Disney’s ongoing shift toward dismantling traditional family dynamics continues, now confirmed once again in its latest Marvel offering, Agatha All Along. Following months of speculation, showrunner Jac Schaeffer recently revealed at PaleyFest that Agatha’s son, Nicholas Scratch, was conceived by Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) and Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza), with no father involved. The move echoes a similar controversial reveal in last year’s The Acolyte, where it was confirmed that twins Osha and Mae were likewise conceived by two women, leaving a father figure deliberately absent.

Schaeffer’s comments during the panel make it clear that this was no accident. It all started at PaleyFest when Agatha cast member Sasheer Zamata pointed out that a lot of people think that Nicky is the son of Agatha and Rio. Schaffer nodded enthusiastically, confirming the rumor. Schaffer noted that they didn’t want to get into the “hows and whys of it.” However, she definitively stated, “It was really lovely that there was something the fans said that we could confirm.”

Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza) in Marvel Television’s AGATHA ALL ALONG, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Television. © 2024 MARVEL

“We got a lot of questions. ‘Who’s the dad?’ We were like, ‘Why do you wanna know?’” she explained talking about Agatha and her son. “It was something that was important to the writers, and that was important to me.” Rather than addressing the natural curiosity about the child’s parentage—a question that has driven countless stories across literature and cinema—Schaeffer and the writers chose to reject the concept entirely, as if even asking the question was outdated.

Variety later seems to confirm this, saying, “In the series, Agatha Harkness wears a locket to remember her and Rio’s son Nicky.”

Entertainment media outlets like Variety seemed all too eager to celebrate this decision, highlighting it alongside articles praising the series’ other themes, from “mommy issues” to character-centric musical numbers. Nowhere was there concern over the broader implications or audience reception to these narrative choices.

But viewers are telling a very different story.

Both Agatha All Along and The Acolyte have been met with brutal audience apathy, bordering on outright rejection.

Mother Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith) in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, season one, exclusively on Disney+.

According to Luminate’s 2024 Film and TV Report, Agatha All Along failed to break 2 billion minutes watched—making it one of the worst-performing Marvel series on Disney+ to date. For context, the already widely criticized Secret Invasion, slammed by fans and critics alike, still pulled in around 3 billion minutes watched.

Meanwhile, The Acolyte debuted to modest numbers before rapidly declining in engagement, with fan forums and reviews consistently highlighting frustration with its storyline, characters, and overt political messaging. Disney’s decision to inject the same anti-father, ideologically driven narrative across both its Marvel and Star Wars properties hasn’t gone unnoticed.

The pattern is clear: Disney continues to push an agenda where traditional family structures—especially the presence of fathers—are sidelined or erased. It’s entirely ironic given that the Disney company and its theme parks were built on the foundation of the traditional American family.

Walt Disney in Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color (1966), Walt Disney Productions

In the case of Agatha All Along, not only is the son born solely of two women, but any mention of a father figure is treated as irrelevant or intrusive. It’s the same story in The Acolyte, where the Force itself is invoked as a substitute for biological or relational balance. The concept of a child created by The Force itself wasn’t new to Star Wars. Anakin Skywalker was famously produced by The Force in the prequel trilogy. However, he was the offspring of The Force itself through his mother Shmi Skywalker in a way that mirrors messianic “virgin births.” The Acolyte and Agatha are different in that these are children born to two romantically entwined women

Once upon a time, the MCU was built on themes of family, legacy, and parental relationships that resonated with millions. Tony Stark’s strained relationship with his father, Thor’s struggle to live up to Odin’s expectations, Peter Quill’s search for belonging—all central elements that grounded the franchise. And let’s not even get into the Star Wars connection, in which the original trilogy was entirely built around the idea of fathers and sons.

Now, those universally relatable dynamics have been replaced by political messaging, ideological experimentation, and identity-driven plots, with the audience’s response being loud and clear: they aren’t interested.

(L-R) Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza), Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) and Lilia Calderu (Patti LuPone) in Marvel Television’s AGATHA ALL ALONG, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. © 2024 MARVEL

The entertainment media may frame this as “progress,” but the numbers tell a different story. Neither Agatha All Along nor Echo came anywhere close to making the Top 10 streaming originals of 2024. That list was dominated by content from Netflix, Paramount Plus, and Amazon Prime, with even Netflix’s Love Is Blind Season 6—the lowest-ranked entry—earning 7.38 billion minutes watched. Marvel and Star Wars, once Disney’s crown jewels, are now struggling to remain relevant as viewership plummets.

(L-R): Teen (Joe Locke) and Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) in Marvel Television’s AGATHA ALL ALONG, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. © 2024 MARVEL.

And yet, Disney shows no signs of course-correcting. With executives and showrunners openly confirming these creative decisions as deliberate and “important” to their vision, the studio appears fully committed to prioritizing political narratives over audience engagement.

The fans, however, seem to have made up their minds.