According to a new report, one of Marvel Studios' best Phase 5 villains is just getting started, as they are already planned for another appearance in an upcoming project. Thus far in Phase 5, MCU fans have been treated to some memorable big bads. These have ranged from the terrifying Multiverse-faring Kang in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania to the towering Red Hulk (played by Harrison Ford) in Captain America: Brave New World. However, one name has stood out among them: Aubrey Plaza's Rio Vadal (aka Death).
A new rumor suggests Marvel Studios has future plans for Aubrey Plaza's Agatha All Along character in the MCU. Plaza's Death, while defeated at the end of Kathryn Hahn's Disney+ solo series, always felt like she was going to have a future in the franchise, and now, that looks like it could be the case.
Speaking as part of a recent Q&A, My Cosmic Circus' Alex Perez offered an update on Plaza's status within the super-powered franchise.
When asked about whether or not she will be back as Death after her Phase 5 debut, the known insider responded, "She'll be back:"
RedGyarados2010: "Hey Alex! What does the future hold for Death?"
Alex Perez: "She’ll be back."
Perez failed to elaborate further, not revealing where or when she would return. He simply said that she would.
It is worth noting that elsewhere in the Q&A, Perez mentioned the focus of the MCU story after Avengers: Secret Wars could have some "supernatural" elements mixed into it, potentially hinting at a character like Death playing a part in the Phase 7 story.
Aubrey Plaza debuted as Rio Vidal/Death in 2024's Agatha All Along, playing the primary villain in the hit supernatural streaming series. She arrived on the scene as a mysterious member of Agatha Harkness' (played by Kathryn Hahn) central coven, turning out to be a spell-slinger with a secret, as she and Agatha had a dangerous and twist-filled past.
However, after a tense climactic battle with Agatha and Joe Locke's super-powered Teen (who had just donned the superhero moniker Wiccan), Death seemed to be vanquished for now.
When Will Aubrey Plaza's Death Return to the MCU?
Without even a hint at where Aubrey Plaza will make her grand MCU return, fans are left to speculate on when her Death character will be back in the beloved superhero franchise.
The most likely answer is wherever Kathryn Hahn's Agatha Harkness also comes back to the series.
Agatha All Along's finale teased a future for Hahn's MCU sorceress. In that final episode, she sacrificed herself to take down Death, returning as a ghost to help Joe Locke's Teen search for his long-lost twin brother.
So, Agatha, and in turn Death, will most likely pop back up in the MCU in whatever Agatha All Along Season 2 turns into (read more about Agatha All Along's second season here).
Whether that takes the form of a full-on Agatha Season 2 or something else remains to be seen, though.
There have been rumors swirling that the Agatha All Along story could get picked up in another project within the MCU (like Agatha following up on WandaVision's story). The most likely place this could happen would be the upcoming Vision Quest series or the long-rumored Champions project.
Of course, Plaza's Death may appear elsewhere, but it would make the most sense if she goes where Agatha goes in the MCU's future endeavors.
