Agatha All Along introduced fans to the idea of a Green Witch in the MCU by way of Aubrey Plaza's Rio Vidal.
Plaza joins the cast of the spell-binding streaming series as the mysterious and instantly alluring Vidal, a magic user with a history with Kathryn Hahn's Agatha Harkness.
While fans have gotten used to the premise of magic in the super-powered franchise thanks to characters like Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff and Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange, they have never seen it used quite the way Plaza's new MCU character does.
Rio Vidal and Agatha's Green Witch Explained
In Episode 1 of Agatha All Along, fans were finally introduced to Aubrey Plaza's Rio Vidal, a never-before-seen magic-wielder who has some sort of connection to Kathryn Hahn's titular witch.
She jumps into the MCU action in Agatha's Scarlet Witch-induced delusion, where the former WandaVision villain is living out her life in what seems to be a Mare of Easttown-inspired detective story.
While her intentions remain unclear, Vidal is key in pulling Agatha from this vivid incantation and bringing her back to the real world (as seen in the latter third of Episode 1).
In the series, she seems to be yet another witch from Agatha's past, given the allusion to the pair having previously crossed paths as well as her mention of events that happened hundreds of years ago (meaning she too is immortal just like Agatha).
Where exactly Plaza's character came from and what she intends to do with Agatha remains unknown, but surely fans will find out as the series goes on.
A potential romantic history between Rio and Agatha was seemingly hinted at during the series premiere as well (read more about Agatha and Rio's past here).
When Rio pops up in Agatha's spell-induced fantasy there is an evident tension between the two with the pair even flirting with one another at times. Agatha even goes as far as to refer to Rio's black heart, potentially teasing that the two are jilted lovers whose romantic endeavors did not end amicably.
Is Rio Vidal From Marvel Comics?
Rio Vidal herself and the idea of a Green Witch do not have any precedent on the comic page, being a wholly original character created for the spooky Disney+ series.
However, that does not mean she is not directly inspired by ideas from the comics.
In the same way that Wanda Maximoff has been described as the Scarlet Witch and Agatha the Violet Witch, Episodes 1 and 2 of Agatha All Along revealed Vidal to be a Green Witch (as well as insinuating there are other colored witches out there as well).
In the comics, Agatha and her coven are a longtime staple. A big part of the villain on the page is the group of witches that she surrounded herself with during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. While the team slowly dissolves over time, these sorceresses come back in and out of Agatha's life across time.
Despite Rio Vidal and the Green Witch being an original creation for Agatha All Along, she seems to be directly inspired (at least in spirit) by members of this comic book coven.
According to initial casting information from when Plaza was first brought on to the series, her role was described as part of "a group of supporting female characters," which sounds an awful lot like Agatha's group of witchy coconspirators.
The Green Witch is said to be a master of earth magic, which - according to Sasheer Zamata's Jennifer Kale is arguably the most important type of magic for a coven (like Agatha's) who aims to trek the fabled Witches' Road.
Fans see some of this magic on display during the fight between Vidal and Agatha, where she (to the delight of many) licks the hand of Kathryn Hahn's Marvel magic user and heals a wound she had dealt.
Given the Green Witch's connection to earth magic, that would explain why Debra Jo Rupp's Mrs. Hart is seen as a suitable replacement for Vidal in Agatha's coven, as the neighborly Westview resident is seen gardening before getting recruited.
Yes, Mrs. Hart does not possess the same powerful magic as the rest of the series's bewitching coven, but her propensity for plants and the earth could be enough to make her a suitable replacement (at least for now) for Vidal's Green Witch magic.
Agatha All Along is now streaming on Disney+.
