Agatha All Along Episodes 8 & 9 Recap: Nicholas Scratch’s Backstory & 8 Other Reveals

Spoiler alert! This article contains spoilers for Agatha All Along episodes 8 & 9.

Agatha All Along comes to an emotional conclusion with episodes 8 and 9, which reveal Nicholas Scratch’s origin, an unexpected death, and a tease for Billy’s future MCU story. Agatha All Along episode 7 focused on Lilia Calderu, who surpassed the Witches’ Road’s fourth trial by sacrificing her life to defeat the Salem Seven and save her coven. Following episode 7, Agatha Harkness, Billy Kaplan, and Jennifer Kale understand that Rio Vidal is actually Marvel’s Death in disguise, and they prepare themselves to finish their journey across the Witches’ Road.

Agatha All Along has built various mysteries throughout its previous seven episodes. Agatha All Along episode 6 revealed Teen’s identity is Billy Maximoff after keeping his name a secret for six episodes. The series also teased and later paid off each witch’s backstory through cryptic clues included in each trial of the Witches’ Road. For instance, Alice Wu-Gulliver’s fears were revealed to be related to a family curse in Agatha All Along episode 5, and Lilia Calderu’s odd visions were revealed to be accurate premonitions in Agatha All Along episode 7. Likewise, Agatha All Along episodes 8 and 9 provide answers to the series’ remaining mysteries.

9 Death Is Mad Because Billy Maximoff Upset The Balance

Billy And Tommy Maximoff Defied Death With Their Reincarnation

At the beginning of Agatha All Along episode 8, Death confesses to Agatha that “no one in history has had special treatment” like Agatha, referring to Agatha’s borrowed time with her late son Nicholas. Death also tells Agatha that Tommy hasn’t reincarnated yet, and that she has to take Billy, as he technically cheated death when he took over Billy Kaplan’s body. Agatha offers Billy’s life to Death in exchange for a long life without Death stepping on her toes.

Many MCU characters have cheated death in various different ways. Characters like Gamora and Wolverine have replaced dead variants without repercussions, and half of all life was snapped out and back into the universe. Death makes it clear that Billy’s second death is imminent, but ultimately grants him a second chance when Agatha sacrifices her life in exchange for Billy’s survival. It seems like Death’s love for Agatha allows her to make a special exception.

8 Jennifer Kale Discovers Agatha Bound Her And Recovers Her Magic

Jen Performs An Unbiding Ritual To Get Her Magic Back

Almost as soon as Agatha, Billy, and Jen arrive at the last trial’s room, Jennifer begins to suspect about the true nature of her bound magic, as Billy reminds her that she accomplished plenty of feats without it. Jen confronts Agatha, and Agatha immediately confesses she bound Jen, saying, “I didn’t know it was you! It was the 1920s… It was bind or burn.”Angry, Jen performs an unbinding ritual with the help of a strand of Agatha’s hair. Jen repeats, “you hold nothing” and falls to her knees. Jen’s hands glow, and she’s released from the Witches’ Road, free to rebuild her life as she pleases.

For more than one hundred years, Jennifer Kale believed that a doctor from Boston was the one who bound her, which is why she had nightmares where the man drowned her. As the only recruited member of Agatha’s coven to finish the Witches’ Road, she earned her right to recover her magic without further sacrifice. As Agatha explains to Billy, “the Road gave her what she was missing, and now she’s gone.” Jen is unlikely to reunite with Agatha, however.

7 Billy Helps Tommy Maximoff Reincarnate Into A New Body

Billy Locates Tommy Maximoff’s New Body And Sets Out To Find Him

Once Jen has left the Witches’ Road, Agatha decides to help Billy find his brother Tommy before the last trial’s time runs out. Agatha understands that Tommy is somewhere out there, unconsciously waiting for “another life” in a new body. Agatha holds Billy’s head and guides Billy through his deepest memories. Billy manages to tap into his previous life and remember how both twins ceased to exist in the WandaVision finale. Agatha asks Billy to find a body for Tommy, and Billy pinpoints a teenager who drowns after he gets pushed into a pool. According to Tommy, this teenager has “no one to love him”.

In the comics, Tommy Maximoff reincarnates in the body of Tommy Shepherd — an unruly teenager who’s constantly sent to juvenile detention centers. After developing speed-based powers and destroying his school, Tommy is sent to a high-security prison. However, the Young Avengers arrive to recruit him into their ranks, and that’s when Tommy reunites with his reincarnated twin brother, Billy a.k.a. Wiccan. Once in the Young Avengers, Tommy adopts the superhero moniker “Speed”.

6 Billy Restores Agatha’s Power With His Own Magic

Billy Avoids Death As He Shares His Magic With Agatha Harkness

Back in her own backyard, Death tries to claim Agatha’s life. Billy intervenes, imbuing Agatha with his own magic, though he first tells Agatha, “don’t take it all”. Agatha receives her purple magic and her witch attire back, and she exchanges spells with Death until she decides to give up Billy’s life to save her own. However, Billy communicates with Agatha through telepathy, and Agatha regrets her decision.

Billy is the second person to survive Agatha Harkness’ magic-absorbing abilities. Powerful witches like Alice Wu-Gulliver and Evanora Harkness have been unable to revert their spells after Agatha begins absorbing their magic. In WandaVision, Wanda Maximoff was able to stop and revert Agatha’s power with the help of runes, as well as by transforming into the legendary Scarlet Witch. The fact that Billy is able to stop Agatha from taking all his power suggests his magic is inherently more powerful than most magic users.

5 Agatha Sacrifices Her Life So Billy Can Live

Agatha Surrenders To Death In Order To Spare Billy’s Life

While fighting Death in the Agatha All Along finale, Agatha realizes that neither she nor Billy will be able to defeat the entity through magical means or sheer strength. So, Agatha lets Death know that she can claim Billy. However, Billy uses his telepathic powers to ask Agatha whether Nicholas Scratch died the same way. Agatha then walks back on her decision to betray Billy, and she gives up her own life in order to save Billy’s. Agatha passionately kisses death and falls to the ground, and her body immediately decays.

In the comics, Agatha Harkness dies at least twice. The first time, Nicholas Scratch sends Agatha to the stake for allegedly betraying her community. Agatha later comes back to life and begins training Wanda Maximoff. Not long after, Agatha believes Agatha betrayed her for keeping the true nature of her twin children a secret and kills her. However, Agatha returns as a ghost and guides Wanda through the Witches’ Road.

4 Nicholas Scratch’s Backstory And Death Finally Revealed

Death Allowed Nicholas Scratch To Stay With Agatha Long Past His Due Time

Agatha All Along episode 9 opens with a flashback to Nicholas Scratch’s birth. According to the flashback, Agatha had a troubled pregnancy, and Nicholas was fated to die as soon as he was born. However, Agatha pleaded to Death, and Death granted Agatha an indefinite amount of time with her son. Agatha raised an ill but bubbly Nicholas for several years until the inevitable day arrived. While Agatha slept, Death came to take Nicholas with her.

The MCU’s Nicholas Scratch is drastically different from his comic book counterpart. In the comics, Nicholas Scratch is usually depicted as a grown-up villain who kills Agatha and leads his own daughters, Marvel’s original Salem Seven, on villainous missions. Nicholas Scratch has joined forces with dark entities such as Mephisto and Dormammu in the comics, although he has never matched their power.

3 Agatha Spent Centuries Luring Other Witches To Their Deaths

Agatha Harkness Gained Her Power From Killing Multiple Covens

Agatha All Along episode 9’s flashback to Nicholas Scratch’s short life also reveals that Agatha Harkness employed him as bait for other witches. Whether by charming them with his performance of the Witches’ Road ballad or by stealing from them, Nicholas Scratch lured countless witches into Agatha’s traps. Agatha then stole the witches’ magic and fled with her son. Agatha also created several covens throughout the decades, only for her to steal her fellow witches’ magic as soon as they performed their inaugural ritual.

Prior to Agatha All Along, WandaVision had shown how Agatha defended herself from her original coven by draining their magic to escape from her punishment at the stake. WandaVision‘s flashback to Agatha’s origin depicted her as the reluctant murderer of her own coven. Now, however, the Agatha All Along finale confirms that Agatha willingly went around assembling covers with the sole purpose of stealing their magic and killing them afterward.

2 Billy Unwittingly Created The Witches’ Road And Destroys It

Billy Designed The Witches’ Road According To His Own Imagination

When he returns home in Agatha All Along episode 8, Billy looks around and realizes that the Witches’ Road was actually based on elements from his room. Billy also remembers that Agatha told him that he has “the same tell” as his mother. This line refers to WandaVision’s design for the Westview hex in WandaVision, which was based on the TV shows Wanda used to watch as a kid. The Witches’ Road shown in Agatha All Along was based on Billy’s interests, but the Road existed long before Billy. Hence, the Witches’ Road may adapt to the experiences of the individuals who first seek it.

Agatha All Along episode 9 reveals that Agatha began to suspect about Billy’s true identity when the portal to the Witches’ Road was first opened in her basement. The pentagonal shape of the portal apparently proved to Agatha that Billy wasn’t Nicholas Scratch, but another magical individual with a particular access to magic. Of course, the options immediately narrowed down to Wanda’s son, Billy.

1 Agatha Returns As A Ghost And Promises To Help Billy Find Tommy

Agatha Harkness Redeems Herself As Billy’s Ghost Companion

Agatha Harkness’ sacrifice to Death itself in Agatha All Along episode 8 is genuine. However, Agatha is able to return in the form of a ghost in Agatha All Along episode 9, appearing to Billy in his room as soon as he realizes that the Witches’ Road is a creation of his own. Billy tries to eradicate Agatha’s spirit for good, but Agatha convinces him to desist when she notices that his efforts might be effective. Agatha then offers Billy to guide him in his search for the reincarnated Tommy. After all, Agatha no longer has anything to lose.

In the comics, Agatha Harkness is able to return as a ghost both of the times she has died. First, Agatha briefly appears to Wanda Maximoff in the form of a ghost to inform her about her own death. Later on, after Wanda kills Agatha, Agatha returns in order to guide Wanda down the Witches’ Road, where they meet the previous Scarlet Witch, Natalya Maximoff, who brings Agatha back to life.

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