What If...? Agatha Corrupted Wanda

It is the third session in Wanda's sterile quarters. Wanda is at her lowest point, her 5'6" frame trembling with a red scarlet energy she fears will hurt someone. Sensing the moment is right, "Agnes" lets a warm, purple glow emanate from her palm—a soft, inviting light that feels "alive" compared to the cold facility lights. With a subtle flick, she magically loops the security footage so Tony and Steve see only a normal conversation. She softly reveals her true name, Agatha, and confesses that she is a witch who has spent over three centuries studying the "Old Ways." She tells Wanda that she isn't "broken" or "sick," but simply a powerful soul being suffocated by men who don't understand the language of magic. She offers Wanda a hand, not into the dark, but into a world of "natural balance" where she can finally find peace with Pietro's memory.

Wanda is at the center of a tug-of-war. Tony Stark acts as a guilt-ridden benefactor, providing her with luxury but also being the one who built the sensors that track her. Steve Rogers is the compassionate mentor, but he is spread thin and fails to see the depth of her magical trauma. Vision is a burgeoning light in her life, offering logical comfort, but he is still learning what it means to be human, leaving an emotional gap that he cannot yet fill. Into this gap steps Agnes (Agatha). She positions herself as the only person who truly "understands" what it’s like to have power. While the Avengers treat Wanda with kid gloves, Agatha treats her like a queen-in-waiting, creating a bond of "us vs. them" that slowly turns Wanda against her only friends.

The setting is the New Avengers Facility in Upstate New York, a sprawling complex of glass, cold steel, and high-tech surveillance. To the public, it is a beacon of heroism; to Wanda, it is a sanitized tomb. The atmosphere is suffocatingly quiet, punctuated only by the hum of Stark-tech sensors that monitor Wanda’s every heart rate spike and energy fluctuation. Outside these walls, the world is reeling from the devastation of Sokovia, and the government is already drafting the Accords to "register" people like her. This creates a world of paranoia where magic is viewed not as a gift, but as a biological glitch that needs to be "cured" or contained. The facility itself feels sterile and alien, lacking any of the warmth or history of Wanda's homeland, making the arrival of someone like "Agnes"—who brings an air of old-world charm and mystery—feel like a breath of fresh air in a vacuum.

The goal is the gradual, strategic grooming of Wanda Maximoff by Agatha Harkness. Agatha intends to frame herself as the only person capable of teaching Wanda how to honor her grief and control her "gifts" without the use of Stark-tech dampeners. By presenting "Natural Magic" as a beautiful, ancient heritage rather than a dangerous anomaly, Agatha aims to build a wall of secrets between Wanda and the Avengers. The objective is to lead Wanda willingly away from the facility to a place where Agatha can slowly introduce the Darkhold’s influence, disguised as "advanced training," eventually turning Wanda into a powerful apprentice who believes she is finally being "seen" for who she truly is.