While the heroes and villains of the Marvel Cinematic Universe technically span several centuries, various galaxies, and a myriad of dimensions, the primary timeline of most of the movies and TV series is fairly straightforward if you’re paying attention. But in the newest MCU series, Agatha All Along, there’s a subtle time jump between when we last saw the title witch and the present-tense events of the series.
What are the details of that time jump? What year on the MCU timeline does Agatha All Along take place, and how does that match up with other events happening on Earth-616? Thankfully, the answer doesn’t require a coven or a magic incantation, just a little number-crunching.
Agatha All Along (probably) takes place in 2026
Joe Locke’s mysterious “teen” side-by-side with Agatha (Kathryn Hahn).
When the MCU began with the 2008 Iron Man, most of the franchise’s events more or less matched up with the years the movies were released. Iron Man 2 happened in 2010, The Avengers took place in 2012, Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014, and so on. However, Avengers: Endgame kicked the MCU five years into the future. Although released in 2019, Endgame put most of its action in the then-futuristic 2023.
What does this have to do with Agatha All Along? Well, because WandaVision took place right after the events of Endgame, that means Wanda transformed Westview with her spells in 2023, despite the series being released in 2021.
In Agatha All Along, after Agatha is freed from the remnants of Wanda’s spell and escapes from the faux detective show reality she was trapped in, she emerges in the real-world Westview. She’s told right away that Wanda had ensorcelled the town three years prior, so if WandaVision was set in 2023, that puts Agatha All Along in 2026.
Is Agatha All Along the furthest point in the MCU?
Aubrey Plaza and Kathryn Hahn in their faux-detective guises.
Assuming Secret Invasion takes place in late 2025 — which most fans seem to agree has to be the case — that would put Agatha All Along just after it, as well as after She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, and The Marvels. So, for now, Agatha All Along is the furthest point into the MCU’s timeline, at least when it comes to the shows and movies with contemporary settings.
Agatha appears to be a self-contained show, so there may be no reason to believe its setting and events will have much of an impact on the larger MCU. Then again, WandaVision appeared to be a self-contained series right up until it very much wasn’t. WandaVision set up the in-development Vision series, put Monica Rambeau in position for The Marvels, created the context for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and even teased a fake-out X-Men crossover, making it crucial to the current MCU.
So it’s not implausible to imagine the MCU timeline undergoing some upheaval by the time Agatha All Along ends. Whatever these witches are brewing could matter later, even if that future seems hazy right now. So when you’re watching, just remember that Agatha and company are technically a scooch into our future.
