Aubrey Plaza was excellent in Agatha All Along with her portrayal of Death. Finally, Marvel fans got to see the cosmic entity coming to fruition on TV via the acclaimed Disney Plus series. Naturally, some may ask if the Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of the character is the same one that Thanos was absolutely head over heels for in the pages of Marvel Comics. To simply answer that: yes and no. The MCU has a history of tweaking things for the screen and this instance is no different, but even so, there are some similarities. So, essentially, the character is the same in some ways, but she's also still very different in Jac Schaeffer's series.
Death first appeared in Captain Marvel No. 26 and then she roamed a range of issues in the comic book universe. But then most fans got to know her because of her relationship with Thanos, who was supposed to be doing the things we saw adapted in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame to impress her only. It's good that Marvel Studios never used this concept, or we might have said, 'All that for a drop of love?'
Death's role in Agatha All Along, explained
Agatha All Along picks up three years after WandaVision with Kathryn Hahn's Agatha Harkness slowly coming to her senses after playing detective with her neighbors. As soon as she breaks free from the Scarlet Witch's spell, she encounters none other than Rio Vidal, who would evenetually reveal herself to be Death. Fans need to know that the name is important, as it is what separates her from the comic book character.
While in the comic book, the Marvel character is presented as an entity whom many approaches, be it owing to their love or hatred; Rio herself approaches Agatha in the series. While Thanos is all for Death in the comics, in Agatha All Along Death is all for Agatha; tables turned, indeed.
Agatha has her reasons for her apparent hatred towards her, which viewers discover eventually (we won't spoil it for the ones yet to see the show). But most importantly, viewers also realize that Rio is simply doing what she was supposed to; this might give the audience a fair idea, as in what follows.
Lady Death's deadly dealings in Marvel Comics
The typical appearance of the comic book version of Lady Death is pretty common: A skeleton donning a cloak. Although, she doesn't have a scythe like the one Grim Reaper wields. That being said, that's not the only manifestation she can take, as she can appear as a beautiful woman too. So many stories surround the cosmic entity but her history with Thanos remains among the most prominent.
Interestingly, in Thanos Rising, a comic book issue that's part of Marvel NOW!, it is revealed that Death coerced Thanos into believing that she loved him. That explains why he loves death (not the entity, but the phenomenon) so much. Like Thanos, Alien death god Walker also tried proving his ardor to the cosmic being but ended up like the Mad Titan.
To that end, she isn't really a jolly being whom fans would love. Over the years, characters including the Beyonder, Doctor Strange, the Grandmaster, and more have taken a stab at her to end her reign, but she still remains.
There are clearly differences between the comic book version of Death and the MCU's adaptation in Agatha All Along, but there is one clear similarity: She is a force to be reckoned with.
All nine episodes of Agatha All Along are streaming on Disney Plus.