Aubrey Plaza in AGATHA ALL ALONG?

Aubrey Plaza’s portrayal of the mysterious Rio Vidal in “Agatha All Along” has stolen many scenes. Despite her prominence, however, her true nature is an enigma. All that is known is that her power surpasses normal levels, and she has a complicated past with Agatha Harkness. Their tumultuous relationship has even led to an intense face-off within the inaugural episode.

Going by a moniker that roughly translates to “River of Life,” evidence strongly points to a shared past involving romance between Rio and Agatha. Yet, the specifics of their association remain shrouded in mystery.

Diving Deeper into Rio Vidal’s Identity

Rio Vidal’s witch status is above the ordinary. She’s not just any green witch; she announces herself as “THE Green Witch” in episode four. But what if she’s actually the Marvel Comics’ personification of Death? Or could she be the entity known as Blackheart, or perhaps a hybrid of the two? These are the theories that point to Rio’s true identity having deep roots in Marvel Comics lore.

Who Is Mistress Death in the Marvel Comics?

In the comics, the cosmic entity often referred to as Mistress Death, or Lady Death, predates creation itself. Introduced by Jim Starlin and Mike Friedrich in 1973’s Captain Marvel #26, she encapsulates the notion of death. Death shares similarities with other Marvel cosmic entities like Eternity or the Living Tribunal, which have made fleeting appearances in recent MCU projects, like “Thor: Love and Thunder” and “Multiverse of Madness”. It would seem fitting for Death to debut in MCU.

The Love Triangle between Thanos, Deadpool, and Death

In comic lore, Death typically appears as a skeletal figure in a black hood, but has also been seen as a black-haired Caucasian woman. She is the object of Thanos’ obsessive affections, and he attempted to win her over by disintegrating half the universe’s life with a snap in The Infinity Gauntlet. Despite his grand gestures, she consistently spurns his advances. In following years, an unlikely flirtation evolved between Death and Deadpool, a character who cannot die.

The Clues about Rio Vidal’s True Identity

There are numerous visual cues linking Rio to Death from the very onset of “Agatha All Along.” Whether she’s storming Agatha’s house in the first episode garbed in a black hood or brandishing a curved dagger identical to the one in Lilia Calderu’s Tarot deck, the evidence strongly suggests that Rio Vidal is indeed Death.

There’s clear indication of past love between Rio and Agatha. Rio relates the pain she feels when she harms a loved one, hinting at her duties as Death claiming the soul of Nicholas Scratch, Agatha’s son. There are also implications that Rio is there to collect the souls of other witches, adding more weight to this theory.

Possible Intersection with Blackheart

It’s not impossible that Rio could portray multiple characters from the comics. MCU has a penchant for character amalgamation. A black heart image from Lilia’s list of possible coven members alarms Agatha, hinting at the possibility of Blackheart’s presence. This fiendish persona is considered the “son” of Mephisto, a character who accumulated dark energies. Blackheart became a primary antagonist of Ghost Rider.

Rio’s emergence from the ground where an unfortunate character, Sharon Davis, was interred suggests her origin might be from an underworld realm. This could tie into her portrayal of Blackheart, a child of Mephisto, in the physical realm. There’s a hint to the possibility that the name-drop of Mephisto during the series was more than just the establishment of the character in the MCU. Whether Rio Vidal is Death, Blackheart, or some blend of the two, we eagerly await the revelations in the coming weeks.