Death, one of Marvel’s most powerful characters, has been confirmed asMCUcanon inAgatha All Along, raising the question of how powerful she is compared to Thanos and Marvel’s gods.Agatha All Alongfollows the titular witch and her coven as they traverse the Witches' Road in search of a boon at the end.Agatha’s coven comprises witcheswho specialize in several forms of witchcraft including divination and alchemy. The series is a worthy contributor to the MCU’s horror-tinged offerings, as unnerving trials, the Salem Seven, and Death herself contribute to the spirit of Halloween.
The effects of Thanos' arch-villainy in the Infinity Saga can still be felt halfway throughthe MCU’s Multiverse Saga. His unstoppable pursuit of the Infinity Stones gave him the power of a god that cannot be understated, as he was able to decimate half of all life in the universe with a snap of his fingers after acquiring all six Infinity Stones. In Marvel Comics, Thanos' death-dealing on a cosmic scale was intended to court Death herself. These motives give some sign ofwhat the MCU can expect from Deathnow that she has emerged five years after Thanos' defeat.
Rio Vidal Is Confirmed As The MCU’s Death
The Reveal Came After Several Clues
Aubrey Plaza’s Rio Vidal was introduced in the first episode ofAgatha All Alongas a character with whom Agatha is intimately familiar. She plays a clandestine role from thereon, communicating mainly with Agatha as it becomes increasingly apparent that the two share a romantic and somewhat tumultuous history. Severalclues that Rio Vidal is Deathherself litterAgatha All Along. These include the following:
Agatha All Alongepisode 7finally vindicates these suspicions. Lilia encounters Death in the tunnels beneath the Witches' Road beforeher tarot reading trial confirms that Death is among the coven. Rio ostensibly fills the role of Green Witch in Agatha’s coven, a role cynically bestowed on Sharon Davis despite her lack of magical know-how. When questioned about her Green Witch credentials, Rio retorts that she is “The” Green Witch - hinting that she is the original entity to fill such a role, which makes sense given Death’s comic book origins.
Death’s Comics Origin & Powers Explained
Death Is The Personification Of An Abstract Concept
Death is an abstract being in Marvel Comics. These comprise the personification of abstract concepts including time (Eternity), space (Infinity), order (Master Order), and chaos (Lord Chaos). These entities are primordial, withDeath and the aforementioned beings brought into existence at the beginning of time, while others like the Living Tribunal and Oblivion are older still. Death is the progeny of Oblivion, the abstract entity that represents non-existence in the Marvel Universe. As an abstract concept, Death has no gender, though she most commonly manifests as the feminine Lady Death. Her powers can be simply summarized.
Near-Omnipotence
Death transcends reality and is thereforecapable of manifesting just about anything she wills. This power is significantly limited, however, by the fact that Death is mostly unconcerned about carrying out anything other than her purpose, though she has meddled in mortal affairs on occasion. Demonstrations of her omnipotence include taking whatever form she chooses and teleporting individuals to other realms. Her power is surpassed only by such other abstract entities as the Living Tribunal and the Beyonder, both of whom have the proven capacity to kill Death itself.
Control Over All Death
Death’s main power is the oversight of death in whichever universe she inhabits, which entails claiming souls from bodies and holding sway over lost souls in her own realm of death. Death is also capable of restoring a soul to life, which she has done on a handful of occasions but makes no habit of. Should death die, which has happened thanks to the Beyonder, then all death halts in the universe, threatening to overpopulate it and ironically lend credence toThanos' MCU motives.
Death has granted immunity from death to multiple beings in the Marvel Universe, including Doctor Strange after he defeated Death in a battle of wills.
Death, along with other primordial Marvel gods, represents the natural order of thingsin the Marvel Universe. Her lesser-known counterpart is Life, though Death is more commonly depicted as an enemy of Eternity. Death has played a significant role in Marvel Comics thanks in no small part to Thanos' affections towards her, though she has also shared a romance with Deadpool, who becomes Thanos' love rival as a result.
12 Most Powerful Cosmic Characters In Marvel Movies, Ranked
Marvel movies (MCU and otherwise) feature some incredible cosmic characters who operate beyond Earth alone, though which one is the most powerful?
Death would ultimately retire in Marvel Comics, having her responsibilities assumed by Marlo Chandler. She also developed a desire to live among humans recently, though this would culminate in Thanos tracking her down and defeating her entirely, transforming her into the Death Stone that he keeps. With Death in this form, death continues to work as a natural force throughout the Marvel Universe.
How Powerful Death Is Compared To Other MCU Characters
Death’s Power Surpasses All But The Most Obscure MCU Characters
Death is more powerful than most MCU characters. As an abstract being, Death is rivaled by only the universe’s most powerful cosmic beings - of which very few have thus far been seen in the MCU. Eternity is one of the only other entities to physically manifest in the MCU inThor: Love and Thunder, while others like the Living Tribunal and Entropy have appeared as statues and effigies throughout various MCU installments. It remains unclear whether Loki can count himself among these entities now that he maintains the entire multiverse in a space outside of time.
The embodiment of death
The embodiment of time and creation
Observer of the Multiverse
The embodiment of space
The embodiment of destruction
Eon
The offspring of Eternity and overseer of the Protectors of the Universe
The leader of the Celestials
This means that Rio Vidal is easily the most threatening figure the MCU has seen in the flesh. While Eternity exists in another realm presiding over time itself and granting wishes to the first person that finds him,Death is happy to get her hands dirty and meddle with mortals who are infinitely less powerful than her. This is demonstrated by the deals she seems to strike with Agatha, stating inAgatha All Alongepisode 4 “You get your power, and I get my bodies.” Evidently, the MCU’s Death’s motives aren’t exactly impartial.
The Asgardian Goddess of Death, Hela, is a subordinate of Death in Marvel Comics and likely filled a similar role in the MCU before her apparent death inThor: Ragnarok.
The fact that Thanos has recently bested Death in Marvel Comics raises the question of whether he could do the same in the MCU with a fully-stocked Infinity Gauntlet. Other “gods” like the Asgardians, meanwhile, would stand little chance against death, as they owe their godhood more to their Asgardian physiology and magic proficiency than being primordial.Agatha All Alongmay have therefore debuted the most powerful actively participating MCU character ever seen on-screen. Whether her active role will persist past the series remains to be seen, but as long as MCU characters die, Death will always be looming.
Agatha All Along
Cast
Agatha Harkness, after the events of “WandaVision,” seeks to regain her magical powers. Joining forces with unexpected allies, including the son of an old adversary, she battles new mystical threats while uncovering hidden secrets in the magical realm.
