Summary
Marvel Studios has always been known for its secrecy. However, the studio has gone above and beyond regarding secrecy with its latest offering,Agatha All Along. The Disney+ series kept fans on its toes before it premiered with various titles, before Marvel finally revealed the title was actuallyAgatha All Along. A marketing tactic thatworked wonderfully in the show’s favor. However, that wasn’t the last of Agatha’s secrets. The series made sure to hide the true identity of two of the show’s biggest characters until later in the season.
Just asAgatha All Alongbegan the season, there were Funko leaks teasing the true identities of Teen and Rio, as Wiccan and Death, respectfully. However, despite the leaks having surfaced, unveiling the truth much sooner than intended, the reveal of Aubrey Plaza’s Death in last week’s episode was handled perfectly. With that in mind, we break down Marvel’s handling of the reveal, as well as why the leakdidn’t lessen the impact of the moment.
How Agatha All Along Successfully Introduced Lady Death After the Leaks
Throughout the first six episodes ofAgatha All Along, fans were introduced toAubrey Plaza’s character, Rio, who was clearly someone from Agatha’s past, and someone who wanted her revenge against the character. Outside of that, the writers were careful never to reveal too much. Fans speculated she was the black heart that Lilia Calderu wrote down on the list for Agatha’s new coven, suggesting she could be playing none other than Blackheart within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After all, it was clear her character, Rio, was always bound to be more than just a simple witch. Interestingly enough, though, while those theories were interesting, they were merely theories. Then fans questioned who she could be as she referred to herself as “The” green witch when the coven was in need of a green witch for the Witches Road. Still, despite Rio’s words and the continued hint of her past with Agatha, fans were never truly sure who Rio truly was. Until the seventh episode, when Plaza’s Death came to visit Lilia near the end of the episode. The introduction was perfectly executed, with the series revisiting Plaza’s time as Rio thus far, before showcasing heremerging from the shadows as Lady Deathas the tarot card was unveiled.
It was the perfect ending to Lilia’s story, while also helping to perfectly capture the clues about Rio that had been right under the audience’s noses. Everything came full-circle, and perfectly set up an exciting finale for a series that has been full of surprises.
How Agatha All Along Maintained Suspense Despite the Funko Leaks
Having secrets leak, especially big ones like the identities of Death and Wiccan, could have hurtAgatha All Along. After all, it’s hard for fans to care when the truth has been unveiled before the story has had a chance to share its secrets. Interestingly, though,Agatha All Alongstill managed to succeed despite the leaks. This is partly because the show has nailed its storytelling. Fans have been eager to see how the series wouldgo about properly introducing Wiccan, and how we’d see Billy make the leap from a younger child inWandaVisionto a teenager inAgatha All Along. More importantly, though, fans were eager to see how the series would see Rio become Death. Would the series simply introduce the character as a throwaway? As is often the case with Marvel properties. Or would the series find a way to make the reveal interesting and vital to its storytelling? In the end, it appears to be the latter. WhileAgatha All Alonghas teased Agatha’s past with Rio, including a romantic past between the two, the series made it a point to keep a mystery surrounding the character. Even going as far as to show how scenes involving Rio were drastically different when revisited through the eyes of other characters.
There were signs all along, but they were hidden so well within the storytelling, that by the time Plaza emerged from the shadows as Death, it was still a surprising reveal. It didn’t feel forced, nor did it feel as though it was rushed. The creatives ofAgatha All Alongtook their time unveiling the truth concerning Rio, much like the creatives of WandaVision did with Agatha in that series. Had the series rushed to make it work, it’s doubtful the reveal of Plaza’s true character would have worked as well as it did. The breadcrumbs and question mark concerning Rio were so wonderfully crafted, that it made the leak simply a thing that happened rather than something that hurt the story. It’s an impressive feat from Marvel Television and those involved in the series. As leaks often tend to hurt a production in the end. Yet,Agatha All Alongmanaged to fly above the leaks and still manage tobecome a huge hit for Marvel Studios and Marvel Television.
