First Natasha Romanoff was scorned, now Agatha Harkness is here to reclaim her rightful female protagonism in the MCU

Funny how things turn out. Agatha Harkness, a character most people didn’t even know existed a few years ago, is now leading the kind of story that so many women in the MCU were denied for far too long. For years, fans asked for more: deeper stories, messier emotions, space to grow, fail, heal. What they got instead was silence, corporate excuses, and that unforgettable gem from 2014 when Marvel straight-up said they didn’t make Black Widow t-shirts because they didn’t sell. Yeah. Sure. And now here we are, watching Agatha, with no solo comic, no cinematic legacy, suddenly owning the screen in a way that feels like poetic justice.

Disclaimer: This article expresses personal opinions and interpretations for commentary and discussion purposes only.

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Natasha Romanoff deserved better

Natasha Romanoff, played with quiet intensity by Scarlett Johansson, first appeared in Iron Man 2 (2010) and quickly became essential to the Avengers’ inner circle. But despite her skill, loyalty, and complexity, she never really got the spotlight she deserved, at least, not when it would’ve counted.

Her arc in Age of Ultron (2015) left many viewers frustrated. The film framed her inability to have children as a defining tragedy, with Natasha herself calling it the thing that made her a “monster.” That line, that scene, felt like a gut punch to so many women watching, especially those who had hoped to see something empowering on screen. And when she sacrificed herself in Endgame (2019), it didn’t land as noble. It felt like a tired trope. She died so that Clint Barton, the guy with the least compelling arc in the team, could go back to his family.

And sure, Black Widow finally came out in 2021. But let’s be real: It should’ve happened years earlier. By then, Natasha’s story had already been closed, wrapped in grief and silence.

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Agatha Harkness wasn’t supposed to be a star, and that’s exactly why she is

Now, here comes Agatha. Introduced in WandaVision (2021) as the quirky neighbor Agnes, she revealed herself to be the centuries-old witch Agatha Harkness, deliciously dark, clever, and powerful, played to perfection by Kathryn Hahn.

Her popularity was instant. She didn’t fit the mold of a “likable” woman. She wasn’t soft. She wasn’t tragic in a digestible way. And that was exactly what made her irresistible.

With Agatha All Along, her upcoming spin-off series, Marvel seems ready (finally) to lean into the weird, the feminine, the mystical, and do so on her terms. Unlike Natasha, Agatha Harkness isn’t being reshaped to fit someone else’s narrative. She’s getting to tell her own.

And yes, there’s even a sapphic romance with Aubrey Plaza’s character, Death, a bold, unexpected choice that suggests the MCU might actually be moving toward better queer representation. Small moment? Maybe. But it’s historic in this universe.

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Why this matters (and it really, really does)

Representation isn’t just about ticking boxes. It’s about storytelling. It’s about who gets to take up space, whose trauma gets explored with care, whose triumphs are celebrated, and whose failures are treated as human, not defining. When young girls (and grown women too, let’s be honest) watch these characters, they absorb messages about what’s possible, about who they’re allowed to be.

For years, female characters in Marvel movies were either sidelined, killed off, or flattened into one-note symbols: the love interest, the tragic mother, the crazy ex, the sacrificial lamb. That’s why it matters so much when someone like Agatha- chaotic, flawed, sensual, strange- gets a narrative that centers her humanity, not just her powers.

It’s not just about one show. It’s about a pattern. And breaking that pattern? That’s revolutionary in a space like this.

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Let’s talk team

Agatha All Along is being helmed by Jac Schaeffer, who also gave us WandaVision. That continuity is promising, it means we’re likely to see the same emotional depth, genre-bending style, and dark wit that made WandaVision a standout. Directors include Gandja Monteiro and Rachel Goldberg, and together, this predominantly female team is shaping something that doesn’t just look different; it feels different.

Aubrey Plaza as Death, Rio Vidal, is a masterstroke in casting. Her magnetic screen presence promises something eerie and emotionally grounded. And, of course, Hahn’s Agatha remains the kind of role actors dream about: layered, funny, powerful, tragic, and endlessly fascinating.

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What the show looks like and what it’s trying to say

Visually, Agatha All Along leans into classic witchy aesthetics: shadows, magic, and old lore. But it’s not stuck in the past. It uses these elements to talk about identity, autonomy, power, and transformation. Where earlier MCU entries would shrink women’s stories into side plots or motivations for men, this show puts Agatha, her past, her pain, and her choices front and center.

It dares to ask: What happens when a woman like this refuses to be reduced?

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A character without a comic but with all eyes on her

Agatha’s rise is especially fascinating because she doesn't even have a solo comic series at the moment. And yet, look at the buzz. Look at the fan art, the theories, the excitement. It’s almost poetic justice for what was said about Black Widow back in the day. The same studio that once argued female characters didn’t sell now has a franchise on its hands led by a witch most casual fans had never heard of until 2021.

So what changed? Not us. We were always ready.

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In the end…

Natasha Romanoff walked so Agatha Harkness could fly, broomstick optional. Their stories may be vastly different, but both reflect the evolving conversation around female protagonists in superhero media. One was underappreciated in life and given too little in death. The other is being handed the spotlight at just the right moment.

Let’s hope that Marvel and all of us watching have learned something in between.