Patti LuPone Blabbed On Which Marvel Character She's Playing In Agatha: Coven Of Chaos
Much remains mysterious about the upcoming "Agatha: Coven of Chaos," one of several Marvel Cinematic Universe shows currently in production for Disney+. What we know for sure is that Kathryn Hahn's Agatha Harkness will headline the series after making her debut in 2021's "WandaVision." Beyond that? Little has been revealed. However, cast member Patti LuPone has pulled back the curtain just a bit, revealing that she's playing a very obscure character from the pages of Marvel Comics (though that character's history may be telling in some ways).
LuPone recently stopped by "The View" and talked a bit to the hosts about her role in the series. Per Entertainment Weekly, LuPone revealed that she's playing a witch named Lilia Calderu who does, indeed, have a history in the comics, though Marvel fans would be forgiven for not knowing who she is (we'll get to that in a moment). Here's what LuPone had to say about it:
"It's a coven of witches, and I play Lilia Calderu, who apparently is in the Marvel world. I researched her, she's hot, she's really hot, she's got a great body and hair. I didn't know there were witches, I didn't know anything about the Marvel world. There are witches in the Marvel world. So, we are a coven of witches and the witches are: Kathryn Hahn, Aubrey Plaza, and [a] Familiar – if anybody knows 'Heartstopper' – is Joe Locke."
It was previously reported Plaza and Locke had joined the show's cast, so that's nothing new, and the "coven" of it all is in the series' title. But the fact that the show's creative team delved far enough into Marvel Comics lore to pluck a character like Calderu from the pages of obscurity may actually be quite telling, one way or another.
Who is Lilia Calderu, exactly?
During her appearance on "The View," Patti LuPone described her character as "a 450-year-old Sicilian witch whose power is divination and whose trial is tarot." As for her history in the comics? First and foremost, it is pretty minimal. Lilia Calderu debuted in the pages of "Marvel Premiere" #12 in 1973 and seemingly died in that very same issue ... although deaths in comics are pretty often meaningless, particularly when dealing with a magic user.
All told, in the nearly 50 years since Calderu debuted, she has only appeared in a grand total of five individual issues, meaning that there isn't exactly a lot to draw on (as opposed to Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch, a character who's appeared in literally thousands of issues). But there are some key things in those handful of issues, with Calderu becoming the keeper of the Book of Cagliostro, which was mentioned in 2016's "Doctor Strange." It's a particularly important book, too, with connections to the Darkhold (itself already part of the MCU).
Calderu also has ties to Baron Mordo, who was played by Chiewetel Ejiofor in "Doctor Strange" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." Her mother, Lilia Morgu, is Mordo's half-sister in the comics, although things got a little, shall we say, blurry with their family lineage. Per Comicvine:
Karl Mordo eventually learned of the existence of his half-sister and his niece. He also learned of the Book of Cagliostro and wanted to get his hands on it. So he came seeking his niece, romancing Lilia. She fell for her handsome uncle and in time entrusted him with her secrets. He proceeded to turn on her, attacking her and stealing the book. Mordo assumed Lilia was dead. She survived... but with a "broken heart" and an ongoing pregnancy. According to "Doctor Strange" vol. 3 #87, Lilia gave birth to Astrid Mordo.
Little known character, lots of flexibility
Now, is it likely that the MCU is going to explore this odd romance in bringing Lilia Calderu into the fold? Almost certainly not. But the point is, we are dealing with a character who has very minimal history in the comics relative to other characters. That means less preconceived notions for viewers and greater potential to reshape that character to the needs of the show and the MCU at large. It also sort of seems to be (for better or worse) what Sony is doing with its "El Muerto" movie, with the "Spider-Man" spin-off based on an incredibly obscure character. The difference here is that Calderu is not shouldering an entire film.
That said, the benefit of including Calderu is that she brings some important connective tissue to the table. She has ties to the Book of Cagliostro, which brings with it ties to "Doctor Strange" and the other sorcerers out there in the MCU. She also could be a bridge to bring Mordo back into the MCU in a more meaningful way, as we only saw an alternate universe version of him in "Multiverse of Madness." In other words, this could be a best of both worlds situation, with a little-known character who carries little baggage, yet also one who is relatively important to the history of witches in the larger Marvel universe. It is, at the very least, an interesting pull. We'll see how it plays out when the show arrives.
"Agatha: Coven of Chaos" has yet to set a premiere date.