Agatha All Along just set an unlikely new achievement for the MCU and you won't believe whose idea to bare it all was!
Caution: This article contains SPOILERS for the premiere of Agatha All Along.
When last we saw Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), she was defeated in WandaVision by Wanda Maximoff (Elisabeth Olsen), who had embraced her powers as the Scarlet Witch. After being beaten, Wanda punished Agatha by wiping her memories of her true past and making her believe she was weirdo neighbor Agnes.
As Agatha All Along opened, Agnes was suddenly a cop in a moody forest town, complete with opening credits like an adaptation of a Danish crime show. She was investigating the murder of a woman aided by an FBI agent (Aubrey Plaza) who kept dropping weird hints about her.
Piecing together clues and visions, Agnes realized the murder victim in her case was actually Wanda (who'd died in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness). Confronted by the "agent," Agatha went through various past personas before finally remembering who she was.
This led to a wild scene where a stark naked Agatha stormed out of her home to confront neighbor Herb on how she'd been stuck in Westview for three years. While we had the classic TV blocking of Agatha's long hair and bushes to prevent this from going over the line, there was a big turn when she walked off to show her bare backside.
This marks the second time ever the MCU has shown nudity. The first would be Chris Hemsworth baring his own rear end in Thor: Love & Thunder. And as it turned out, this whole thing was Hahn's own idea.
Why Hahn bared it as Agatha
Speaking to TV Line, executive producer Jac Schaeffer addressed the scene and revealed that while the idea of Agatha being nude was always there, she'd be grabbing a robe before going outside. It was Hahn who wanted to actually show off on screen.
"She's taken all of her performative selves off…and Kathryn [Hahn] came to me and was like, 'Would Agatha stop to get a robe…? I feel like she would go out there naked.' [[It]] is so firmly based in character. It is not exploitative, it is not sexual…. It is about this witch and what her priorities are. And in this moment, she needs answers and she doesn't care if she's naked or not. So yeah, it's a point of pride for us."
Schaeffer said Marvel chief Kevin Feige had to be swayed a bit more on it but agreed that it worked. Hahn has shown no issues going naked in movies and TV shows before, but it does seem different for a Disney+ show. Granted, since merging with Hulu, the streamer has been home to more adult fare.
The show is kicking off with Agatha gathering her coven and searching for power on the legendary Witch's Road. Yet that pilot scene shows how Hahn has thrown herself into the part and making Agatha All Along another fun MCU entry.
Agatha All Along streams new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.