Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Agatha All Along episode 4, “If I can’t Reach You / Let My Song Teach You.”
It’s hard to believe that we’re already halfway through Marvel Television’s Agatha All Along—and the reveals just keep coming. But even though the bulk of internet discourse seems to surround the identity of “Teen,” odds are you probably missed an important nod to Marvel comics lore in last night’s episode.
If Agatha All Along is about one thing, it’s sisterhood. From the get-go, we’ve watched Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) build a coven from scratch—to mixed results—while also dealing with the fallout of WandaVision. Now that our ragtag gang of witches have completed two trials on the Witches’ Road, Agatha is inching closer to her goal: to regain her powers and, presumably, wreak havoc when all’s said and done.
But if Marvel loves one thing, it’s a sympathetic villain, and Agatha All Along may very well be setting up a redemption arc for our favorite wicked witch of Westview. After all, Agatha could have a change in heart after bonding with her coven, as we’ve already seen her protective instincts for Teen (Joe Locke) in full force—no magic required. So while it’s difficult to predict the direction the MCU is going with Agatha’s character next, episode 4 might’ve just given us a (very subtle) hint.
Who are the Daughters of Liberty?
Towards the end of Agatha All Along episode 4, we catch up with the coven after Teen is injured in Alice’s (Ali Ahn) ’70s-style family home. While sitting around a campfire, the witches show off their battle wounds, where Agatha mentions a squabble with a group called the “Daughters of Liberty.” Although she doesn’t dive too much into specifics, we know that Agatha came out on top (“You ever hear of the Daughters of Liberty?”/”No.”/”Exactly.”), but that she took a knitting needle to the elbow in the process—hence, the nasty scar.
It’s something of a deep-cut reference and casts doubt on the group reemerging for a MCU team-up down the line, but never say never, right? In the comics, the Daughters of Liberty are an all-female superteam who made it their goal to “protect freedom at all costs,” led by an individual known as the Dryad (who, at one point, was Harriet Tubman. Seriously.). The name is a nod to the real-life political agency of the same name, which was formed by women in 1766 to protest the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts leading up to the Revolutionary War.
The Daughters of Liberty don’t come to play, either. This organization has an absolutely stacked cast of Marvel heroines, including Peggy Carter, Black Widow, Sue Storm, and Shuri, among others. But perhaps most notably, Agatha herself is actually a member of the team in the comics, teaching the group how to tap into the Mystic Arts. Clearly, Agatha didn’t end things on good terms with the Daughters of Liberty in Agatha All Along‘s timeline, but could the MCU see Agatha changing her ways?
Will Agatha All Along end with Agatha rebuilding the Daughters of Liberty?
Well, it’s hard to say. Despite featuring some seriously powerful heavy-hitters, the Daughters of Liberty aren’t particularly well-known, as the group is something of a new addition to Marvel lore. Because of this (and what would be some glaringly obvious plot discrepancies), an MCU adaptation might not be in the cards. However, Agatha All Along does share some connective tissue with the Fantastic Four, and given that the 2025 reboot is on the not-so-distant horizon, we could, at the very least, see Agatha joining forces with Vanessa Kirby’s Invisible Woman if she really does end up switching sides.
For now, I’m going to bet that Agatha namedropping the Daughters of Liberty in Agatha All Along won’t mean much moving forward, as it was likely just a bit of fun fan-service for Marvel comics readers. Still, knowing that this badass, all-female team was, at one time, active in the MCU is enough to make me happy—and it does lay the ground for one hell of a Disney+ spinoff series. Your move, Kevin Feige.
Published: Oct 3, 2024 03:56 pm