EntertainmentTVAction ShowsMarvel TV ShowsAgatha All AlongAgatha All Along sneaks a lesbian love story into a spooky superhero show – and breaks ground for the MCUWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentTVAction ShowsMarvel TV ShowsAgatha All AlongAgatha All Along sneaks a lesbian love story into a spooky superhero show – and breaks ground for the MCUWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
Well, it’s official, Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness andAubrey Plaza’s mysterious Rio Vidalwere canonically lovers prior to the events of Agatha All Along. While the premiere teased their romantic connection (“It’s black, and it beats for you”), the fourth episode outright confirmed it, with upper thigh strokes, Rio telling the coven that she once betrayed a woman she loved, and the pair sharing an almost-kiss in private – and it’s not something I ever expected to see in the Marvel Cinematic Universe…
As a queer, longtime fan of the franchise, I’d kind of given up on the idea of it representing people like me beyond a throwaway line or moment, like Loki saying he likes a “bit of both” in hisDisney Plusshow,Nikki dating app-swiping on men and women in She-Hulk, and Phastos' blink-and-you’ll-miss-him husband inEternals. Hell, I’m still not over Tessa Thompson promising that newly appointed Asgardian king Valkyrie would find a queen inThor: Love and Thunder, only for that to be reduced to her drunkenly telling Korg that her ex-girlfriend died fighting Hela. (Worse, too, becauseThor: Ragnarokhad already hinted at this with a slow-mo flashback, but apparently it wasn’t okay to make it explicit back then).
In the four episodes released so far, Agatha All Along has a few similar instances; Teen’s “boyf” calling his phone and Jen (Sasheer Zamata) joking about wanting to get Rio’s phone number. With its campy central character andthatcast, I anticipated such hints, but the spooky show takes things even further, sneaking a lesbian love story into the tale, much like how Mike Flanagan did with his underappreciated Netflix series The Haunting of Bly Manor. A queerlead, whose same-sex relationship is intrinsic to the plot but in a way that doesn’t feel othered or like a diversity box-tick? I genuinely didn’t think Marvel had it in ‘em.
Released in 2020, Bly Manor follows Dani (Victoria Pedretti), a young American woman who moves to England, and takes a job as a nanny at a secluded countryside estate. There, she strikes up a fast friendship with the precocious children she’s set to look after, as well as cook Owen and housekeeper Hannah. But it’s her romance with gardener Jamie (Amelia Eve) that acts as the backbone of the story. It has ghosties and scary moments, sure, but The Haunting of Bly Manor is mostly focused on love and how, even if it’s fleeting, it’s worth the sorrow that comes with losing it. It’s notaboutDani being gay or learning to accept her sexuality, which many titles centered on queer characters are; Jamie could’ve easily been a man. But she wasn’t. It feels the same with Agatha All Along.
Okay, so one could argue that if showrunner Jac Schaeffer and the writers always intended to give Agatha a romantic relationship in the series, it’d pretty much have to be woman, given the nature of covens and how the series revolves around Agatha’s walking the fabled Witches’ Road. But it’s still refreshing to watch a genre show where the queerness feels lived, and baked, in; where there’s so much else going on that there’s no room for a tired ‘coming out’ narrative.
“People keep describing it as the next level of representation,“Joe Locke previously told GamesRadar+. “We have had these incredible shows which have put queerness to the front of the characters and the plot, and now it’s like great, we can have queerness as just [a] part of them.”
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter
Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox
“Marvel Studios, I’m sorry for [the] unsavory things I said about you in the past. I wasn’t familiar with your gayme,“joked one more, whilea fourth wrote: “I CANNOT FUCKING BELIEVE THIS IS REAL LIFE I AM SHAKING.”
#AgathaAllAlong rio touched agatha’s upper thigh, admitted that she loves her, and then agatha almost kissed her??? IN THE MCU???? LIKE THIS IS REAL AND CANON? pic.twitter.com/JHFzyyCTCTOctober 3, 2024
#AgathaAllAlong rio touched agatha’s upper thigh, admitted that she loves her, and then agatha almost kissed her??? IN THE MCU???? LIKE THIS IS REAL AND CANON? pic.twitter.com/JHFzyyCTCTOctober 3, 2024
Earlier this week,Variety published a reportthat revealed certain studios are looking into bringing in ‘superfan’ focus groups to help them avoid sparking toxicity through some of their major franchises. Executive producer Brad Winderbaum noted that Agatha All Along has the best continuation rate of any Marvel series to date, which refers to the viewers who carried on watching the show after its opener. It’s clearly going down well. But if a system like that was introduced while it was being developed, might it have even been made at all?
“I’m so proud,” Hahn recently toldEntertainment Weeklywhen asked about the show’s queerness. “This is what a large portion of the fans want to see and have looked to be represented in these huge movies. They’re a huge part of these movies in this genre’s audience, so it just makes sense. And also, it makes it that more rich.”
“The people that I was lucky enough to assemble on the show, both behind the camera and in front of the camera, so many members of the community, so many people motivated to tell these stories and to infuse the show with joyous, dark, resplendent queer energy,” Schaeffer told the same publication. “I am thrilled. I feel honored. It is my deepest hope that it is embraced as the love letter that it is.” From where I’m sitting, there’s no questioning that.
Agatha All Along episodes 1 to 4 is now streaming onDisneyPlus. Keep up to date with ourAgatha All Along release schedule.
For more on the wider MCU, check out our guides to all of theupcoming Marvel movies and showsand how to watch theMarvel movies in order.
CATEGORIESDisney PlusStreaming Services
CATEGORIES
More about marvel tv showsDisney Plus' new Spider-Man show is no longer canon in the MCU because it was “not fun” to put limitations on its storyMarvel Rivals made Jeff the Land Shark so stinkin' adorable that the MCU is bringing him on as an official hero: “We’re all Jeff fans around here. Man is he fun to play”
More about marvel tv shows
Disney Plus' new Spider-Man show is no longer canon in the MCU because it was “not fun” to put limitations on its storyMarvel Rivals made Jeff the Land Shark so stinkin' adorable that the MCU is bringing him on as an official hero: “We’re all Jeff fans around here. Man is he fun to play”
Disney Plus' new Spider-Man show is no longer canon in the MCU because it was “not fun” to put limitations on its story
Disney Plus' new Spider-Man show is no longer canon in the MCU because it was “not fun” to put limitations on its story
Marvel Rivals made Jeff the Land Shark so stinkin' adorable that the MCU is bringing him on as an official hero: “We’re all Jeff fans around here. Man is he fun to play”
Marvel Rivals made Jeff the Land Shark so stinkin' adorable that the MCU is bringing him on as an official hero: “We’re all Jeff fans around here. Man is he fun to play”
Latest
See more latest►
Most PopularPatton Oswalt and Jordan Blum explain why comics are still the perfect medium for superhero stories - “Visuals that will never be achieved in TV or movies can be achieved in comics"Team Asobi’s gigantic 2024 proves it’s time to free Astro Bot from PlayStation’s pastWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 was the favorite shooter of the year, and it also made me fall even harder for my fiancé17 years on, Sam Barlow reflects on Silent Hill: Origins: “To pull it out of the bag with a seven-out-of-ten game was incredibly rewarding"Here’s our Black Ops 6 multiplayer playlist to keep you and your pals connected over ChristmasSpy x Family season 3: Everything we know so farOne of 2024’s best anime shows subverts all expectations, but that’s its biggest strengthHow Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth represents the best of Final Fantasy’s past while charting a course for the futureI’m proclaiming 2024 to be the year of outstanding indie puzzle gamesThe Inside Out 2 panic attack scene is one of the best depictions of anxiety ever – and something Pixar director Kelsey Mann is incredibly proud of: “I couldn’t be happier"Marvel Rivals has what it takes to shake up the PvP shooter genre if it can maintain its hero fantasy while also making balance changes
Most PopularPatton Oswalt and Jordan Blum explain why comics are still the perfect medium for superhero stories - “Visuals that will never be achieved in TV or movies can be achieved in comics"Team Asobi’s gigantic 2024 proves it’s time to free Astro Bot from PlayStation’s pastWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 was the favorite shooter of the year, and it also made me fall even harder for my fiancé17 years on, Sam Barlow reflects on Silent Hill: Origins: “To pull it out of the bag with a seven-out-of-ten game was incredibly rewarding"Here’s our Black Ops 6 multiplayer playlist to keep you and your pals connected over ChristmasSpy x Family season 3: Everything we know so farOne of 2024’s best anime shows subverts all expectations, but that’s its biggest strengthHow Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth represents the best of Final Fantasy’s past while charting a course for the futureI’m proclaiming 2024 to be the year of outstanding indie puzzle gamesThe Inside Out 2 panic attack scene is one of the best depictions of anxiety ever – and something Pixar director Kelsey Mann is incredibly proud of: “I couldn’t be happier"Marvel Rivals has what it takes to shake up the PvP shooter genre if it can maintain its hero fantasy while also making balance changes
Most PopularPatton Oswalt and Jordan Blum explain why comics are still the perfect medium for superhero stories - “Visuals that will never be achieved in TV or movies can be achieved in comics"Team Asobi’s gigantic 2024 proves it’s time to free Astro Bot from PlayStation’s pastWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 was the favorite shooter of the year, and it also made me fall even harder for my fiancé17 years on, Sam Barlow reflects on Silent Hill: Origins: “To pull it out of the bag with a seven-out-of-ten game was incredibly rewarding"Here’s our Black Ops 6 multiplayer playlist to keep you and your pals connected over ChristmasSpy x Family season 3: Everything we know so farOne of 2024’s best anime shows subverts all expectations, but that’s its biggest strengthHow Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth represents the best of Final Fantasy’s past while charting a course for the futureI’m proclaiming 2024 to be the year of outstanding indie puzzle gamesThe Inside Out 2 panic attack scene is one of the best depictions of anxiety ever – and something Pixar director Kelsey Mann is incredibly proud of: “I couldn’t be happier"Marvel Rivals has what it takes to shake up the PvP shooter genre if it can maintain its hero fantasy while also making balance changes
Most Popular
Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum explain why comics are still the perfect medium for superhero stories - “Visuals that will never be achieved in TV or movies can be achieved in comics”
Team Asobi’s gigantic 2024 proves it’s time to free Astro Bot from PlayStation’s past
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 was the favorite shooter of the year, and it also made me fall even harder for my fiancé
17 years on, Sam Barlow reflects on Silent Hill: Origins: “To pull it out of the bag with a seven-out-of-ten game was incredibly rewarding”
Here’s our Black Ops 6 multiplayer playlist to keep you and your pals connected over Christmas
Spy x Family season 3: Everything we know so far
One of 2024’s best anime shows subverts all expectations, but that’s its biggest strength
How Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth represents the best of Final Fantasy’s past while charting a course for the future
I’m proclaiming 2024 to be the year of outstanding indie puzzle games
The Inside Out 2 panic attack scene is one of the best depictions of anxiety ever – and something Pixar director Kelsey Mann is incredibly proud of: “I couldn’t be happier”
Marvel Rivals has what it takes to shake up the PvP shooter genre if it can maintain its hero fantasy while also making balance changes
GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3
Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5
Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2
Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”