Agatha All Alongintroduced a prime replacement for Kang the Conqueror, one whose power levels more than rival those of Thanos in theMCU’sInfinity Saga. Full of dark magic and major twists as Agatha and a group of fellow witches went down the Witches' Road, the MCU debuted one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. As such, it’s quite possible that she could become an ongoing antagonist as the current Multiverse Saga continues.
As seen in the latest series by Marvel Studios, it was eventually revealed thatAubrey Plaza’s Rio Vidalwas far more than she initially appeared. It was also confirmed that she had a romantic history turned rivalry with Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha. To that end, the show’s final episodes confirmed Rio’s true name and power as none other thanLady Death, a major Marvel force to be reckoned with who could easily become the perfect Kang/Thanos replacement in the MCU’s future.
Agatha All Along Introduced A Marvel Villain That Could Replace Kang
Lady Death Is An Extremely Powerful New MCU Villain
Originally appearing inAgatha All Along’spremiere as a vengeful flame of Agatha’s seeking to kill her, Agatha got “Rio Vidal” to hold off until she could reclaim her power. However, Rio ends up joining Agatha’s newly formed coven inAgatha All Alongepisode 4 following the death of Sharon Davis aka Mrs. Hart, becoming their replacement Green Witch. However,the truth about Rio and her real identity as Lady Deathis not revealed untilAgatha All Alongepisode 7 thanks to Patti LuPone’s Lilia Calderu and her powers of divination.
Tasked with guiding the recently deceased to the other side, Rio is the living embodiment of death itself in the MCU (and the original Green Witch).As Lady Death, Rio is also meant to uphold the cosmic balance between life and death, explaining why she sees the spirit of Billy Maximoff and his reincarnation into William Kaplan as an utter abomination to said balance. That said, she is also driven by her desire for revenge against Agatha and also her love for the witch, confirming she’s by no means immune to emotion and her own agenda despite her cosmic duties.
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Lady Death is also extremely violent with no fear of death (naturally). To that end,it’s quite possible that Lady Death could become a dynamic replacement for Kang the Conqueror in the MCU, potentially having multiple appearances in theMultiverse Sagagoing forward. Furthermore, she’s vastly more powerful than the time-traveling despot, and even Thanos the Mad Titan himself.
Lady Death Is The Best MCU Villain To Rival Thanos
She Could Easily Become An Equal (If Not Greater) Threat-Level
In the comics, Thanos and Lady Death are romantically intertwined, as the Mad Titan’s conquests and erasing half of all life with the Infinity Gauntlet were motivated by his desire to prove himself worthy of her love. However, he almost always came up short with Lady Death rejecting his advances. However, Josh Brolin’s Thanos of the MCU was not shown to hold the same nihilistic infatuation with Death, instead being motivated by his desire to bring balance to the universe. Ironically, this drive is something the MCU’s Lady Death would perhaps find more attractive given her similar duty to uphold the cosmic balance.
That said,Lady Death is inherently far more powerful than Thanos, an exciting prospect if she at some point becomes an ongoing threat in the MCU. As old as the universe itself in the comics,Lady Death is confirmed to be nigh-omnipotent and amortal on the page, meaning that she isn’t alive as the embodiment of death itself, nor can she be erased without major cosmic laws being changed. As such, the same is likely just as true in the MCU which has already shown just how powerful she is inAgatha All Along’sfinale by killing Agatha with a simple kiss.
“It would be very exciting to see Lady Death make new appearances in the MCU afterAgatha All Along, a new and far more powerful villain focused on maintaining the cosmic balance, while also just as capable of forming her own dark vendettas…”
It stands to reason that Rio could have easily killed Wiccan as well. However, Billy Maximoff would just have been able to reincarnate into another body unless he gave himself up willingly to Lady Death (as Agatha does). At any rate,it would be very exciting to see Lady Death make new appearances in the MCU afterAgatha All Along, a new and far more powerful villain focused on maintaining the cosmic balance, while also just as capable of forming her own dark vendettas.
Why Lady Death Would Be A Fantastic Avengers Villain
Earth’s Mightiest vs Death Herself
While it’s hard to imagine how they’d even have a chance,the opportunity to see the Avengers one day fighting Lady Death herself would be very exciting. That said, the laws of the cosmos and reality will likely soon be altereddepending on how muchAvengers: Secret Warsadaptsfrom the events seen in the comics. Perhaps the concepts and laws of Death will be weakened or rewritten, resulting in a conflict where Earth’s Mightiest Heroes could be on equal footing.
At any rate, Aubrey Plaza’s performance as Lady Death was largely seen as one ofAgatha All Along’sbest casting decisions. To have her only be in one MCU project and nothing else would be tragic. Likewise, there is far too much potential for Lady Death to be a major villain going forward. At the very least,Lady Death should be a recurring presence as the MCU continues (even if it’s just in the background guiding souls to the afterlife).
When The MCU’s Lady Death Could Return In A Future Marvel Project
Will She Try and Stop Billy and Agatha’s New Quest?
It’s not hard to imagine a scenario where Lady Death might try and stop Wiccan and Agatha’s ghost from finding the recently reincarnated Tommy,potentially in a second season ofAgatha All Along. After all, Tommy Maximoff should be considered an abomination to the cosmic balance, just like Billy.Likewise, Rio clashing with Agatha again could also shed new light on her relationship and more of her complex history with the witch.
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Agatha All Along episodes 8 and 9 end the show in a thrilling two-part finale, answering many major questions and teasing more to come in the MCU.
Additionally,Marvel’sIronheartis set to feature the debut of Anthony Ramos as The Hood, a crime lord empowered by a demonic-possessed hood that could lead to appearances from Mephisto or Death herself. That said, it would be very exciting to see Lady Death having a role inAvengers: Secret Warsas mentioned above, especially if the entirety of the multiverse gets rewritten and collides together as expected.Wherever it might be, a future appearance from Aubrey Plaza’s Lady Death in the MCU is hopefully in the works.
Agatha All Along
Cast
Agatha Harkness, after the events of “WandaVision,” seeks to regain her magical powers. Joining forces with unexpected allies, including the son of an old adversary, she battles new mystical threats while uncovering hidden secrets in the magical realm.
