As we approach the halfway point of Marvel Studios' Agatha All Along, the show is still keeping its biggest secrets under wraps - but we have been given a few hints about the real identities of mysterious characters Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza) and "Teen" (Joe Locke), and episode 3 even name-dropped a certain demonic sorcerer that was the basis for so much speculation in WandaVision.
Spoilers follow.
If you've been keeping up with our spoiler posts, you'll already know that Rio is actually Lady Death, and the Teen is Wanda Maximoff's son Billy, aka Wiccan. But showrunner Jac Schaeffer is not ready to confirm anything just yet.
At the end of the latest episode, Rio and Agatha appear to be about to rekindle their romantic relationship, when the former drops the bombshell that Teen is not her former lover's deceased son, Nicholas Scratch.
“I just think it’s about the dynamic between Agatha and Rio," Schaeffer tells THR, dodging a question about Teen's idenity. "At this point in the story, it’s impossible for them to find each other, and that’s the real question. Obviously, they have so much chemistry and they have so much heat, so what’s the problem? That’s really what that scene points to.”
In episode 3, Jenn Kale tells Teen some of the urban legends surrounding Scratch, mentioning that he could be an "Agent of Mephisto." Does this mean we could see the villain make an appearance at some point? Possibly, but it sounds like Schaeffer was asked to add the line by her Marvel Studios higher-ups.
"It was a conversation with executive producer Mary Livanos, [Marvel’s head of streaming] Brad [Winderbaum] and [Marvel Studios boss] Kevin [Feige], but it is a mention that is larger than me and this show. It is the larger Marvel-ness of it. So it is not about me bristling or having any kind of a reaction or agenda, mostly because that type of fevered discourse that is very, very rooted in the comics is not as interesting to me as the current story being told in the series at hand."
Even if he doesn't make his presence felt in this show, Mephisto is expected to make his MCU debut fairly soon (Ironheart, most likely), and Sacha Baron Cohen is believed to have been cast in the role.
Episode 4 of Agatha All Along is currently streaming on Disney+.
The new series focuses on Kathryn Hahn’s character, Agatha Harkness, from the acclaimed Marvel Studios’ series WandaVision, as she sets off on a dangerous, mysterious adventure filled with trials and tribulations. Showrunner Jac Schaeffer, who was the creative force behind WandaVision, directs the pilot episode.
"In Agatha All Along, the infamous Agatha Harkness finds herself down and out of power after a suspicious goth Teen helps break her free from a distorted spell. Her interest is piqued when he begs her to take him on the legendary Witches’ Road, a magical gauntlet of trials that, if survived, rewards a witch with what they’re missing. Together, Agatha and this mysterious Teen pull together a desperate coven, and set off down, down, down The Road…"
In addition to Kathryn Hahn, Agatha All Along stars Joe Locke, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn, Maria Dizzia, Paul Adelstein, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Okwui Okpokwasili, with Debra Jo Rupp, with Patti LuPone, and Aubrey Plaza. The executive producers are Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Mary Livanos and Jac Schaeffer. The directors for the series include Jac Schaeffer, Rachel Goldberg and Gandja Montiero.
Marvel Television’s Agatha All Along premieres September 18 at 6:00 p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET, with the first two episodes, exclusively on Disney+.