Along” original song.
Marvel is often blasted for relying on certain formulas and tried-and-tested tricks across its phases, and yet, hey, if something works, why not keep doing it? Fans are smart enough to work out your big twist? No problem, just stick a song that slaps on the soundtrack and watch them lose their minds. We should be mad that Marvel can manipulate us so easily, but they know what we like and we want more of it. Yes, Teen was Wiccan all along — but Marvel still takes the crown for epic twists.
