When you think of a "Disney+ Marvel show," you probably picture quips, bright spandex, and a fair amount of CGI punching. Agatha All Along definitely had the punching—mostly emotional—but it also brought in something the MCU rarely touches: the avant-garde. Enter Okwui Okpokwasili.
If you didn’t recognize the name immediately, you definitely recognized the presence. She played Vertigo, the formidable leader of the Salem Seven. Honestly, seeing a MacArthur "Genius" Grant winner and a legend of the New York experimental dance scene pop up in a witchy superhero spin-off was the last thing on my 2024 bingo card.
It was a masterstroke of casting that most people are still overlooking.
Who Exactly is Vertigo?
In the comics, Vertigo is often tied to the "Salem’s Seven," a group of magical entities who happen to be the grandchildren of Agatha Harkness. Yeah, the family tree is a mess. But the show took a different, much creepier path.
Okwui Okpokwasili’s version of Vertigo wasn't just a lady in a costume. She was the Cicada.
Each member of the Salem Seven in the series was associated with a specific animal—Crow, Fox, Snake, and so on. As the leader, Okpokwasili’s Vertigo carried this haunting, buzzing intensity that felt less like "movie magic" and more like a genuine threat from a folklore nightmare. She didn't need ten minutes of dialogue to be scary. She just had to stand there.
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Why Okwui Okpokwasili Was the Secret Weapon
If you've ever seen Okpokwasili’s stage work, like the incredible Bronx Gothic, you know she’s a master of "embodied performance." She uses her entire physical form to tell a story. In Agatha All Along, this translated into a character that moved with a terrifying, calculated stillness.
Most MCU villains chew the scenery. Vertigo just... existed.
The Salem Seven represented the literal "sins of the past" coming back to haunt Agatha. They were the daughters of the coven Agatha drained centuries ago. When Okpokwasili led that group through the woods or down the Witches' Road, it didn't feel like a standard chase scene. It felt like an inevitability.
The showrunners clearly knew what they were doing here. By casting a world-class performance artist, they gave the Salem Seven a physical language that felt distinct from the "main" witches like Lilia or Jennifer Kale. They felt like something other.
The Fate of the Salem Seven (Spoilers Ahead!)
Things got real in the later episodes. If you were hoping for a multi-season arc for Vertigo, well, I’ve got some bad news.
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During the trials on the Witches' Road, specifically in the episode "Darkest Hour / Wake Thy Power," the Salem Seven finally caught up. But they weren't prepared for Lilia Calderu. In one of the most visually stunning—and frankly, metal—sequences in the series, Lilia (played by the iconic Patti LuPone) uses her divination and some serious gravity-warping magic to turn the tables.
Basically, Lilia flips the room.
The Salem Seven, Vertigo included, are impaled on the swords of the environment as gravity shifts. It was a brutal end for a group that had been haunting the periphery of the show since episode one. But man, what an exit. Even in her character's final moments, Okpokwasili’s physical acting sold the shock and the sudden shift from predator to prey.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Casting
There’s this idea that "prestige" actors or high-art performers only do Marvel for the paycheck.
I don't think that’s the case here. Agatha All Along was a show deeply interested in the performance of witchcraft. It leaned into the theatricality of the craft—the singing, the chanting, the specific gestures. Okwui Okpokwasili fits into that world perfectly.
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She wasn't a "background extra" with a name. She was a tonal anchor. Without the genuine menace she provided, the Salem Seven could have easily felt like generic "ghouls of the week." Instead, they felt like a weight pressing down on Agatha’s shoulders.
The Real-World Connection
It's worth noting that Okpokwasili is a massive deal in the arts world. We're talking:
- MacArthur Fellow (2018): The literal "Genius" grant.
- Bessie Awards: Multiple wins for her work in dance and performance.
- The Exorcist: Believer: She’s been dipping her toes into horror more recently, which explains why she was so comfortable with the unsettling vibes of the Salem Seven.
What to Do Now if You Liked Her Performance
If you're like me and walked away from the finale thinking, "I need to see more of whatever that woman is doing," you're in luck. She isn't just a Marvel character.
- Watch "Bronx Gothic": There’s a documentary/performance film about her one-woman show. It’s intense, raw, and shows exactly why she was the perfect choice to lead a coven of vengeful spirits.
- Look for her in "The Exorcist: Believer": Even if the movie itself had mixed reviews, her presence is undeniably magnetic.
- Keep an eye on the MCU's supernatural side: While Vertigo met a sharp end, the "Salem Seven" are a staple of Marvel magic. In a world of multiverses and resurrections, you never really know who’s gone for good.
The beauty of Agatha All Along was how it blended high-camp musical theater with genuine folk-horror. Okwui Okpokwasili was the heartbeat of that horror. She reminded us that before witches were "superheroes," they were things that went bump in the night.
If you want to understand the deeper lore of the Salem Seven, your best bet is to go back and re-watch Episode 5. Pay close attention to how the Seven move compared to Agatha's coven. The difference in body language is where the real story is told.
Next Steps: To truly appreciate the craft behind the character, look up Okwui’s "embodied practice" interviews on YouTube. It’ll change the way you watch her scenes in the MCU. You should also check out the original Fantastic Four #186 comics if you want to see how much the show deviated from the source material—the difference is pretty wild.