Agatha All Along may not have fully answered whether Scarlet Witch is alive in the MCU, but a new interview from creator Jac Schaeffer reveals Marvel "instructed" her to use very deliberate wording when it came to Wanda's fate.
In the premiere episode of the WandaVision spin-off, Aubrey Plaza's Death – then only known as Rio Vidal – says "that witch is gone" when referring to Wanda. As it turns out, the word 'gone' is a choice brought on down from up high in Marvel Studios.
"It’s my opinion – and these stories will move ahead, and who knows what it will be – it’s my opinion that Agatha does not know [Wanda is alive]. And yeah, it’s my opinion that Rio does. I think the word ‘gone’ is important. I was instructed to use the word ‘gone.’" Schaeffer told Deadline.
Other than that, Agatha All Along chooses not to address the fate of the Scarlet Witch. The last we'd seen of her, Wanda was crushed by a collapsing castle in Mount Wundagore during the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. 'Gone', then, is a very specific choice of wording. She may not currently be around in the MCU, but it certainly leaves plenty of narrative wriggle room – and all but ensures she isn't definitively dead.
Previously, Schaeffer had addressed why we never saw the body of the Scarlet Witch during Agatha's Mare of Easttown-style parody.
"It was never the plan to show her face – both stylistically, and because this show isn't her story," Schaeffer told TV Line. Instead, the moment was "really about [how] when the body is turned over, the camera's on Agatha’s face. That's really where our attention is, and where the focus of the show is."
The Disney Plus series certainly made good on that promise, with its Agatha All Along ending putting a semblance of closure on the Nicholas Scratch situation, while also setting up a new search for Billy's brother Tommy – a new mystery that may have already been answered by Marvel's comics.
For more, check out our guides on upcoming Marvel movies and how to watch the Marvel movies in order.
