As one of Marvel's most powerful characters, Death ing the killing off some of the MCU's biggest characters, with any number of villains, and notable heroes such as Quicksilver, Gamora, Black Widow and Iron Man having bitten the dust. The original source of this tragic concept, Death, had been absent from the MCU, but that has all just changed. After years of teasing the formidable cosmic being in the MCU, she's finally here.
Lady Death has been a regular fixture in Marvel Comics for the last five decades, so it's high time she was introduced to the MCU. Luckily, Marvel Studios has subtly been referencing and teasing Lady Death's MCU debut since Phase 1, so her first appearance in the franchise makes a lot of sense, and is set up to be incredibly satisfying. And don't get it twisted, Lady Death changes the power hierarchy of the MCU forever.
Agatha All Along Confirms Rio Vidal Is Death
Aubrey Plaza Is The Original Green Witch
After 6 episodes teasing the mystery of Rio Vidal's identity, Aubrey Plaza's delightful new MCU character was revealed to be Death in Agatha All Along episode 7. Anyone who follows Funko's latest developments might not have been particularly surprised, but it's still a huge development all the same. In a flashback montage during Lilia Calderu's trial, all of the clues to Rio's identity were revealed, as well as the fact that Agatha knew all along.
Wait, Why Can't Aubrey Plaza's Marvel Character Kill Agatha?
WandaVision's long-awaited sequel show introduces a new Marvel antagonist in Rio Vidal, but even she has her limits.
Interestingly, Rio's first appearance outside of the Westview curse confirmed that she couldn't kill Agatha, which is an interesting question to ponder. Perhaps Death's rules in the MCU are limited, and she's merely a collector of souls? To drive home the point, episode 7 showed Rio's reactions to the Ouija board spelling out Death, as well as her mentioning "You get your power and I get my bodies" suggesting there may also be a Faustian bargain of sorts at play.
Marvel Television has changed Death's story for Agatha All Along, dropping the huge revelation that she is the "original Green Witch", which is new to MCU. That suggests that while Rio has dominion over Death, she's also tied to life and creation as forces as well, almost like Shiva, the Hindu goddess of death. That in turn suggests a fundamental contradiction in the character, and may explain how Agatha's son Nicholas Scratch came into existence.
Lady Death's Marvel Origin & History Explained
Lady Death Debuted In Marvel Comics In 1973
Created by Mike Friedrich and Jim Starlin, Lady Death, sometimes referred to as Mistress Death or simply Death, made her first appearance in Marvel Comics in 1973's Captain Marvel #26. Lady Death is an abstract entity in the Marvel Universe, the personification of death itself, which means she has a level of power that most other characters would only dream of. While Eternity is the embodiment of the universe, Death is the embodiment of life ending in the universe, and she is predominantly depicted as a skeleton in a black or purple robe.
Eternity made his MCU debut in 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder, as Gorr the God Butcher sought to eradicate the universe's Gods, but instead chose to resurrect his daughter, Love, which Eternity did with ease.
While usually depicted as a skeleton, Death can take pretty much any form she wishes, with her often choosing to present herself as a human Caucasian woman. She has found herself embroiled in storylines featuring many Marvel heroes and villains, including Thanos, Adam Warlock, the Elders of the Universe, Deadpool, Nova, Spider-Man and the Beyonder, who briefly kills her, proving his own strength. Lady Death's appearance in Marvel Comics usually brings tragedy, darkness and sinister stories, which seems to already be the case in the MCU.
Lady Death's Powers Explained
Lady Death Is One Of Marvel's Most Powerful Beings
As an abstract cosmic entity, Death's power level is remarkable. She has no physical form, and is the personification of death, so she cannot be hurt, and is immortal, despite the Beyonder's best efforts. She has nigh infinite knowledge and power, and is able to manipulate time, space, matter and reality.
With complete control over the concept of death, Lady Death is able to kill and resurrect individuals at will. She even has her own realm, aptly named the Realm of Death, though she often uses her shape-changing abilities to take the form of a human woman on Earth.
In Agatha All Along, Rio's powers haven't been fully explored yet, but there have been flashes. She showed immense power in breaking into Wanda's spell in the opening episode, seemingly without wanting to end it, and in her fight with Agatha displayed some conventionally impressive powers, like control of the elements. As a Green Witch, she's no doubt connected to the elements in a more substantial way, and has also shown a healing power when she licked Agatha's wound after stabbing her through the hand, and made it disappear.
How Lady Death Would Fit Into The MCU's Power Hierarchy
Marvel Has Recently Debuted Many Powerful MCU Characters
In recent years, Marvel Studios has introduced some of the comics' most powerful beings into the MCU, and Lady Death could simply be the next in this long line. While the Gods of Omnipotence City in Thor: Love and Thunder were significant, the Phase 4 movie also debuted Eternity, Death's own antithesis.
Eternity's debut perfectly set the stage for Lady Death herself to appear. With hints towards the Living Tribunal, the One Above All, Infinity, Entropy and more in the MCU, Death will be among them as one of the most powerful and unmatched figures in the cosmos.
Thanos' Lady Death Reference In The Avengers Explained
Marvel Teased Thanos' Love For Death In 2012's The Avengers
While Lady Death hasn't yet made her official MCU debut, she has been teased as far back as 2012's The Avengers. The post-credits scene of the MCU's first crossover movie saw the Other speaking to his master, the Mad Titan, Thanos. The Other noted that to threaten the Avengers would be "to court death," which could be taken at face value, but could also have hinted at the existence of Lady Death herself. In Marvel Comics, Thanos famously forms an intense obsession and love for Lady Death, lending itself to this tease in The Avengers.
Infinity War: Why The Original Thanos Lady Death Plan Changed
Like in the comics, Thanos' original MCU motivation was to court Lady Death as hinted in The Avengers but Avengers: Infinity War changed it — why?
Thanos' love for Lady Death in Marvel Comics eventually led to him gathering the six Infinity Gems and wiping out half the universe's population, hoping to acquire Death's approval and reciprocated affection. Thanos and Lady Death have a love/hate relationship in Marvel Comics, but a non-existent one in the MCU, which was a shame when Marvel Studios explored the narrative of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame without Death's appearance. Actor Josh Brolin teased Thanos' return to the MCU, however, so it's possible he could still form an attachment to Death.
Lady Death Has A Long History With Deadpool
Deadpool Made His MCU Debut In 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine
As well as Thanos, perhaps the most regular Marvel character that Lady Death interacts with is Wade Wilson's Deadpool. This has contributed to some of Death's most entertaining moments, as she and Deadpool have formed a close bond, and even a romantic one, given the Merc with a Mouth's ability to avoid death completely. After having a number of near-death experiences in 1998's Deadpool/Death '98, Wade Wilson becomes infatuated with the being, but Death's reciprocation makes Thanos jealous.
Deadpool & Wolverine ended with Wade Wilson back in his home reality of Earth-10005, but it's likely this universe will be destroyed ahead of Avengers: Secret Wars, perhaps constituting a need for the appearance of Death.
Thanos curses Deadpool with immortality to stop the latter from ever visiting Lady Death again, but the joke's on him. It would be fantastic to see this storyline, or similar, to play out in the live-action MCU, especially after Ryan Reynolds made his MCU debut in 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine. The Phase 5 movie has quickly become one of Marvel's most successful films to date, so sequels are all but inevitable, and with teases towards Lady Death's debut picking up steam, it would be great to bring these two powerful characters together on-screen.
Agatha All Along
- Release Date
- 2024 - 2024-00-00
- Showrunner
- Jac Schaeffer
- Directors
- Jac Schaeffer, Gandja Monteiro, Rachel Goldberg
Cast
Agnes O'Connor / Agatha Harkness
Joe LockeTeen
WHERE TO WATCH
Agatha Harkness, after the events of "WandaVision," seeks to regain her magical powers. ing forces with unexpected allies, including the son of an old adversary, she battles new mystical threats while uncovering hidden secrets in the magical realm.
- Number of Episodes
- 9
Your comment has not been saved