Warning: This article contains spoilers for Agatha All Along episode 6, “Familiar By Thy Side.”
One of Loki’s best moments was copied by Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness years beforeAgatha All Along.WandaVisionepisode 8 revealed that Agatha Harkness was a youngMCUwitch during the time of the Salem Witch Trials in the 1600s, meaning she has been alive for over three hundred years. This long life means she’s been around the block, and this was proven inAgatha All Alongepisode 6, “Familiar By Thy Side,” which saw Billy Maximoff - in his new body - research the powerful witch before joining her coven.
Billy Maximoff’s research inAgatha All Alongepisode 6 revealed thatAgatha Harkness had been involved in some major disasters throughout the 20th Century, including the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and the Hindenburg disaster of 1937. Since acquiring the ability to absorb the power and life force of other witches back in Salem,Agatha Harkness had become infamousin the witch community as a killer of her own kind. However, she also became notorious to the general population, too, thanks to one iconic Dolly Parton song.
Agatha Harkness Was The Real “Jolene”
Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” Was Released In 1973
Hilariously,Agatha All Alongepisode 6 also seemed to imply that Agatha Harkness was the woman who inspired the legendary Dolly Parton hit, 1973’s “Jolene.“Apparently appearing in surveillance photos from 1972, which depict Agatha Harkness being slapped by a young Dolly Parton, the original Salem witch seems have been using her sexuality, sensuality and confidence to get what she wants for centuries. While Agatha Harkness as the real Jolene hasn’t actually been confirmed, this would repeat one brilliant trick pulled off by Tom Hiddleston’s Loki in Phase 4.
Dolly Parton confirmed “Jolene” depicts a true story on stage in 1988. The song tells the story of the narrator urging the stunningly beautiful Jolene to not steal her husband"just because [she] can.”
Agatha All Along Repeats A Brilliant Loki Trick
Loki Masqueraded As A Real-World Figure In Loki Season 1
Back inLokiseason 1’s premiere, “Glorious Purpose,” the Asgardian God of Mischief was revealed to have masqueraded asD. B. Cooper after having lost a bet to Thor. D. B. Cooper is an epithet given to an unidentified man who hijacked a plane and demanded $200,000 in ransom in 1971 - this is equivalent to roughly $1.5 million in 2024.The fact that D. B. Cooper has gone unidentified means Loki fits into the mystery perfectly, just as Agatha Harkness did for Jolenein the 1970s, and this isn’t the only time theLokiseries pulled off this trick.
Loki True Story: Every Real-Life Mystery Referenced (So Far)
Loki has subtly and cleverly featured some references to real-life mysteries, giving them explanations that fit the MCU. Here’s every one of them.
Lokiseason 2 saw Eugene Cordero’s TVA worker Casey be revealed to have originally been a variant ofFrank Morris, a real-world prisonerwho attempted an escape from Alcatraz in 1962. Morris escaped with two other men by placing papier-mâché heads in their beds and escaping with an improvised raft.The men were never found, and were assumed to have drowned during their escape attempt, butLokisuggests they survived.Agatha All Alongrepeating this trick for Agatha Harkness is another example of the MCU answering a real-world mystery, which never gets old.
New episodes ofAgatha All Alongrelease every Wednesday at 6pm PT/9pm ET on Disney+.
Agatha All Along
Cast
Agatha Harkness, after the events of “WandaVision,” seeks to regain her magical powers. Joining forces with unexpected allies, including the son of an old adversary, she battles new mystical threats while uncovering hidden secrets in the magical realm.
