2000s witches, fair and foul

How the spell-casters have embraced modernity

KARACHI:

Something wicked this way comes. Literally. John M Chu's Wicked is slated for a November 22 release this year, and that is worth a celebration. The Broadway musical-based film is set to explore the concept of the good witch and the bad witch, while also binding them to a harmonious bond.

With this fresh take less than a month away, let's review some of the best witches that the 2000s have had to offer us thus far. Spoiler alert! You might want to plug the roots of mythology and Shakespeare out of your brain for this one, though do hold onto them as you read along.

Teen witches

Being an early-aughts kid, my first exposure to witches was, unsurprisingly, through Disney Channel. Back then, I was blissfully unaware of the crystal ball of clairvoyance predicting my fall to Hecate and the three witches of Macbeth. However, what I did know was that I wanted nothing more than to be taken to the world of Wizards of Waverly Place.

My childhood crush on Justin Russo aside, I was thoroughly inspired by the antics of the mischievous Alex Russo. This was the time when "witch" was a term bearing bad connotations, almost like an ill omen in itself, while "wizard" was the preferred alternative. But I was too young to ponder the feminist implications of that.

I was instead captivated by the rhyming incantations and the fact that one swish of the wand would grant Alex access to nearly everything. Surpassing her intellectual older brother and inexperienced younger brother with easy witticism, she was the one commanding potential that was only associated with tricks and roguery, yet she ultimately emerged victorious in the magical inheritance race.

It is unclear what message Disney wished kids to receive with that arc. Perhaps something along the lines of emotional maturity, though it must be noted that Alex's pranks remained interminable even after she became the sole possessor of her family's magic - thanks to the helpful reunion film. Alex grew into an indomitable yet fun-loving adult, and that's the only takeaway that matters.

Comic witches

With a more pronounced taste for media guiding you in your teenage years, you cannot help but be enthralled by the compelling Wanda Maximoff. At first a reluctant member of the Avengers, the MCU's favourite enchantress has evolved to unapologetically embrace her final form as the Scarlet Witch, thereby cementing her legacy as one of the most iconic witches the big screen has to offer.

Wanda begins as a gullible hero, one whose fright is felt in echoes as the audience wonders if she'll be able to protect what she holds dear. So when she does lose it all, our hearts drop in the wake of her grief. We accept that this is a thematic circumstance, that a hero must always lose to become stronger, better. Except, Wanda becomes a villain.

From clumsily untangling the knots of her powers to wielding the Book of the Damned, Wanda's character development is exceptionally jarring and that's exactly why one can't sing enough praises for it. If the descent to madness doesn't convince you, imagine being trapped in generations of sitcoms where you are forced to play puppet for someone who is desperate enough to defy reality to evade her pain.

If that sounds absurd, then I should inform you, it's all part of the MCU's canon and there's a full series on it. That's expert spell-casting. That's power. That's the Scarlet Witch. And fun fact, she was made by a collective effort. Guiding Wanda's villainy was one as formidable as her, and perhaps even just as powerful - Agatha Harkness.

Agatha Harkness' darling debut in WandaVision was not a seasonal thing. The experienced witch earned her place in the dark corners of our hearts by first her cheeky reveal through a song, like a true blasé curse-brewer, and then as a well-matched foe revealing the hex-caster Wanda's true colours, subjecting the protagonist to a crisis that had been building since the beginning of the season.

Agatha's charm and the mystique of her rich lore earned her a spin-off series, Agatha All Along, named after the very song that set her in the spotlight towards the climax of WandaVision. She is enjoyed as not just an indisputably evil, power-thieving witch, but also as someone who tricks you into sympathising with her despite depriving you of clear answers.

It is a risky venture, navigating the line between myth-compliant representation and stereotyping, but Kathryn Hahn's character walks it with the grace of a confident sorceress. True to her roots, Agatha packs all: the ancient knowledge, the unabashed wickedness, the evil cackle, you name it.

Witches turned

In pleasant contrast, Agatha's coven members sport modern touches to their mythical roots. Existing no differently than any nuanced individual, they debunk baseless theories and sexist stereotypes while also being beautifully flawed themselves. They stand for the fact that "good witches" also warrant fictional exploration, and so do those who are branded "witch" after the demise of goodness.

Maleficent is an easy example that comes to mind. Although only ambiguously characterised, she follows all the steps that make a witch, from the cruelty to the curses. But if there's one thing the 2014 film has taught us, it's that nature is a retaliatory force. Everything Maleficent does is in the name of vengeance, and she is rewarded long-due closure for it by the end.

Game of Thrones fans often see these fragments of complexity in Melisandre as well. The priestess is admired for the devout worshipper that she is. Her loyalty to the Lord of Light is unwavering, so is her sense of purpose when it comes to aiding the fight for the throne. Although viewed as a cultist in the world of the series, she is not intentionally malicious. Rather, she is an ambitious magic practitioner who'd forge a path in the dark into a brighter world.

To drive the point back, Elphaba - the Wicked Witch of the West - too falls into this category. As the musical questions, is one truly born wicked or is wickedness thrust upon them? Elphaba reminds us that essentially, witches are feared not any more for their wicked intelligence than they are for how they look.

The trailers have offered a promising glimpse, but here's hoping that the 2024 film emphasises more on how outcasts are made into what they are, which doesn't necessarily have to veer towards villainy. If the trickster Fae can be retconned to have refined personalities, then there's no reason why witches should remain isolated. After all, magic always makes room for more possibilities.