The Avengers. The Guardians. The, uh, Revengers? The MCU has introduced many an epic superhero team over the years, but now its most unlikely and most dysfunctional has emerged in the form of Agatha Harkness’ Coven of Chaos. Agatha All Along has seen Kathryn Hahn’s former villain assemble a team of witches to help her cross the Witches Road, and in episode 3 we learn a little more about what makes these women tick.
The coven might hardly be a team right now, but episode 3 is an important step in forging them together, as they each come to terms with something dark from their pasts and reach a deeper understanding with one another. As part of their first trial, they have to ingest a poisoned wine which gives them terrifying visions of their greatest fears. Let’s recap everything we learned about these ladies (and teen) in episode 3.
Alice’s mother can’t protect her
Alice is actually the only one of the coven whose big dark backstory we already knew about, as episode 2 previously revealed that her mother — a famous singer and secret sorceress who covered the Ballad of the Witches Road — died when she was young. Here, we appear to witness the moment it happens. Alice receives a vision of her mother in her dressing room. Distraught from news of her own mother’s death, she imbibes a poison and screams at her daughter that she can’t protect her.
Jennifer Kale was drowned for being an “inconvenient woman”
In episode 2, we learned that self-care guru Jennifer Kale previously had her magic powers bound, and it seems her vision reflects what transpired, albeit in a dreamlike fashion. She is persecuted by a religious man who labels her an “inconvenient woman” and attempts to drown her in a sink – a clear reference to witches being drowned historically. Agatha later alludes to what Jennifer went through, by telling her that they may have taken her powers from her but they can’t take her knowledge.
Agatha sacrificed her son for the Darkhold
When it comes to Agatha, the big revelation about her past is more a confirmation of something we already guessed. Before the first trial begins, Jennifer Kale takes Teen aside to warn him not to trust Agatha. Why? Because people say she once sacrificed her son to get her hands on the Darkhold. This rumor in the witchy community is seemingly confirmed when Agatha receives a vision of a baby crying in its crib. When she pulls back the blanket, however, she sees the Darkhold instead.
Teen has had a tough past
Teen doesn’t partake in the first trial directly, on account of him both being not a witch and not of drinking age, but we still learn a little something extra about his past. So far, Teen’s references to his family and personal life have hinted that he’s a very normal kid. In episode, though, he hints at some past trauma. When chatting with Alice about her mother’s death, she mentions how she was 13 when it occurred. “A lot happened to me when I was 13, too,” he admits. Oh, Teen, you walking, tousled-haired mystery, you.
Lilia Calderu has faced death (literally)
Lilia’s vision is perhaps quietly the most significant of them all. In a scene that’s vaguely reminiscent of the twins from The Shining, Lilia spots a creepy girl standing in a hallway. The girl, dressed in medieval servant garb, leads Lilia into her hallucination where she emerges into an old stone building. The grisly corpse of an old woman sits at a table before a terrifying figure emerges from behind. With its dark cloak and skeletal face, this has to be our first glimpse at the personification of Death — aka Lady Death — in the MCU!
Clearly, there’s a lot more skeletons in the coven’s closets where this one came from, and we are ready to find out more. If the gang can sort through their issues and learn to work together, they could become one of the most powerful teams in this franchise!