Who Is Nicholas Scratch? Agatha Harkness"s Son & Marvel Comics History Explained

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Agatha All Along episodes 1 & 2
The premiere episodes of Agatha All Along reference Nicholas Scratch in the MCU. A lesser-known villain in the original comics, Nicholas Scratch was the son of Agatha Harkness. However, they"ve long had a challenging relationship, and Scratch himself has had quite a dark career on the page, becoming a powerful magic-user just like his mother.
As seen in Agatha All Along"s first two episodes, Kathryn Hahn"s titular witch begins her journey in the aftermath of WandaVision. Intending to travel down the Witches" Road, Agatha hopes to reclaim the power she once had before Wanda Maximoff"s Scarlet Witch took it and trapped her in a spell (seen in Wandavision"s finale). However, the new MCU show"s reference to Agatha"s son is notable considering their history in the comics. Here"s everything you need to know about Nicholas Scratch, his comics history and powers, as well as his MCU role in Agatha All Along.
Nicholas Scratch's Marvel Comics History Explained Agatha's Son and Leader of New Salem Close Created by George Perez and Len Wein, Nicholas Scratch made his first appearance in 1977"s Fantastic Four #185. The son of Agatha Harkness, Nicholas and his mother were originally a part of New Salem, a town of witches and warlocks who"d hidden away from the rest of the world and its judgment, and Agatha was its original leader. Her son"s name is derived from English tales, a mixture of "Old Nick" and "Mr. Scratch", both of which were alternate names given to the Devil.
DC Comics has its own version Nicholas Scratch, as does Netflix"s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
Nicholas turned against his mother after she left New Salem to live a normal life (becoming a nanny to The Fantastic Four"s Franklin Richards). Led by Nicholas, Agatha was abducted by the residents of New Salem who nearly burned her at the stake. However, Agatha was ultimately freed and New Salem was turned against Scratch himself. Scratch was later exiled to the Dark Realm and eventually became a servant of Dormammu, hoping to become the next Sorcerer Supreme. Most recently, Scratch was allied with Mephisto, the Marvel Universe"s version of the Devil. Interestingly, several fans believed Mephisto was going to appear in WandaVision, perhaps with connections to Agatha herself.
Nicolas Scratch is also the father of the New Salemites known as Brutacus, Gazelle, Hydron, Reptilla, Thornn, Vakume, and Vertigo. Together, Scratch"s children formed Salem"s Seven, a group of magically mutated superhumans who tried bringing their father back from the Dark Realm, fighting their grandmother Agatha and The Fantastic Four on more than one occasion. For a time, they also became the new leaders of New Salem. Ultimately, Salem"s Seven has since become reformed and are currently seen as allies by Marvel"s First Family.
Nicholas Scratch's Powers Explained Dark Sorcery and Wielder of the Satan Staff

Like every citizen of New Salem, Nicholas Scratch could wield magic as an accomplished warlock in the Marvel Universe. Scratch was often seen wielding a weapon known as the Satan Staff which helped to focus his power. However, he didn"t need it to access his magical abilities. Scratch also has the power in the comics to travel between dimensions, as well as the ability to access and draw upon power from other realities.
Nicholas Scratch could also invoke entities or objects from other dimensions. Likewise, his alliances with both Dormamu and Mephisto more than likely made him even more formidable and powerful as a dark warlock with a sold soul. However, Scratch at one point had his magical power stripped away by Agatha Harkness for his dark actions against his mother and the people of New Salem, a testament to Agatha"s apparently greater power as an accomplished witch in the Marvel Universe.
Nicholas Scratch's Role In Agatha All Along Explained The Rabbit In WandaVision Was Just The Beginning

Agatha All Along episode 1 heavily riffs on premium TV crime drama shows like Mare of Easttown, introducing Agatha as "Agnes", a hardened, embittered detective working in Westview. She"s isolated, ill-tempered, and basically a walking commentary on how TV detective shows balance excellence in policing for female characters with haunted pasts and trauma.
That trauma for Agnes/Agatha is suggested to be tied to the death of her young son, whose bedroom Agnes keeps preserved, presumably since the day he died. The drawings in his bedroom and the award for best performer in a children"s choir confirm his grim fate came at a young age. The show very much wants us to believe he died, and not just inside the spell, and there will almost certainly be more to this.
Nicholas Scratch's Comics Changes Explained Another Marvel Villain The MCU Has Completely Changed

Nicholas Scratch"s full role in Agatha: All Along - or how important he is to Agatha"s backstory - isn"t revealed in the opening episodes, but he is more significant than the MCU first suggested. What we know from WandaVision is that Marvel used Agatha"s rabbit "Señor Scratchy" as an apparently innocent nod to her relationship with Nicholas in the comics. 3 years later, though, there is more to that than it initially seemed.
Agatha: All Along takes that link further. As in Marvel Comics, Nicholas appears to be Agatha"s actual son, but one who didn"t grow up to become the formidable magic-wielder the character he"s based on was. There"s no hint in Agatha: All Along that the pair were enemies, or that Nicholas had magical powers, though Wanda"s genetic predisposition to magic does suggest he would have been. It seems that the rabbit is named after Nicholas, as a surprisingly touching nod from Agatha to her past trauma.
New episodes of Agatha All Along release every Wednesday on Disney+

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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 Writers Jac Schaeffer Showrunner Jac Schaeffer Upcoming MCU Movies