Agatha Harkness

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caption =
comic_color = background:#ff8080
character_name = Agatha Harkness
real_name = Agatha Harkness
publisher = Marvel Comics
debut = "Fantastic Four" vol. 1 #94 (January, 1970)
creators = Stan Lee (writer), Jack Kirby (artist)
alliance_color = background:#ffc0c0
status = Deceased (again)
alliances = The Witches of New Salem, ally of the Fantastic Four
previous_alliances =
aliases =
relatives = Nicholas Scratch (son), Salem's Seven (grandchildren)
powers = Highly skilled magic user

Agatha Harkness is a fictional character, a powerful witch in the Marvel Comics universe. Supposedly, she was one of the original witches from the Salem Witch Trials in Salem, Massachusetts. She somehow survived and later became a significant figure in Marvel continuity, protecting Franklin Richards as his nanny and notably becoming the Scarlet Witch's mentor in real magic. She died helping the Fantastic Four. She also had a familiar named Ebony, a weird cat-like creature that could sense the presence of mystical beings.

Fictional character biography

Agatha Harkness was first introduced as Franklin Richards' governess. ["Fantastic Four" #94] She then aided the Fantastic Four in battle against Annihilus. ["Fantastic Four" #109-110]

Through the actions of Nicholas Scratch, her son, she was revealed as being a member of the previously unknown New Salem, Colorado colony of witches, of whom she had been the leader. Scratch had taken control of the town and had persuaded its inhabitants that Agatha had betrayed the communities' secrets by working for the Fantastic Four. She was abducted back to the community along with Franklin so that she might be put on trial. ["Fantastic Four" #185] The Fantastic Four followed and came into conflict with Salem's Seven, who were Agatha's grandchildren by Scratch. The Fantastic Four eventually won out and freed Agatha. In the process, Scratch's evil was revealed to the community of New Salem and he was banished to another dimension. ["Fantastic Four" #186]

Scratch tried many times to gain revenge on the Fantastic Four. Each time Agatha assisted them; she also disowned Scratch.

Agatha became the magical tutor for the Scarlet Witch in the use of witchcraft. ["Avengers" #128]

Scratch and Salem's Seven returned one more time, and Agatha repulsed their world takeover attempt. ["Fantastic Four Annual" #14]

Eventually Salem's Seven took over the New Salem community again. They captured Agatha and killed her by burning her at the stake, though Agatha soon made her presence known to Wanda in what appeared to be a post-death astral form. In an ensuing battle between the Scarlet Witch and Salem's Seven, the entire community's energies were drawn into Vertigo of the Seven, who lost control of them. Wanda managed to capture some of the energy and funnel it away, but the entire town was still decimated. Following hints from Agatha's astral form, Wanda channeled the remaining energy to become pregnant with her husband, The Vision's, children. ["Vision and Scarlet Witch" Vol. 2 #3]

Later, Agatha resurfaced, again alive and well, when Wanda's infant children began exhibiting odd behavior (disappearing for brief periods of time) and Wanda became unstable after her husband's dismantling; Agatha provided no explanation for her return. ["Avengers West Coast" #51] After Mephisto claimed that Scarlet Witch's children were actually fragments of his own soul and reabsorbs them, Agatha briefly mind-wiped Wanda's memory of her children in an attempt to help her deal with the trauma. Agatha later restored those memories soon after when Wanda became a pawn in a complex plot by Immortus. Agatha aided the Avengers in their battle against Immortus. ["Avengers West Coast" #60-62]

Agatha assisted the Fantastic Four again, in babysitting and in controlling Franklin Richard's fluctuating cosmic powers. In at least one instance, when Franklin was angry, this failed, causing Agatha to faint. She also saved the life of the Avenger Tigra, who had become confused, lost and injured while trapped in a very feline form. Agatha stayed with Tigra until her powers, for the moment, were stabilized.

Agatha assisted other mystics in a number of crisis situations. She continued to train Wanda further in the use of her powers, claiming that her mutant ability was actually to use "chaos magic". This magic was the energies derived from the demonic Chthon who had been sealed under the mountain where Wanda was born. Agatha helped Wanda fully resurrect the Avenger Wonder Man.

In a sequence during "Avengers #503" (in the Avengers Disassembled storyline), Wanda, again having no memory of her children, angrily confronted Agatha about their existence. At the end of that issue (occurring some time after Wanda and Agatha's confrontation), Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. found what appeared to be Agatha's corpse in her home and concludes that Agatha had been dead for a long time.

In "New Avengers" #26 Wanda mentioned that she is under the care of an Aunt Agatha, whether this is the one and the same remains to be seen.

Powers and abilities

Agatha Harkness derives her powers from manipulation of the forces of magic. She has the ability to manipulate magical forces for a number of effects, including teleportation, energy projection, and the tapping of extra-dimensional energy by invoking entities or objects of power existing in dimensions tangential to Earth's through the recitation of spells. She also has the abilities of mesmerism, thought-casting, and illusion-casting. Agatha Harkness's age reduces her ability to perform strenuous physical tasks.

Agatha Harkness has a gifted intellect, and a vast knowledge of magical lore.

Agatha has a magical familiar named Ebony, a pet cat with the ability to transform into a large, ferocious panther.

Other versions

Ultimate Agatha Harkness

The Ultimate Universe version of Harkness makes her debut in "Ultimate Fantastic Four." Unlike her mainstream Earth-616 counterpart, this version is much younger and is considered quite attractive. She first appears in #54, claiming to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. psychologist sent to eveluate the Baxter Building thinktank.

In issue #56, it is revealed that her S.H.I.E.L.D status was faked and she is really an ancient empathic being that destroyed Atlantis. Known as the Dragon-of-Seven or the Hydra, she can divide into seven, each of which can also divide into seven and so on. In her form as a group of seven individuals she posed as the superhero group Salem Seven.

Other media

Television

* Agatha Harkness has appeared in "" episode "The Sorceress' Apprentice" voiced by Elizabeth Shepherd.

* Agatha Harkness has appeared in a few episodes of "" voiced by Pauline Newstone. Mystique brought her in to train Scarlet Witch.

Video games

* In , during a race with Johnny Storm, if he is in the lead, will shout to Spider-Man "Agatha Harkness is faster than you!".

Other

* The character of Captain Jack Harkness from the British science-fiction television series "Doctor Who" and its spin-off "Torchwood" was named after Agatha Harkness. [cite interview
last = Barrowman
first = John
subjectlink = John Barrowman
interviewer = Jonathan Ross
title = Jonathan Ross
program = BBC Radio 2
callsign =
city =
date = 2006-10-21 ]

References

External links

* [http://marvel.com/universe/Harkness%2C_Agatha Agatha Harkness] at Marvel.com
* [http://www.drstrange.nl/drstrange/sanctum/book/agathaharkness_history.htm "DrStrange.nl"'s biography for Agatha Harkness]
*http://www.marveldatabase.com/Agatha_Harkness