Aubrey Plaza had already joined the Marvel machine when FX’s Legion came out, and now she’s going to be the ‘evil hag’ that she’s always touted herself as with the upcoming series Agatha All Along.
With the musical numbers, witchcraft, and unapologetically camp performance of Joe Locke, the series has been rumored to be the ‘gayest’ thing that Marvel Studios has ever produced; to which Plaza says that’s exactly what got her onboard in the first place.
Aubrey Plaza Says Agatha Series Better Be the MCU's 'Gayest' Project
During the red carpet premiere for Agatha All Along, Variety had asked Plaza if she agreed that the show was the ‘gayest Marvel project yet,’ to which she replied, “It better be, cause that’s what I signed up for.”
It’s unclear exactly what Marvel had to say to get Plaza onboard, but just based on what’s been revealed about the series, it does look like the show is going to be a slight variation in the WandaVision formula. Whereas WandaVision would jump decades between television eras, Agatha All Along will be jumping from different genres of horror from the mystery-thrillers like Mare of Easttown to the straight-up horror-slashers like Evil Dead.
Who is Plaza Playing in the Series?
While characters played by Patti LuPone, Sasheer Zamata, and Ali Ahn are established magic users in Marvel comics, Plaza is playing a new character for the show named Rio Vidal.
Already fans think that Vidal is an established character in the MCU, but just like with Locke’s “Teen” character, it does look like her identity is going to be a big reveal for the show. So far, the only thing fans know about her is that she’s a “Green Witch”, and based on what’s been shown in the trailers, it does look like she’s going to be causing her own chaos, slowing things down for Agatha and her newly-formed coven.
As for who Rio Vidal really is, everyone has been throwing out who they suspect online. Some think that she’s reprising her role as Lenny Busker from Legion, while others think that she’s a version of the Latin American legend called ‘La Llorona’.
With her green power signature, she could very much be a Loki variant (Loki in the comics was an adept magic user), or she could be long-time Marvel comic villain the Enchantress, who has ties with Thor and Loki, and has clashed with the Scarlet Witch and Vision in the comics.
Down the Witches’ Road
With the recent Marvel properties trying to cater to as large an audience as it can—to poor results—it does look like Agatha All Along is more attuned to who its target audience is going to be.
The cast alone is enough to attract a certain brand of musical fans and Twitter gays, but the genre of witches and dark magic has always been a favorite of the LGBTQ+ community for its themes of forbidden magic and transformation.
Who knows, maybe there’s something there for straight people too?
Watch out for Agatha All Along when it premieres on Disney+ on Sept. 18.