In the ‘Agatha All Along’ finale, Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) and Rio Vidal/Death (Aubrey Plaza) share the MCU’s first on-screen lesbian kiss. The moment thrilled fans as they went on social media to celebrate it and soon after, theories began forming about the meaning behind the kiss.
The show had hinted at a past relationship between Agatha and Rio since Episode 4, where Rio referenced ‘the woman she wronged’ as her ‘scar.’ The two characters almost kissed in that episode, building up tension.
The animosity between the ex-couple eventually led Agatha to strike a deal to get Rio to leave her alone forever in return for Billy Maximoff’s soul.
Despite the deal, Agatha ultimately chose to protect Billy by kissing Rio and facing her own death. Some fans believed the kiss itself caused the Witch’s end while others claimed otherwise.
One theory suggested that Rio had ‘Kiss of Death’ that prevented her from kissing Agatha from the very beginning. Viewers believed the scene where Rio came to take Nicky hinted at this.
In the said scene, Rio made Nicky kiss his sleeping mother. Some thought one of the two kisses the boy gave Agatha was from Rio as she couldn’t do it herself.
Earlier episodes revealed that Agatha couldn’t steal Rio’s powers without risking her own life. So, another popular opinion said that the Witch chose to kiss her ex-lover to absorb her powers, ending her life instead of letting Death take her.
Looking back to their near kiss in Episode 4, it’s possible that Agatha actually wanted to die while doing what she wanted to do from the beginning. The way she touched Rio’s cheeks during the final kiss supported this theory.
Whether the ‘Kiss of Death’ is a real MCU concept is still up to debate. Regardless, fans are happy how the kiss scene properly resolved the tension between Agatha and Rio.