Ever since Broadway legend Patti LuPone joined the cast of Agatha: Coven of Chaos, fans have wondered who she’ll play. Would it be a character from the pages of Marvel Comics, or someone created specifically for the show? It looks like it’s the former. During an interview on The View ( via Entertainment Weekly), LuPone revealed she’ll play the witch Lilia Calderu. The character first appeared in a Doctor Strange story in 1973’s Marvel Premiere #12.
If that character’s name is unfamiliar to any Marvel fans out there, that’s because Marvel introduced her and killed her in the same issue. Doctor Strange’s enemy Mordo killed her. The Baron seduced Lilia, and then he stole the mystical Book of Cagliostro from her. After that, they only referenced her in three other comics. Here’s what LuPone had to say about her character, a 450-year-old Sicilian witch:
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.
The confirmation that Joe Locke is a human familiar might come as a shock to some, as many fans assumed he was playing a version of Wiccan, the powerful mage and son of the Scarlet Witch. But of course, his role as a true witch might be revealed later in the series. Or maybe it’s going to be a Pietro Maximoff/Ralph Bohner situation all over again. As for LuPone’s character, she might have a brief comics history, so there’s a lot of room for interpretation here. LuPone appeared on American Horror Story: Coven a decade ago, but somehow didn’t play a witch. We’re glad to see Coven of Chaos is correcting that oversight.
Agatha: Coven of Chaos is currently filming and should drop on Disney+ in 2024.