Will Agatha All Along Break Marvel’s Biggest TV Curse?

Agatha All Along is a third of the way through its run, and so far, I’m enjoying myself – and that has me worried. Because (with rare exception), every time I invest in one of Marvel Studios’ Disney+ shows, I’m disappointed by the end (literally).

Starting with 2021’s WandaVision, the studio’s small screen, live-action Marvel Cinematic Universe outings have settled into a pattern. They come out of the gates strong and then gradually fizzle out. Most of their finales are weak; some are even outright bad. Either way, I’m left feeling the same: like I shouldn’t have invested in the hours’ worth of TV that preceded them. So, based on this trend, me getting hooked on Agatha All Along is effectively my way of saying “I’m ready to be hurt again.”

Or is it? After all, Marvel execs have publicly admitted that their original approach to Disney+ projects was flawed and are tackling things differently going forward. But will this be enough for Agatha All Along to break Marvel’s biggest TV curse, once and for all? Will the MCU’s baddest witch deliver the shared universe’s best Disney+ ending?

What Went Wrong with Marvel’s Other Disney Shows?

Again, it’s not as though Agatha All Along has a high bar to clear, finale-wise. As noted above, Marvel’s strike rate in this area is far from great. WandaVision Episode 9 trades in the show’s quirky TV trope trappings for a rote superpowered showdown and limp payoffs (Ralph Bohner anyone?). The Falcon and the Winter Soldier closes with Sam Wilson lecturing the not-UN. Hawkeye collapses under the weight of MCU step-up, its climactic installment more interested in setting the stage for Echo and Thunderbolts* than tying up Clint Barton and Kate Bishop’s story. Moon Knight ditches the psychodrama that made its first five entries compelling in favor of another CG-heavy slugfest. Ms. Marvel‘s finale is memorable mostly because of its incredibly clunky X-Men tease. Secret Invasion abandons its intriguing (if somewhat half-baked) paranoid thriller vibes for – you guessed it – an emotionally empty, VFX-driven brawl. And Echo‘s five-episode run just sort’ve… stops.

Related: Is Agatha All Along Setting Up Mephisto’s MCU Arrival?

That doesn’t mean every MCU Disney+ show fumbles its ending. As alluded to earlier, one series more or less sticks the landing (twice!), while another comes pretty dang close. Both seasons of Loki conclude in largely satisfactory fashion. Admittedly, Season 1’s finale hits much harder if you’re up-to-speed on classic Marvel baddie Kang. And the tangible sense of closure Season 2’s capper serves up is undermined slightly by the uneven quality of the episodes that proceed it. Still, both endings work; when the credits roll, you’re broadly satisfied. Then there’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 9, which daringly embraces the comics’ fourth wall-breaking sensibilities. It doesn’t 100% work; the meta stuff is fun (if innately divisive), however, it arguably trades shock and subversion for a truly meaningful climax. Yet it gels with the show’s overall spirit, so it earns a pass. Clearly, Marvel can get TV show endings right.

Marvel Is Rethinking Its Approach to TV Shows

Just as importantly, the studio is doing its level best to improve its consistency. Before Agatha All Along, Marvel effectively produced its Disney+ series like its movies. None of these projects had showrunners in the conventional sense; studio executives worked with head writers to keep things humming along. Marvel didn’t shoot pilots or build up series bibles, either. They just dived straight in. If (or more often, when) this resulted in subpar output, reshoots and visual effects plugged the gaps. It’s hardly the ideal formula for developing quality TV shows, much less ones with worthwhile finales. Eventually, even Marvel couldn’t ignore the problems (including lacklustre final episodes) this creative plan of attack was causing.

Related: Why Does [SPOILER] Die in Agatha All Along Episode 3?

So, in mid-2023, Marvel overhauled its small screen production processes. Rushing entire seasons’ worth of TV into principal photography was out. Showrunners, series bibles, and pilot episodes were in. In short: Marvel embraced the traditional TV model. The upshot of this is that whatever they release from now on should feel more polished, coordinated, and straight-up thought through. No more figuring things out on the fly; a season-long roadmap should be well and truly in place before cameras roll. So, theoretically, Agatha All Along is perfectly positioned for a dynamite denouement. It just depends on how much of the above was in place when production on the series ramped up.

Will Agatha All Along Magic up a Good Ending?

Agatha All Along entered development in 2021. That’s more than two years before Marvel’s big TV epiphany. As such, it doesn’t reflect the full extent of the studio’s new strategy. For example, the supernatural-themed series didn’t kick off with a pilot; all nine episodes got the greenlight at once. That said, creator Jac Schaeffer is credited as Agatha All Along‘s showrunner, not its head writer. So, presumably, Schaeffer had more direct control over the show’s story and direction. She may have even penned a series bible outlining (among other things) where the narrative will finish. Factors such as these suggest that Agatha All Along has a decent shot at ending on a high. Now, wouldn’t that be magic?

Agatha All Along is currently streaming on Disney+, with new episodes dropping Wednesdays.