Warning: Spoilers ahead
Disney Plus’ Agatha All Along hit the small screen with a bang on Thursday, Sep. 20. Despite inexplicably mediocre Rotten Tomatoes reviews, the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe project is a creative joy, filled with fun, just the right amount of creepiness, and many memorable characters.
Among the most memorable characters in the first two episodes are the Salem Seven. Those of you who’ve seen the show will know they’re the terrifying, black-clad septet that pursued Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness at the end of the second episode as she and her newly formed coven escaped into the mystical gate leading to the legendary Witches’ Road.
But who are these nightmarish spectral beings, and do they have roots in Marvel comic books?
What is the Salem Seven’s role in Agatha All Along?
Back in 1673, when Agatha Harkness was put on trial in Salem, Massachusetts, by her coven for practicing dark magic, they attempted to kill her. However, she turned the tables on them and took their power, murdering them all.
The Salem Seven are witches descended from the witches Harkness killed, and they’re looking for revenge and justice to be served on behalf of their ancestors. Their members go by the names Vertigo, Coyote, Crow, Fox, Owl, Rat, and Snake. Three of those members — Crow, Rat, and Coyote, in the form of said animals — have been seen scouting Harkness in the first two episodes, to her notable annoyance and concern.
The group will likely pursue Harkness and her new coven throughout the series, culminating in an epic mystical showdown in the finale.
When Aubrey Plaza’s Rio Vidal talked about a group coming for Agatha Harkness at the end of the first episode, she told Harkness she’d “be sure to tell them where to find” her. Harkness asks who she’s referring to, and Vidal replies, “The worst of them. The Salem Seven. I expect you’ll see them at sundown. After all these centuries, Agatha Harkness will finally meet her end.” They’re clearly a powerful group that Harkness should be wary of, even when she inevitably regains her powers.
Who are Salem’s Seven in Marvel’s comics?
The MCU’s Salem Seven is based on a group from Marvel’s comic books, but they’re entirely different from the one we’ve been introduced to in Agatha All Along.
For starters, they’re called “Salem’s Seven” as opposed to “the Salem Seven,” and rather than being a group of identically-dressed dark witches, they’re magically mutated humans with vast mystical prowess who can also transform into bizarre, fantastic creatures with additional superpowers. They’re all the children of Nicholas Scratch (who has been less-than-subtly hinted at in Agatha All Along) and the grandchildren of Agatha Harkness herself.
Their name comes from the fact that they’re from New Salem, Colorado, rather than the Massachusetts city typically associated with witchcraft. Salem’s Seven’s members are called Brutacus, Gazelle, Hydron, Reptilla, Thornn, Vakume, and Vertigo, with only the latter sharing a name with a member of the MCU group.
It remains to be seen whether the MCU’s Salem Seven will share more similarities with the group they’re based on in the source material. We’re excited to find out.