Marvel Comics’ Character Nicholas Scratch has made his MCU debut in Agatha All Along which sparked discussion among fans. As the show on Disney Plus is ending Agatha All Along showrunner Jac Schaeffer detailed on the origin of the character. In a recent interview with Variety, the head writer explained several details of the show including the highly discussed character.
Jac Schaeffer Explains Nicholas Scratch’s Origin In Agatha All Along
Fans were stunned by Nicholas Scratch’s appearance in the show as Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha said “I made you from scratch.” The dialogue was quite ambiguous in regard to the origin of the character. Now, Jac Schaeffer explained the inherent ambiguity behind the character.
“I came up with it, and [my co-writer] Laura Donney loved the line so much, she was like, ‘I feel like I could have written this,’ but she said it in this lovely way of, ‘it is born of our work.’ It’s my favorite line in the show, because I love the ambiguity of it. I welcome the interpretations,” she told Variety.
The creator shared that, for them, the character of Agatha is deeply defined by her desire to create something of her own. Unlike characters like Wanda and Billy, who wield chaos magic, Agatha’s abilities are primarily destructive, revolving around death and devastation. This limitation has pushed her to make something unique to herself, marking a shift from her typical use of power.
She further explained that this act of creation holds a sense of purity and beauty for Agatha. “For me, I believe it’s about the character of Agatha making something. Her power set is only about death and destruction. She can’t make anything,” she continued.
“She doesn’t have chaos magic, like Billy and Wanda, and this is something that she made herself. It required no lying and no conning, and there’s something for her that is pure and beautiful about creation,” she added.
The Reason Behind Agatha’s Sacrifice
Agatha’s decision to kiss Rio and end her own life after Billy’s telepathic question about Nicky has struck the viewers with several questions. Schaeffer affirmed the interpretation that Agatha saw a chance to save Billy from Death in a way she couldn’t with Nicky.
“The reality is, the finale pieces of these projects are very, very hard, because there’s a lot of Marvel burden to deal with. There’s a lot of fan expectation, there’s a lot of familiarity. I deal in tropes of other pop culture stuff, but then, you got to get into the tropes of the MCU,” Schaeffer told Variety.
The creator explained that while many might anticipate Agatha’s arc leading to a traditional sacrificial moment, she wanted to approach it in a subtly distinct way. “So we’re hurtling toward a moment of a crucible, and what everyone’s expecting is a redemption arc for Agatha and she sacrifices herself. From the beginning, you feel like that’s where it’s going, and I was interested in doing that in a recognizably Marvel way, but have it be different, in that it’s a kiss, not a blast,” she continued. Instead of a climactic, explosive ending, Agatha’s journey concludes in something intimate—a kiss rather than a blast—giving her sacrifice a more personal and poignant touch while still aligning with Marvel’s storytelling style.
Additionally, the series creator revealed that the telepathic moment between Billy and Agatha wasn’t originally in the script. It was Megan McDonnell’s idea on set, with Billy ultimately asking, “Is this how Nicky died?” She believes that “ultimately it’s Billy manipulating Agatha, after being so manipulated by her.”
