Film Threat critic Alan Ng revealed that the review embargo for Marvel Studios upcoming Agatha All Along series lifts the second the show airs on Disney+ and he believes this shows Disney has no confidence in the series.
Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) in Marvel Television’s AGATHA ALL ALONG, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. © 2024 MARVEL.
Ng posted to X, “I’m getting the first four episodes of Agatha All Along tomorrow. The social embargo is Monday night, and the review embargo lifts the second the show premieres on Disney+.”
“I don’t think Disney has any confidence in this one,” he added.
I’m getting the first four episodes of Agatha All Along tomorrow. The social embargo is Monday night, and the review embargo lifts the second the show premieres on Disney+. I don’t think Disney has any confidence in this one. pic.twitter.com/UGh25QuQdz
— Alan Ng @ Film Threat (@mypalal) September 16, 2024
READ: Marvel Reportedly Told Daredevil: Born Again Editors to Avoid Watching Original Netflix Series
It’s hard to disagree with his assessment given much of the marketing around the show has been regarding how queer the show is. And when it is not talking about how gay the show is, one of the actors Joe Locke is actively insulting the Marvel fanbase.
Locke has been leading the charge discussing how queer the show is. It was originally revealed by Rolling Stone’s UK’s Alastair James that Locke’s character was gay. James wrote, “In what is familiar territory for Locke, Teen identifies as gay.”
Locke also told James, “The way it’s explored in the show is very truthful and very positive. His sexuality is just one part of the character.”
Teen (Joe Locke) in Marvel Television’s AGATHA ALL ALONG, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Television. © 2024 MARVEL.
He then reiterated this information to Variety, telling the outlet, “The show never shies away from his queerness, but it’s not a defining feature of his character. It’s just one layer of him as a person.”
He also responded to initial criticism of Marvel introducing another gay character in the show telling the outlet, ““It was like, ‘Oh, why has Marvel done this campy gay stereotype?’ It really annoyed me because I was like, ‘You can’t ask for authentic casting and then be upset if you have a camp character.’”
He added, “I’m fully aware that the Marvel fandom is far less nice than the ‘Heartstopper’ fandom. There’s going to be a lot of people that just hate everything about the character and everything about what I’ve done with it, and I just have to be OK with that.”
He then mocked Marvel fans saying, “Marvel fans are very open with their opinions. But they’re not in a Marvel show, so—. I’m doing the one thing that they really wish they could be doing. Sorry!”
Teen (Joe Locke) in Marvel Television’s AGATHA ALL ALONG, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. © 2024 MARVEL.
That would not be the only time Locke made it a point to antagonize the Marvel fanbase and outright insult them. In an interview with Paul McGuire Grimes, he was asked, “There’s a line about Patti [LuPone] that Patti says about misconceptions and rumor mongering with witches. So what do you think are some misconceptions about Marvel?”
Locke replied, “That it’s just for like straight white men. It’s not.”
Grimes responded, “Correct. It is not.”
It’s not just Locke promoting the show in this way. Showrunner Jac Schaeffer told Variety, “This isn’t stepping into any Marvel project. Joe, young queer icon that he is, was joining a cast of queer icons.”
Schaeffer also spoke to SFX Magazine via The Direct telling the outlet, “What got me the most excited was right at the end [of WandaVision], when she finally faces off with Wanda. Does she want to destroy Wanda? Does she want to be best friends with Wanda? Does she want to braid Wanda’s hair? Does she want to kiss Wanda? Does she want to go on a rampage with Wanda?”
“Yes to all, and that was fascinating to me,” she declared.
(L-R): Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata) and Ali Ahn (Alice Wu-Gulliver) in Marvel Television’s AGATHA ALL ALONG, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. © 2024 MARVEL.
Furthermore, Schaeffer has a history of ruining Marvel characters such as Taskmaster in the Black Widow film. In fact, she’s openly bragged about it telling Inverse in 2019, “I’m not interested in adhering to comic canon that is discriminatory in any way or that violates my values system.”
She also informed the outlet, “I wasn’t a huge superhero movie fan before starting to work [at Marvel], but now that I’m doing it, there’s just so much opportunity to make big, positive statements.”
“Especially something like Captain Marvel and Black Widow, to have these female-centered stories — I just can’t not be involved in that,” Schaeffer added.
(L-R): Teen (Joe Locke), The Green Witch/Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza), Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) and Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata) in Marvel Television’s AGATHA ALL ALONG, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. © 2024 MARVEL.
Given all of this, on top of a popular backlash to the forced agenda by Hollywood studios across the board it is not really surprising if Marvel does not feel very confident about the show especially after their sibling company Lucasfilm’s disastrous offering with The Acolyte.
What do you make of Alan Ng’s report and thoughts?
