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Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Agatha All Along Episodes 1 and 2.
In the first two episodes of Agatha All Along, the delightfully nasty Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) assembles a coven of witches in order to brave the trials of the Witches’ Road. Disney+’s newest Marvel series from WandaVision creator, showrunner, and co-writer Jac Schaeffer introduces several new faces who are lifted straight from Marvel Comics’ expansive gallery of women magic users. None of Agatha’s team are jumping for joy at her offer to join forces — aside from Teen (Joe Locke), that is — but one of the more reluctant members of her coven is Alice Wu-Gulliver (Ali Ahn), the daughter of a witchy musician and someone who claims to not believe in magic. With the group having set foot on the Witches’ Road, Alice will have to pretty quickly come to terms with the supernatural, and, presumably, her potential as a sorceress — which, according to her comic book inspiration, has a significant legacy. Who is Alice’s counterpart in Marvel Comics, and how different is Agatha All Along‘s reinvented version?
Who Is Marvel Comics’ Alice Wu-Gulliver?
Created by writer James Robinson and penciler Mike Perkins, Alice Gulliver’s main story unfolds during an arc from the 2016 Scarlet Witch comic run. When Alice is still a young girl, her mother — August Wu of the Coral Shore, the witch guardian of Hong Kong — dies while fighting a demon. Alice inherits August’s powers immediately upon her mother’s death, as well as August’s trademark pink hair. Not long after, the murder of Alice’s father, Detective Sergeant Adam Gulliver, leaves her orphaned.
Both mourning and inspired by her parents’ legacies, Alice pays tribute to them by fusing their respective professions (sorcerer guardian and law enforcement) and becoming the Wu, Hong Kong’s only witch detective. Alice conceals her spell craft by enhancing her guns and other everyday devices with magic. When prying eyes aren’t looking, she also uses what is essentially the blade version of Doctor Strange’s Sling Ring: her magical sword is capable of creating trans-dimensional portals, which is a handy skill when you’re constantly battling demons and the like.
‘Agatha All Along’ Episode 1 & 2 Easter Eggs
Something wicked this way comes. It’s Agatha Harkness, of course.
Alice teams up with Wanda Maximoff when the Scarlet Witch visits Hong Kong in pursuit of her current target, an evil magician named Tongji. Because this version of Wanda is on her best behavior, once a regular bullet from Alice ensures that Tongji is no longer a problem, the two visit a tea house and part as allies.
How Is ‘Agatha All Along’s Alice Wu-Gulliver Different From the Comics?
Agatha All Along‘s similar but distinctly reimagined Alice debuts in Episode 2. Agatha calls Alice not just a Protection Witch but a Blood Witch, the latter thanks to Alice’s mother being Lorna Wu of the band Lorna Wu and the Coral Shore. Lorna, a beloved “goddess of rock” (much respect for this Stevie Nicks energy), is responsible for the “most famous version” of the “Ballad of the Witches’ Road”, the same song Agatha’s newfound coven belts out during the episode’s final minutes.
When Agatha mentions Lorna, Teen proceeds to enthusiastically fanboy over the witchy singer, saying his mother managed to see Lorna’s final concert tour before the rock goddess’ death. Given the mysteries surrounding Teen’s identity, that reference feels important enough on its own; Agatha adds layers to Alice’s side of things by revealing that Lorna supposedly died upon the Witches’ Road.
Why Does Alice Join Agatha Harkness’ Coven in ‘Agatha All Along’?
Agatha and Teen find Alice, a former police officer, working as a security guard at Westview’s mall. To say Alice seems underappreciated in her job is an understatement, given how quickly her boss fires her over Agatha’s little shoplifting lie. He even dubs Alice “nothing but bad luck,” potentially implying that Alice hasn’t led the easiest life. Alice scoffs over the Road when Agatha and Teen first approach her, writing it off as nothing more than a song that spawned a “cult” – but, tempted by the possibility of answers about her mother’s disappearance, reluctantly turns up on Agatha’s doorstep nonetheless.
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Ali Ahn described Alice’s internal dilemma: “I think the difference with Alice is that she’s really hiding from being a witch. She’s sort of disconnected with that part of herself and I think Agatha coming to find her is genuinely surprising.” The ominous but sometimes rewarding reputation that already surrounds the Witches’ Road combined with Alice’s need for closure about her mother, and being unaware of her powers (or, perhaps, she’s spent her life ignoring them), all but ensures that Alice’s journey down the Road will be rife with as much self-discovery as peril.
New episodes of Agatha All Along premiere every Wednesday on Disney+ in the U.S.
“}]] She’s not the daughter of a rock goddess, but she’s still not a witch you want to mess with. Read More