One detail in the Darkhold’s impact on Agatha Harkness' physical appearance during her debut in 2021’sWandaVisionproves Kathryn Hahn’s original Salem witch is more powerful than the Scarlet Witch and Doctor Strange in theMCU. Following its appearance in Marvel Television projects such asAgents of SHIELDandRunaways, theDarkhold, the Book of the Damned, was reimagined for the MCU proper inWandaVision. This more mystical version of the Book of Sins was initially in the possession of Kathryn Hahn’s powerful Agatha Harkness, but has affected several others since then.
TheDarkhold has now made several appearances in the MCU, and 2022’sDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessrevealed a little more about the book’s history. The physical Darkhold book was transcribed from the dark magic and sinister spells engraved into the walls of theDarkhold Castle on Mount Wundagore.This magic has a way of getting into the Darkhold’s reader’s soul, and has been shown to have corrupted the likes of Agatha Harkness, Wanda Maximoff, Stephen Strange and more, but a hiddenWandaVisiondetail proves one reader was more prepared to read the Darkhold than others.
Agatha Harkness Was More Corrupted By The Darkhold Than The Scarlet Witch & Earth-838’s Doctor Strange
Agatha Harkness' Fingers Were Significantly More Blackened Than The Scarlet Witch & Doctor Strange
While most of the Darkhold’s effect takes place in the reader’s soul,the book also has a physical impact, as the reader’s fingers become increasingly more blackened as they become more corrupted. This has been the case for all theDarkhold’s known readers in the MCU, as Agatha Harkness, Wanda Maximoff’s Scarlet Witch and Earth-838’s variant of Doctor Strange all gained black fingertips after reading the book. However, as pointed out by@agathariosslave onX, Agatha Harkness appeared to have been far more corrupted than the others.
Only the very tips of Earth-838’s Doctor Strange’s fingers were blackened inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, while theblack on the Scarlet Witch’s fingersextended halfway up her fingers. Conversely,Agatha Harkness had completely black fingers inWandaVision, suggesting that she had been in possession of the Darkhold for longer, had perhaps read it over and over, and had become significantly more corrupted by its magic than the Scarlet Witch and Doctor Strange. This terrifying prospect tells quite a different story for Agatha Harkness, however, as the book actually had little impact on her personality.
The blackening of the fingers is something that all readers of the Darkhold have in common, while the book has very different effects on its readers' personalities.When Wanda Maximoff acquired the book inWandaVisionshortly after accepting her identity as the Scarlet Witch, the Darkhold enhanced her determination and forged her into a remorseless and ruthless monsterdead-set on killing America Chavez and traveling the multiverse.Earth-838’s Doctor Strangeused the Darkhold to defeat Thanos, but his psyche crumbled under the weight of the book, and accepted his fate of execution.
The Darkhold had a major psychological impact on Sinister Strange inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, as he dream-walked throughout the multiverse to kill his alternate selves, but the book did not blacken his fingers at all, which could be a curious development or simply an MCU plot hole.
The Darkhold had a much stranger effect on Agatha Harkness, despite her being far more corrupted by the book, having been in possession of it for an indeterminate, but assumed to be rather long, time prior toWandaVision. Agatha’s personality barely changed whether she had the Darkhold or not, as proven in2024’sAgatha All Alongseries.It seems the Darkhold had practically no psychological impact on her whatsoever, with it simply being a good read for the dark Salemite, as she seemed incredibly lucid and put-together and expressed the same goals whether in possession of the book or not.
Why Agatha Harkness Was More Capable Of Handling The Darkhold
Agatha All Along Explained More About Agatha Harkness' Dark History
It’s very possible that Agatha Harkness was secretly considerably more powerful than both Wanda Maximoff and Earth-838’s Stephen Strange, meaning she may have been far more capable of taking on the impact of the Darkhold with little change to her personality. Agatha’s increased power could have come from her innate darkness, however, which the Darkhold may have been attracted to. InAgatha All Along,Evanora Harkness suggested that Agatha was"born evil,“perhaps priming her from birth to be able to withstand the Darkhold’s dark magic with ease.
How Did Agatha Get The Darkhold Before WandaVision?
After Agatha All Along revealed Agatha’s backstory, one mystery is more confusing. When did Agatha obtain the Darkhold and how does her son factor in?
Agatha All Along’sfinale also revealed that Agatha Harkness had spent centuries using the song she’d written with her deceased son, Nicholas Scratch, to lure hundreds of witches into her trap, stealing their power and their lives.This career of killing witches likely corrupted Agatha Harkness' soul so much that the Darkhold had little impact on her when she eventually came across it. There have been calls for a follow-up toWandaVisionandAgatha All Alongto exploreAgatha’s history with the Darkhold, which could reveal exactly why she’s so capable of handling the book’s formidable power.
WandaVision
Cast
WandaVision, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first TV show on Disney+, first aired in 2021. The series kicked off the MCU’s Phase 4 and brought back Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, aka the Scarlet Witch, and Paul Bettany as Vision. WandaVision strayed away from Marvel’s typical formula, this time formatting itself more like a classic sitcom as Wanda struggles to cope with the death of Vision.
