One of the more highly anticipated new shows on the 2024 TV schedule is also one of its most magically devious, and Disney+’s WandaVision spinoff Agatha All Along long ago introduced its tricky nature to audiences through the sporadic title changes. Like many others, we initially thought them legit, but I soon theorized that Marvel’s devilishly evil Mephisto was responsible for the ruse. But no, it was just the creative team toying with audiences the whole time.
WandaVision creator and Agatha showrunner Jac Schaeffer talked to CinemaBlend about the unique and playful promotional switcheroos, which began with the faux announcement that the horror-tinged miniseries would be called Agatha: House of Harkness. But if you thought each of the illegitimate titles was equally pleasing to those behind the scenes, Schaeffer is here to dissipate such assumptions. Here’s what she told us about her least favorite announcement:
There's one I hated. It's one that sort of made my eye twitch a little bit because it was so bad. When people took it seriously, like when in the trades they would be like, ‘So and so starring…’ It was Coven of Chaos. Which I think I actually even came up with. It's just such lazy alliteration. We did it, but it was meant to be the tipping point of like, ‘Guys, we're kidding.’
To be fair to much of the Marvel fandom, I can’t imagine anyone was expecting execs to share false information about Marvel’s upcoming TV projects, considering that was happening during a time when the studio was also trying to keep Deadpool & Wolverine details under wraps. House of Harkness seemed just kooky enough to be a believable marketing decision, too.
And for all that Jac Schaeffer thinks that Coven of Chaos is sloppy with the alliteration, I kinda think it’s just as easy to buy into as any of the other mocked up titles. I have to assume the description aptly fits Kathryn Hahn’s group of witchy women, as well as Joe Locke’s teen character, so I definitely get why the title occurred to her in the first place.
However, I can also get why it seems maybe too generic for project that's going down a very specific path: The Witch's Road. As such, I ’m not mad about it being revealed to be a fake and unused option.
Schaeffer continued, pointing out that she actually did have a favorite among the false designations. In the showrunner’s words:
Yeah, that one I really hated, but people took it seriously. Like, Darkhold Diaries I loved, because it was so stupid. I just was like, ‘That's absurd, and I love it.’
I was also a fan of Darkhold Diaries as a phrasing, although admittedly without ever thinking about it in the context of someone sharing their innermost thoughts and secret crushes in there. So yeah, I guess it is more absurd than I thought at the time.
I think everyone would readily agree that the most ridiculous change of all came with the C.S. Lewis-inspired title Agatha: The Lying Witch with Great Wardrobe. As true as the header might be all in all, it would still be an awkward mouthful. Maybe that can be one of the fake titles for the upcoming Vision-focused series: Vision: An Awkward Mouthful. Okay, no, let’s go back to the drawing board on that one.
Agatha All Along will fly onto Disney+ with its broomstick intact on Wednesday, September 18.
