Streaming Wars is a weekly opinion column by IGN’s Streaming Editor, Amelia Emberwing. To learn the final entry, take a look at The Jedi Don’t Own the Force: The Acolyte Is Changing Everything We Know About the “Good Guys”
In some methods, I’m a strolling stereotype. Which is to say that after all Agatha All Along (which had a a lot cooler title in Coven of Chaos) has been one in every of my most anticipated reveals because it was introduced years in the past. Since mentioned announcement, Disney has made certain to maintain people on their toes with repeated (and intentional) title adjustments and pleasant casting bulletins like Aubrey Plaza and Patti LuPone, all of which have labored within the present’s favor. Unfortunately, the teaser and subsequent trailer that adopted have been much less inspiring, and have left me questioning simply what the heck this present goes to be about. I do know that, normally, headlines like this column’s have the key reply, however I’m simply as curious as you’re! What is Agatha All Along about!?
Right now, Agatha All Along is organising two main hurdles for itself by rolling out its marketing campaign because it has. First, there’s a restricted demographic that is aware of and cares about this character sufficient to observe a by-product. By not giving followers any sort of thought of what the present can be, it’s onerous to anticipate those that could not care to indicate up. Secondly, it raises issues for these of us who’re truly fascinated with Agatha Harkness and her MCU journey as a result of it looks as if simply months out the collection nonetheless has no thought what its tone is.
Bad trailers occur, and there’s no judging a movie or collection based mostly on two minutes. This wacky, witchy quantity stays my most anticipated collection for the remainder of the 12 months, and I can’t wait to see Kathryn Hahn get into some Grade A shenanigans as solely she will. But a lot of the advertising for Agatha All Along has been looking for its identification, and I’m beginning to lose religion that it’s intentional and getting apprehensive that mentioned advertising is solely disjointed.
WandaImaginative and prescient’s advertising had an analogous strategy, hopping from sitcom period to sitcom period and retaining viewers principally in the dead of night up till the collection lastly started (and all through the present, actually). It matches the theme of each Wanda and Agatha, as each enter their reveals with reminiscence points for various causes. However, WandaImaginative and prescient additionally had the nice religion of Wanda Maximoff followers and MCU aficionados hungry for one thing totally different from their conventional movie choices. Agatha Harkness is a enjoyable character within the MCU, and an essential one within the comics, however calling her “beloved” stretches farther than even Reed Richards can attain. After all, a part of the woman’s theme track is “and I killed Sparky too!” (Sparky being the Maximoff household canine.)
Morally grey has been the secret for some time now, with followers rising an increasing number of fascinated with how their favourite little monsters are the best way that they’re. We all love Loki! But, like Wanda earlier than him, the Trickster God headed into his collection with a mountain of excellent will. Folks like me are going to indicate up for Agatha regardless, however whether or not or not the fragmented narrative main into the present goes to harm it or not stays to be seen, and counting on the antihero development and what labored with WandaImaginative and prescient looks as if it’s changing into a mistake.
Broadly talking, we all know that Agatha is looking for herself after Wanda locked her in a hex for toying along with her household. Presumably, on the finish of her journey, Agatha will change into the identical witch who was worthy within the comics of minding Reed and Sue Richards’ son, Franklin, earlier than finally teaming with the Fantastic Four on varied escapades. Of course, we don’t know if the character can be one way or the other tied to the upcoming Fantastic Four movie (Harkness is far older than she appears to be like, no matter Fantastic Four’s place within the timeline or multiverse) or if she is going to proceed on her personal manner as a solo character till witches are wanted once more within the MCU.
Agatha doesn’t have to be part of the Richards’ household story to be an enticing character, however once more, I’m additionally not the sort that Disney must promote to right here. It appears actually unlikely that releasing two clunky teases — each of which begin with the identical obnoxiously boring detective fakeout footage — is doing something to promote the present to people not already fascinated with her story. (There are dozens of us! Dozens!)
But the actual difficulty right here isn’t that the trailers don’t inform us a lot. Not figuring out a lot is usually the very best strategy to head into reveals and flicks. Trailers used to inform us nothing! No particulars, no displaying clips of each main scene, simply vibes. And the vibes had been nice! But a trailer doesn’t have to inform you issues to be a superb trailer, and advertising doesn’t have to spoon feed-viewers to be a strong marketing campaign. What they should do is about the tone, and there are about seven of them within the Agatha All Along trailer. Are we happening a foolish witch journey? Are we physique horror? Are we hokey? Are we severe? Who can say!
In an ideal world, the subsequent trailer will proceed to maintain us in the dead of night on particular plot factors however lastly give us some solutions on what to anticipate tonally from the present. Because if the collection is as disjointed because the lead-in, it appears doubtless that Disney will take all of the fallacious classes from its failure. We want extra reveals that take bizarre swings, not fewer! I suppose it’s time to begin a prayer circle, witches.
Amelia is the leisure Streaming Editor right here at IGN. She’s additionally a movie and tv critic who spends an excessive amount of time speaking about dinosaurs, superheroes, and folks horror. You can normally discover her along with her canine, Rogers. There could also be cheeseburgers concerned. Follow her throughout social @ThatWitchMia
