Why Is Agatha Harkness"s Magic Purple?

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The release of Agatha All Along has expanded the role of magic in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has led to visual questions about the titular character"s purple magic. Before Agatha first appeared in WandaVision, other types of magic had existed in Marvel, but the character"s introduction and her connection to Wanda went the furthest into details of witchcraft. The dark magic that has come out of this looks and feels different than the magic used by characters like Doctor Strange in the MCU timeline.
While the visual style of the MCU has been hampered by its CGI at points, none of this was detrimental to WandaVision, and this appears not to be the case in Agatha All Along. While the visuals of magic are certainly an essential component of the show, it is only when they are executed well with strong characters and compelling writing that the realization of that magic can be effective. Following this, it makes sense to question the vocabulary of these visuals, and to understand why Agatha"s magic is purple.
Agatha's Magic Is Purple To Differentiate It Visually From Scarlet Witch Much Of Agatha's Design Was Made To Contrast Well Against The WandaVision Hero Close Sometimes the simplest explanation is the correct one, and in this case, Agatha"s magic being purple was to give the use of her powers a strong visual contrast to the other characters. WandaVision writer Matt Shakman explained this previously, discussing the flashback scene of Agatha stealing power from the other witches. Because their power was blue, there had to be a visual cue that allowed Agatha"s power to consume theirs. "So for us, in terms of color coding for that scene, that was, you know, one of the biggest reasons why it"s like that," he explained.
With Wanda"s visuals being red-themed, it made sense for Agatha"s to be purple. Her costuming in the comics has tended to focus on a purple color, and using this for her powers in the series helped to highlight her visuals, too, during the final battle against Scarlet Witch. While Wanda"s magic tends to be red, and Doctor Strange"s tends to be yellow-orange, it makes sense that Agatha has received her own visual shorthand through purple magic.
Agatha Harkness's Magic May Be Purple Because It's Dark Magic Different MCU Magics Tend To Have Different Colors Close In theory, magic in the MCU could correspond with the magic user or could correspond with the type of magic being used. After all, Wanda is the only character who tends to have red magic, and she is also among the few who can use chaos magic. The Ancient One and Doctor Strange"s magic looked similar because it came from a similar source. The magic of Eternals looked visually similar to this, suggesting there could be links between their magic and Doctor Strange’s.
Following this, Agatha"s magic being purple may be because it is dark magic. This would make sense against the other witches in WandaVision who used blue magic. This will likely be explored throughout Agatha All Along, where other instances of dark magic may appear from other users. It will be interesting to see if purple magic will become associated with all dark magic in the Marvel Universe, or if it will only be Agatha’s color.
The future of magic in the MCU will likely only continue to grow more important with time. The stories that come out of Agatha promise to grow and change the universe in exciting ways. Understanding the foundations of the magic used and where that magic could have come from are important to understanding its function. Seeing how the visual language of magic in the MCU evolves in Agatha All Along and beyond promises to give more insight on this matter, and could well prove crucial for further releases down the line.

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Agatha Harkness, after the events of "WandaVision," seeks to regain her magical powers. Joining forces with unexpected allies, including the son of an old adversary, she battles new mystical threats while uncovering hidden secrets in the magical realm.
Cast Kathryn Hahn , Patti LuPone , Miles Gutierrez-Riley , Aubrey Plaza , Emma Caulfield , Debra Jo Rupp , Joe Locke , Maria Dizzia Release Date September 18, 2024 Upcoming MCU Movies