The official Marvel Studios social media channels acknowledged Lesbian Day with an image of a key Agatha and Rio scene.
Agatha All Along follows Agatha Harkness and her coven of magic users down (down, down) the Witches’ Road as she attempts to reclaim her otherworldly power. Along the way, the main characters encounter many miles of tricks and trials as the road itself seems intent on causing them lethal harm.
Marvel Commemorates International Lesbian Day With Agatha All Along
As if the palpable sexual tension between Agatha All Along’s Agatha Harkness and Rio Vidal was not enough, the official Marvel Studios X (formerly Twitter) account posted a still from Episode 4 of the series showing the two witches about to lock lips.
The post in question was published on Tuesday, October 8, just in time for International Lesbian Day, a celebration of all things sapphic from both past and present.
In case one has missed the signs, Agatha and Rio (who could also be hiding a deadly secret) were once in love. In fact, they were a couple. But the pair had a falling out sometime in the past, with many speculating that it had something to do with Harkness’ son, Nicholas Scratch.
What the show’s next five episodes hold for the one-time lovers remains unclear, but viewers can hopefully expect a resolution to their current animosity.
Agatha All Along Has Queerness in Spades
By and large, the MCU has made certain strides towards better LGBTQ+ representation. But Marvel Studios seems to, in many instances, stop short of offering any concreteness to its queer characters.
Valkyrie kisses Carol Danvers on the cheek in The Marvels after the Asgardian ruler comes to her aide, implying a romance between the two heroes. But things just kind of stopped there.
America Chavez, a lesbian in the comics, wasn’t presented with any hints toward her sexual orientation in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, beyond a pride pin worn on her jacket.
Arguably the most solid queer representation in the MCU came in 2021’s Eternals, which presented Phastos as being married to another man and with a young son.
But Agatha All Along seems to finally be moving the needle in a big way. Not only were Agatha and Rio previously a romantic couple, but Jen Kale, Alice Wu-Gulliver, and Joe Locke’s mysterious Teen have all been confirmed to exist somewhere along the LGBTQ+ spectrum through dialogue.
For those keeping score, that’s most of the main cast.
Hopefully, Rio Vidal and Agatha Harkness’s difficulties will be resolved by the final episode and the two can share the kiss that nearly happened at the end of Episode 4.
Marvel Studios not letting Agatha and Rio kiss would be seen by some as queerbaiting, which would not exactly paint the House of Ideas in a good light for many viewers.
Bur series star Aubrey Plaza did, in fact, admit that Agatha All Along "will be a gay explosion by the end of it" (via Variety) so that‘s got to count for something!
Marvel Television’s Agatha All Along drops new episodes every Wednesday, exclusively on Disney+.
