The Evidence Is Mounting For The MCU"s Lady Death Theory After Another Genius Agatha Detail

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The evidence is building that Aubrey Plaza is in fact playing the avatar of Death in Agatha All Along. Looking back, it"s hard to believe the MCU was every wary of embracing Marvel Comics" more fantastical side. Gone are the days when Thor teased that he came from a place where science and sorcery were one and the same thing; now, we have gods and monsters, cosmic beings like the Living Tribunal and Eternity, and so much more. But has Agatha All Along actually introduced the avatar of Death?
In the comics, many cosmic forces are personified - including Death herself, who"s traditionally portrayed as Thanos" lover. Many viewers have theorized that Aubrey Plaza"s Rio Visal is in fact the MCU"s Death in Agatha All Along. That theory seems a whole lot more likely after Agatha All Along episode 4, which dropped some genius hints.
Rio Vidal's Real Identity Is Still Unclear There's no direct comic book inspiration for Rio Vidal Close Rio Vidal"s history with Agatha is still unclear at this stage, but it"s now certain the two share a romantic past - one that ended in tragedy, leaving a great deal of bitterness between the two. Rio even made an attempt to kill Agatha earlier in the series, with her once-lover insisting that"s not allowed, much to her frustration. Now she"s back, joining Agatha"s coven on the Witches" Road, and it remains to be seen whether she can be trusted.
Agatha All Along Coven Member
Actor
Agatha Harkness
Kathryn Hahn
"Teen"
Joe Locke
Lilia Calderu
Patti LuPone
Jennifer Kale
Sasheer Zamata
Alice Wu-Gulliver
Ali Ahn
Sharon Davis
Debra Jo Rupp
Rio Vidal
Aubrey Plaza
The fundamental problem, though, is that Rio Vidal has no direct analogue from the comics themselves. She claimed to be a Green Witch, and in Agatha"s initial CSI-based reality she was noted for tracking movements across the vegetation. But there"s clearly far more to Rio Vidal than meets the eye, leading to speculation she is in fact the avatar of Death herself.
1 Hint In Agatha All Along Episode 4 Adds More Evidence To Lady Death Theories Rio was in the neighborhood

Image via Disney+ Rio joined the coven after the end of Agatha All Along episode 3, which saw Sharon killed. Strikingly, she emerged from Sharon"s grave, looking decidedly sinister and skeletal, before morphing into her familiar attractive self. "I was in the neighborhood," Rio told the coven, perhaps hinting that she hadn"t been summoned but rather had already been there. This would make perfect sense if she is indeed the personification of Death; she has arrived on the Witches" Road because of Sharon"s death.
Rio is implicitly claiming she chose to turn up on the Witches" Road.
Supporting this interpretation, notice that Rio is implicitly claiming she chose to turn up on the Witches" Road. The coven believe they summoned her, but Agatha doesn"t confirm it, instead visibly frustrated and angry to see her old flame. As the episode makes clear, this isn"t just because of the bad blood between Agatha and Rio; she"s worried about her young ward, contemplating the possibility Teen is her son Nicholas Scratch. Rio debunks the notion, hinting she is unaffected by the sigil binding his true identity, pointing to her power.
There Are Other Clues Hinting Rio Is Death In Agatha All Along Episode 4 "I get my bodies"

This isn"t the only evidence suggesting Rio is in fact Lady Death. Later, speaking privately to Agatha (or so she believes), Rio tells her former lover that she"s looking forward to seeing how things play out. She anticipated Agatha killing all the witches around her, one by one, and then adds, "You get your power and I get my bodies." That"s exactly the kind of motivation you"d expect from the avatar of Death, and it bodes ill for Agatha"s coven.
"I had to do something that I did not wanna do, even though it was my job."
Another key conversation shines a chilling light on the history between Agatha and Rio. "A long time ago, I loved someone," Rio tells the coven. "And I had to do something that I did not wanna do, even though it was my job. And it hurt them. She is my scar." Agatha"s reaction made it pretty clear she"s the one Rio is talking about, and she goes to stretch her legs. But what was this "job?" The most likely explanation is that this was the death of Agatha"s son; that Rio did her job, taking Nicholas Scratch"s soul, and it destroyed her relationship with Agatha.
What Rio Being Death Would Mean For The MCU The avatar of Death at last

In the comics, Death is a cosmic abstract that is nonetheless personified - and, routinely, is shown as a lover. Thanos is best known for his desire to court death, although Deadpool is one of his rivals for her affections. The MCU dodged the idea of using a comic-book-accurate Death by changing Thanos" motivations in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, but there"s actually been some subtle setup. Guardians of the Galaxy featured a mural of cosmic abstracts seeking the power of the Infinity Stones, with Death as one of them.

Related Guardians of the Galaxy Clues Hint Marvel Wanted Comic-Accurate Infinity War An Infinity Stone detail in Guardians of the Galaxy is more evidence that Marvel originally wanted a comic-accurate Infinity War but changed plans.
It would be perfectly fitting for the MCU to introduce its version of Death as a wild, tempestuous lover. The interesting question, though, is whether the comic book idea has been changed a little; whether Rio has always been Death, or whether she instead assumed the role, serving more as an avatar than a personification. The latter may explain why she can claim to be a Green Witch; she could simply be a Green Witch who was absorbed into Death in some way.
What of Agatha"s mention that it would be somehow "against the rules" for Rio to kill her? That may hint at the relationship between Agatha and Rio; perhaps they made an oath to one another at some point. Alternatively, it could reveal an inherent limitation to Death"s powers in the MCU, implicitly explaining why she hasn"t seen before. Death could potentially be forbidden from killing directly, instead only watching, or encouraging others to do the deed on her behalf.
There is, of course, a rich sense of irony to this twist. Death is an integral part of Thanos" story in the comics, and yet the MCU is introducing its version of Death some five years after Thanos" story is complete. It"s a measure of how much more comfortable Marvel Studios has become with the supernatural and the fantastical, no longer fearing losing viewers if they go too far. Agatha All Along is definitely a step in the right direction.

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