Kidnapping of Billy and Tommy Maximoff

For Agatha Harkness' second kidnapping of Billy Maximoff, see Kidnapping of Billy Maximoff

Kidnapping of Billy and Tommy Maximoff
Previous	Rescue of Vision
Concurrent	Infiltration into Westview
Next	Battle of Westview
War	Westview Anomaly
Date	November 11, 2023
Location	Agnes O'Connor's House, Westview, New Jersey
Result	Wanda Maximoff frees her sons.
Participants	Agatha Harkness
Planned by	Agatha Harkness
Executed by	Agatha Harkness
Target	Billy Maximoff Tommy Maximoff
Defender	Wanda Maximoff

"It's been fun playing pretend for a while, hasn't it, Wanda? But it's time to look at some real reruns. All right, let's go."
"No."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you forget who's got your children stashed away in her bewitched basement?"

―Agatha Harkness and Wanda Maximoff^[src]

The Kidnapping of Billy and Tommy Maximoff was a successful attempt by Agatha Harkness to use Wanda Maximoff's sons, Tommy and Billy, as leverage to force Wanda to show Harkness how she cast a spell on Westview.

Background

"I tried to be gentle, to nudge you awake from this ridiculous fantasy, but you would rather fall apart than face your truth. You left me no choice."

―Agatha Harkness to Wanda Maximoff^[src]

Vision is killed by Thanos

In order to prevent Thanos from obtaining the Mind Stone to kill half of all life in the universe, Wanda Maximoff killed her boyfriend, Vision. However, Thanos saw this happen and used the Time Stone to reverse time and resurrect Vision, allowing him to get the mind stone, killing Vision again. Thanos then snapped his fingers, killing half all life in the universe, including Maximoff. Five years later, the Avengers traveled throughout time steal the Infinity Stones from several different timelines and use them to resurrect the people Thanos had killed, including Maximoff.

Wanda Maximoff fights Thanos

However, the Thanos from one of the alternate timelines had arrived in the Avengers' timeline and attacked, initiating a battle during which he planned to use the Infinity Stones to destroy the universe and create a new one to his will. Doctor Strange and the Masters of the Mystic Arts allowed Maximoff and the other heroes who had been killed in the Snap to return, with only a short amount of time having passed from their perspective. Maximoff faced off against Thanos, expressing her anger about Vision's death. When Thanos said that he did not know who she was, she attacked him, prompting Thanos to fire his weapons, despite the danger to his own army. Thanos was eventually defeated when Tony Stark used the Infinity Stones to destroy Thanos and his army.

Wanda Maximoff uses her abilities to cast a spell on Westview

Maximoff discovered that Vision's body had been taken to S.W.O.R.D. Headquarters following his death, so she went there, hoping to recover the body and give him a funeral. Director Tyler Hayward allowed Wanda to see Vision's disassembled body. When she realized that he truly could not be reactivated, Maximoff left and drove to Westview, where she and Vision were supposed to have a house together. In her grief, Maximoff's magical abilities activated casting a spell on the town of Westview, building the house, creating a new version of Vision, and trapping its citizens in a sitcom-like reality. Agatha Harkness sensed the powerful spell and arrived at Westview, posing as a nosy neighbor within the sitcom reality, "Agnes." She also began broadcasting the events within Westview as a sitcom. Since one of the residents of Westview was in the Witness Protection Program, the FBI noticed their witness go missing and sent Jimmy Woo to investigate. Woo and Monica Rambeau, from S.W.O.R.D., discovered a strange border around Westview, which Rambeau got sucked into and was forced to play a part in the sitcom world as "Geraldine."

Wanda Maximoff and Vision with their newborn children

Within the sitcom reality, Maximoff became pregnant with twins boys, whom she and Vision named Tommy and Billy. As she visited the newborns, Maximoff realized that "Geraldine" was from S.W.O.R.D. and kicked her out, sending her back to the S.W.O.R.D. base which had been set up outside the border. The twins displayed their ability to rapidly age, and "Agnes" often helped take care of them. They rapidly reached age ten and were prepared to do so again to cope with the death of their dog Sparky, but Maximoff instead helped them learn the importance of moving on from loss.

"Pietro Maximoff" tries to convince Wanda Maximoff to reveal how she cast her spell

Harkness, trying to get Maximoff to reveal her powers, so she sent Ralph Bohner to Maximoff's house so that he could pretend to be a resurrected Pietro Maximoff. Maximoff was suspicious of her "brother," although she eventually came to believe Bohner's lie. Meanwhile, Vision had become suspicious that Maximoff was responsible for certain strange things which had been happening in Westview and tried to leave town, although he started dying. Using his abilities, Billy Maximoff sensed this and warned his mother, who began to expand the Hex. Bohner made a joke about Vision already being dead, so Wanda attacked him and saved Vision, expanding the borders to her magic to include the S.W.O.R.D. base and a significant portion of the agents present.

Kidnapping

Wanda Maximoff sends her children to be with "Agnes"

"Hey, boys, why don't we give your mom some me time?"
"Agnes, are you sure?"
"Oh, abso-positively. Come on, let's go, guys."

―Agatha Harkness and Wanda Maximoff^[src]

Wanda Maximoff realized the immorality of expanding the borders of her magic, so she decided to take a day to herself. This caused her magic abilities to start changing things to fit different eras. While Tommy and Billy Maximoff tried to get their mother to pay attention to them, Wanda tried to focus on herself. Eventually, Agatha Harkness, still under the guise of "Agnes," entered Maxiomff's home and offered to take care of Billy and Tommy. Wanda assured her sons that she would be alright and relaxed while "Agnes" took the boys to her home.

Billy and Tommy Maximoff at "Agnes'" house

While at "Agnes'" house, Billy played with Señor Scratchy, "Agnes'" pet rabbit, and "Agnes" brought drinks for the boys. Billy told "Agnes" that he liked being at her house, noting that he could not hear her thoughts like he could everyone else. Tommy asked "Agnes" whether their mother would be alright, and she told the boys that she could do anything, unwilling to tell the two young boys that their mother had gone crazy. Agnes later hid the boys somewhere in her basement after giving them something to eat. She left on a children's program, Yo Gabba Gabba!, on her television and left the food and drinks out.

Wanda Maximoff threatens Monica Rambeau

Meanwhile, Monica Rambeau realized that she could enter Westview without getting brainwashed by Wanda Maximoff's magic, so she entered and rushed to Maximoff's house. Upset by this, Maximoff trapped Rambeau with her magic and brought her outside, attracting attention and yelling at Rambeau for S.W.O.R.D.'s actions against her, such as sending in an armed drone and the fake Pietro Maximoff, although Rambeau insisted that "Pietro" was not S.W.O.R.D.'s doing. Maximoff attempted to hurt Rambeau, who landed safely on the ground. Rambeau confronted Maximoff about what she had done to her, although Rambeau pleaded with Maximoff not to let Tyler Hayward make Maximoff into a villain. While Maximoff insisted she might be, Harkness noticed the skirmish and interrupted them, scolding Rambeau and bringing her into her own house. "Agnes" pretended to comfort Maximoff, who realized that the boys' food and drinks were still out and that Yo Gabba Gabba! was still playing, but the boys were nowhere to be found.

Agatha Harkness introduces herself

Maximoff went into "Agnes'" basement to investigate, where she found several magical artifacts and "Agnes" revealed herself to truly be Agatha Harkness, a powerful witch who was responsible for many of the bad things which had happened since Maximoff created her false reality, including the appearance of "Pietro Maximoff" and the death of Sparky. Harkness asked Maximoff to show her how to be as powerful as she was, explaining that her own magic was limited. Maximoff at first refused, although Harkness reminded Maximoff that Billy and Tommy were somewhere in the basement, being held by Harkness. She briefly allowed Maximoff to hear them scream, and Maximoff agreed to take Harkness through her memories. Harkness observed the death of her parents and its aftermath, where Maximoff and her brother survived despite staring at a Stark Industries bomb, the experiments performed on her by HYDRA during which the Mind Stone enhanced her abilities, the aftermath of her brother's death, during which Vision comforted and formed a bond with her which would become romantic. Harkness then saw Maximoff go to S.W.O.R.D. Headquarters and attempt to retrieve Vision's body and casting her spell on Westview out of grief. Through this, Harkness realized that Maximoff was the supposedly mythical Scarlet Witch, a being capable of performing Chaos Magic.

Agatha Harkness explains her discovery to Wanda Maximoff

Hoping to absorb Maximoff's powers, Harkness left Maximoff's memories and took Tommy and Billy, threatened to choke them with ropes cast using magic, revealing her discovery to Maximoff. Maximoff managed to distract Harkness long enough for Tommy and Billy to be freed, and convinced the two of them to hide in their bedroom while Maximoff and Harkness fought.

Aftermath

Wanda Maximoff attacks Agatha Harkness with a car

"Listen, boys. Your mother and I never really prepared you for this. But you were born for it."

―Vision to Tommy Maximoff and Billy Maximoff^[src]

Agatha Harkness and Wanda Maximoff briefly fought, and Maximoff threw a car at Harkness, although she did not die. Meanwhile, S.W.O.R.D. had managed to send a rebooted version of Vision, White Vision, into Westview to attack Maximoff. While the Vision which Maximoff had created fought and debated with White Vision, Maximoff fought Harkness, who revealed to her the pain which the citizens of Westview felt while under her spell. Maximoff managed to defeat Harkness and free Westview, although this required the destruction of her Vision, Tommy, and Billy. Maximoff and Vision sent Tommy and Billy to bed, and Maximoff said goodbye to Vision while her effects on Westview's reality were undone. However, Maximoff was still widely hated throughout Westview, so she fled, learning to improve her skills with the Darkhold.