Agatha: Coven of Chaos represents a new frontier for Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. The supernatural corner of the MCU is still finding its legs, so Coven of Chaos can expand on the rules first established in Doctor Strange and WandaVision. We still know very little about the upcoming series, although Kathryn Hahn will reprise her role as Agatha Harkness, and the witch will be joined by Patti LuPone, Aubrey Plaza, and Heartstopper’s Joe Locke. Marvel Studios cast their usual protection spell over the in-depth details, but some secrets are apparently too powerful to keep under wraps.
LuPone recently appeared on The View, where she chatted about her upcoming role. According to EW, LuPone will play Lilia Calderu, “a 450-year-old Sicilian witch whose power is divination.”
Lilia Calderu is an obscure character in Marvel lore. A one-time ally to Doctor Strange, she was introduced and killed off in the same 1970s comic, Marvel Premiere #12. Calderu guards the Book of Cagliostro, an ancient spellbook with passages from the Darkhold, among other evil mystic texts. When Doctor Strange’s long-time adversary, Baron Mordo, seduces her and steals the book, she and Strange team up to retrieve it.
Notably, the Book of Cagliostro has already made its way into the MCU, serving as a MacGuffin in the first Doctor Strange. Remember when Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) infiltrated the library at Kamar-Taj and stole one page from a book? That was the Book of Cagliostro. He later uses it to summon Dormamu, the film’s big villain. Strange himself also uses the Book of Cagliostro to wield the Time Stone, so it is kind of a big deal, even if no one remembers it.
It’ll be interesting to see whether Coven of Chaos connects Calderu to the Book of Cagliostro. No one knows when the series is meant to take place, nor is the Book of Cagliostro mentioned after Doctor Strange, so depending on the timeline, Calderu could be in possession of the ancient text. More likely, however, is a scenario where Agatha’s coven is searching for it. Agatha was on a quest to obtain some sweet, sweet chaos magic in WandaVision, and she’ll probably continue that quest in Coven of Chaos. The Book of Cagliostro could have just the spells Agatha needs to reshape the world as she sees fit.
There’s also a chance the MCU will shape Calderu into a completely different character. They’ve done the same with countless minor players — Agatha Harkness included — so the Book of Cagliostro might not factor into the series at all.
However Coven of Chaos chooses to adapt Calderu, the series could still bring Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) back from his frustrating role on the sidelines. The same could be said for Wong (Benedict Wong), who seems to pop up whenever there’s magic afoot. The magical corner of the MCU is still a very small world, and while Coven of Chaos will be instrumental in expanding it, it’s hard to imagine it not connecting to Doctor Strange.
