One of the most underrated MCU villains to date officially returns with a visual overhaul and a huge power upgrade. Pop culture owes many of its most popular villains to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which introduced the beloved portrayals of Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, Josh Brolin’s Thanos, and Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger, as well as gave Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, and Vincent D’Onofrio another go at their acclaimed Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Kingpin performances.
However, not every MCU antagonist has lived up to their full potential. Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher and James Spader’s Ultron are notably two of the live-action villains who didn’t stick the landing on the big screen. Still, the number of solid performances by MCU villain actors is commendable, with characters like Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio, Daniel Bruhl’s Baron Zemo, and Chukwudi Iwuji’s High Evolutionary leaving an indelible mark on the franchise.
Other MCU antagonists, while well written and portrayed, don’t usually get mentioned too often.
Werewolf By Night Villain Agatha Timly Returns With A Massive Upgrade As Lady Darkhold
The Uncanny X-Men #25; Written by Gail Simone; Art by David Marquez, Luciano Vecchio, and Matthew Wilson
The Uncanny X-Men’s arc “Where Monsters Dwell” sees the X-Men face the curse of the Left Eye of Agamotto, heightened by a Werewolf Wolverine and the arrival of a possessed Elsa Bloodstone and her army of classic monsters, which includes none other than Werewolf by Night, Morbius, and Frankenstein’s monster. Now, issue #25 reveals the culprit behind this horror-inspired attack: Agatha Timly, Werewolf by Night antagonist, seeks mystical power as the living embodiment of the Book of the Damned, calling herself Lady Darkhold.
Agatha Timly made her comic book debut in 1971’s Marvel Spotlight #3, where she desperately sought the endless source of magical power housed in the Darkhold. Agatha’s attempts to acquire the Darkhold backfired, and she died not long after fighting Jack Russell for the first time. Originally, Agatha Timly was depicted as an older woman with a big, round hairstyle and a simple, vampiric red dress. Fifty-two years later, Agatha returns as a beautiful young woman with long, flowing hair, a tight-fitting bodysuit with flower patterns, and a long burgundy sash.
Agatha Timly’s powers, motivations, physical appearance, and even name are curiously similar to another magical villain obsessed with the Darkhold. Agatha Harkness has long desired the Darkhold’s powerful magic for herself, and she recently endured a drastic overhaul that transformed her into a young witch with a long mane and a white streak of hair framing her face. Like Timly, Harkness discovered that the natural evolution of the Darkhold lied in its human embodiment. However, whether Timly and Harkness are officially connected in Marvel lore is yet to be seen.
Marvel’s Horror Lore Is Incredibly Underutilized
Werewolf By Night’s Mythos Is Brimming With Potential For Comics, Movies, And Shows
The MCU’s Jack Russell aka Werewolf by Night in wolf form
Marvel’s supernatural catalog contains some of the most visually and narratively daring concepts in the publisher’s history, yet it remains a largely untapped goldmine of horror potential. The MCU’s Werewolf by Night Special Presentation proved that audiences are hungry for the atmospheric, Gothic textures of the occult. Beyond his internal struggle with lycanthropy, Jack Russell’s world is deeply intertwined with ancient curses, and therefore with the long legacy of the Darkhold.
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Characters like Man-Thing and Elsa Bloodstone warrant comic and live-action spinoffs of their own. Man-Thing’s ability to burn those who know fear makes him a terrifying judge of character, and Elsa Bloodstone brings a much-needed monster-hunter swagger to the fray. Ulysses Bloodstone’s millennia-long history as a relentless slayer of the supernatural provides a fertile ground for period-piece horror stories that could span from the Hyborian Age to the modern day.
Sadly, there seems to be a real curse covering Marvel’s supernatural characters. Werewolf by Night and Moon Knight’s MCU characters haven’t been heard of since they were introduced, and Ghost Rider has yet to appear in an official MCU installment. Blade’s solo movie remains in development hell, and Morbius is Sony’s most infamous Marvel movie failure. But with more focus on the supernatural corner of the multiverse, Marvel could establish a series of projects that could rival the Avengers themselves.
Why do you think Agatha Timly looks so similar to Agatha Harkness?
The Uncanny X-Men #25 is available from Marvel Comics on March 25, 2026.
Release Date
September 25, 2022
Runtime
55 Minutes
Director
Jaycob Maya, Will Spencer, Michael Giacchino
Gael GarcÃa Bernal
Jack Russell
Laura Donnelly
Elsa Bloodstone
