Honestly, the second Aubrey Plaza crawled out of the dirt in a backyard in Westview, we should’ve known. It was too chaotic. Too deliberate. If you’ve been following the MCU for a while, you know Marvel loves a good misdirection, but Aubrey Plaza Agatha All Along was a masterclass in hiding a cosmic powerhouse in plain sight.
She was introduced as Rio Vidal. A "Green Witch." A former flame. Someone with a knife-sharp grudge and a very specific interest in Agatha Harkness’s soul. But as the episodes peeled back, it became clear that Rio wasn’t just another magic-user looking for a shortcut to power. She was the finish line.
The Big Reveal: Aubrey Plaza is Death
Let’s be real for a second. The "Green Witch" title was a clever bit of wordplay. Sure, it connects to the earth and growth, but what happens to everything that grows? It decays. It dies.
In Episode 7, "Death’s Hand in Mine," the show finally stopped playing coy. Rio Vidal isn't just a witch; she is the literal manifestation of Death in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This isn't just a high-ranking title. She is a fundamental force of nature, standing alongside entities like Eternity and Infinity.
It makes those early scenes so much darker. When she told Agatha, "You get your power and I get my bodies," she wasn't being metaphorical. She was describing her literal job description. Every time Agatha drained a witch to stay alive, she was essentially hand-delivering souls to her ex. It’s a toxic cycle that’s been going on for centuries.
The chemistry between Kathryn Hahn and Aubrey Plaza is what really sold it. It wasn't just "villain vs. villain." It was a domestic dispute on a cosmic scale. Showrunner Jac Schaeffer even mentioned in interviews that the writers viewed them as being "married in some witchy way." That history is what gave the reveal its teeth.
Why the "Rio Vidal" Name Mattered
Names in the MCU are rarely accidents. "Rio Vidal" roughly translates to "River of Life." It’s a classic bait-and-switch. You hear "life" and you think healing, creation, and protection.
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But a river only flows one way.
By naming her after life, the writers highlighted the duality of her existence. You can't have one without the other. It also played into the fan theories that she might be the goddess Artemis or even Lady Death from the Thanos comics. While the MCU version is a "remix" of the comic character, the core remains: she is the person "all roads lead to."
The Tragedy of Nicholas Scratch
This is where the show got surprisingly heavy. For years, fans wondered what happened to Agatha’s son, Nicholas. The finale gave us the brutal truth.
Nicholas Scratch wasn't traded for the Darkhold—at least, not in the way we thought. He was born "wrong," a life that wasn't supposed to happen. Death came for him the moment he was born. Agatha, in a rare moment of genuine vulnerability, pleaded with Rio to spare him.
And Rio did. For six years.
- She gave Agatha time.
- She let them have a life together.
- She watched as Agatha killed other witches to "pay the toll" and keep her son safe.
But Death is a "neutral force." She isn't evil, but she is inevitable. When the time was up, Rio took Nicholas. That is the "scar" Rio refers to—the moment their love became a vendetta. Agatha spent the next few centuries hating the only person she ever truly loved because she couldn't accept the nature of Rio's work.
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Breaking Down the "Kiss of Death"
The finale didn't end with a giant CGI sky-beam. Thank god. Instead, we got a quiet, devastating confrontation in a garden of graves.
When Agatha kisses Rio at the end, it’s not just a romantic gesture. It’s a surrender. She knows she can't beat Death. She also knows that Billy Maximoff (Wiccan) is standing right there, and Rio is ready to claim him. By kissing Rio, Agatha chooses to go in his place.
Jac Schaeffer called it the "Kiss of Death." Because Agatha is a "succubus" who drains power, and Rio is a cosmic entity of pure ending, the contact was always going to be fatal. It was the only way their story could end—with Agatha finally paying the debt she owed for those six extra years with her son.
What This Means for the MCU’s Future
Aubrey Plaza’s performance has effectively reset the stakes for the "supernatural" side of Marvel. We now have a tangible, sentient version of Death walking around.
In the comics, Death is famously the obsession of Thanos. He wiped out half the universe just to impress her. While the MCU Thanos had different motivations (population control), the existence of Plaza’s Death opens the door for other characters who have "entanglements" with her—most notably Deadpool.
In the comics, Deadpool and Death have a weird, flirty relationship because he can't die, which makes him the one thing she can't have. After seeing Plaza’s "chaotic energy" (her words) in this role, the idea of her trading barbs with Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool is basically a license to print money.
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Is Agatha Truly Gone?
Well, yes and no. She died. Rio claimed the body. But as we saw in the final moments, Agatha is now a ghost. She’s tethered to Billy, acting as a sort of spectral mentor as he goes off to find his brother, Tommy.
This leaves Rio/Death in a fascinating position. She didn't get Agatha's soul, just the physical form. She’s still out there, doing her "job," and probably not too happy that Billy keeps "interrupting the flow" of life and death by reincarnating souls into new bodies.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Theories
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the lore Aubrey Plaza just blew wide open, here is how to track the threads:
- Watch the "Agnes of Westview" trial again. Now that you know Rio is Death, her "investigation" of the murder victim (who was actually the Darkhold) looks like a goddess looking for her missing property.
- Look for the "Green Witch" clues in Episode 4. When they sing the ballad, the focus on the "black branch" and "the road" takes on a whole new meaning when you realize the person leading them is the literal end of the road.
- Keep an eye on the "Wiccan" project. Billy’s ability to move souls (like putting Tommy into a new body) makes him Death’s natural enemy. Aubrey Plaza’s Rio Vidal isn't done with the Maximoff family yet.
- Note the "neutrality." Plaza plays Rio not as a villain, but as someone who is tired of being the bad guy for just doing her job. It’s a nuance that will likely define her future appearances.
Aubrey Plaza managed to take a character that could have been a one-dimensional "grim reaper" and turned her into a heartbroken, witty, and terrifyingly powerful cornerstone of the Marvel universe. She isn't just a part of the coven; she's the reason the coven exists.
Next time you rewatch, pay attention to the way she looks at Agatha when Nicholas's name is mentioned. It’s not malice. It’s the look of someone who had to break her own heart to keep the universe in balance. That’s the kind of depth we usually don't get in superhero shows, and it's exactly why this performance is going to be talked about for years.