WandaVision: 10 Things Only Comic Book Fans Know About Nicholas Scratch (& The Agatha Harkness Connection)
It's possible that WandaVision revealed that the big bad is none other than Agatha Harkness, a powerful sorceress from the Marvel Comics. Agatha's role in the comics as Scarlet Witch's friend and mentor is clearly different from the show, but some things may carry over, like Agatha's son, the warlock Nicholas Scratch.
Some clues suggest that Nicholas is actually a player in the series already, with hidden references designed to keep fans guessing. His comic book history could be the key to understanding his potential role in the series and perhaps the MCU beyond.
10 Son Of Agatha Harkness
Nicholas Scratch is the son of Agatha Harkness, who in the comics is a much gentler and kind presence than she's been depicted so far in the MCU. He was introduced in Fantastic Four #185 in August 1977, written by Len Wein and drawn by George Perez.
Scratch is a powerful warlock with abilities on par with his mother's. His father has never been revealed in the comics, though he does have many children, including Brutacus and Vertigo, all of whom have become villainous to one degree or another.
9 'Mr. Scratch'
One of the major hints at Agatha's true identity was the name of her pet rabbit, Señor Scratchy. This also links directly with perhaps the biggest clue in WandaVision that Nicholas is a player. One of Nicholas' aliases in the comics is 'Mr. Scratch.'
Going even further, 'Scratch' and 'Old Scratch' are terms in myth and legend associated with the devil. Nicholas Scratch has associations with the devilish Marvel villain Mephisto in the comics, and there are also many clues that Mephisto is involved in Westview as well.
8 He Tried To Kill His Mother
Nicholas Scratch revealed his true nature when he attempted to kill his own mother. The two had originally been part of a secret and reclusive community of magicians called New Salem. Agatha left to live a normal life, but members of the community later abducted her and put her on trial for leaving.
Scratch was then the leader of New Salem and led the charge to burn her at the stake. His zealousness ended up working against him as some people in New Salem turned against him and freed Agatha.
7 Kidnapped Franklin Richards
In the process of abducting Agatha, Scatch also kidnapped Franklin Richards, the son of Reed and Sue from the Fantastic Four. Agatha was originally introduced as the governess or caretaker of Franklin in Fantastic Four #94 in January 1970, one of the last issues produced by the iconic duo of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Her magical background was revealed in New Salem.
Franklin is notable in regards to WandaVision for his power to alter and create realities. At the very least, the concept seems to be at play in the show through the Nexus ad in episode seven. The ad sells an antidepressant called Nexus that might actually be a major clue to the Nexus Of All Realities, an interdimensional gateway.
6 Banished To The Dark Realm
Scratch accused his mother of exposing New Salem to non-magic users, but this was a lie. No one knew about the town until he kidnapped Franklin Richards. For his actions, the people of New Salem exiled Scratch to the Dark Realm in Fantastic Four #185 and 186.
The Dark Realm, also known as the Dark Dimension, is the abode of the otherworldly entity known as Dormammu. He was the villain of the first Doctor Strange movie, and could still potentially be the true villain behind WandaVision.
5 Agatha Stripped Him Of His Powers
Scratch's hatred of non-magic users ended up coming back to bite him in the end. For his actions against her in New Salem, Agatha stripped her son of all of his powers. He attempted to overthrow the world from the Dark Realm by taking mental control of the Fantastic Four's bodies. He then later took over the mind of Franklin Richards.
These brazen attempts left Agatha no choice but to strip him of all his powers. The situation may be different in WandaVision, where the two might be in league; it seems clear Quicksilver is an imposter and is in fact someone else. Could it be Nicholas?
4 The Haunting Of Centreville
Nicholas Scratch eventually resurfaced in the quiet community of Centreville, not unlike the towns of Westview or New Salem. There he led to the entire population of the town being possessed by demons.
This plot was uncovered by Patsy Walker, AKA Hellcat, one of the best supporting characters from Jessica Jones. Patsy called in some help from both the Avengers and the Thunderbolts, and they helped free the people of Centreville.
3 In League With Dormammu
Patsy discovered that Nicholas Scratch was behind Centreville and chased him down. She believed that his demonic efforts were the product of an alliance with Mephisto, but Scratch revealed that he was actually in league with Dormammu. Mephisto was involved, in a way.
Dormammu had his sights set on conquering Hell, which meant pushing Mephisto out. He hoped to do this with Scratch's help. In return, Scratch would have been made Sorcerer Supreme, displacing Doctor Strange. There have been many Sorcerers Supreme in the comics, but Scratch was never one.
2 Alliance With Mephisto
Scratch did ally with Mephisto at one point. This only came about when Scratch was banished to Hell and forced to work with Mephisto, the stand-in for the devil in the Marvel Universe. This occurred in the early 2000s in Marvel Knights #25-27.
Scratch manipulated the Fantastic Four into releasing Shuma-Gorath, a dimensional entity very similar to Cthulu from the H.P. Lovecraft mythos. The Fantastic Four were able to overcome Scratch and banish him for his actions.
1 Extradimensional Powers
The arrival of Quicksilver from the X-Men franchise changes the MCU in a lot of ways. It opens up the door to the multiverse, which is definitely being teased in WandaVision. Another way it is could be through Nicholas Scratch himself.
He is a very powerful warlock who can travel through dimensions. He could also gain more power by harnessing extradimensional energy by invoking entities or objects of power existing in dimensions tangential to Earth, perhaps objects like the book seen in Agatha's basement.
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