Who is Agatha: Coven of Chaos’ Lilia Calderu?

The witches are gathering around Agatha: Coven of Chaos’ proverbial cauldron. While the details around the Disney+ WandaVision spinoff have so far been scarce, Patti LuPone spilled the beans about the character she’ll be playing during an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “It’s a coven of witches, and I play Lilia Calderu… 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.”

She also shared who the coven consists of, including an interesting tidbit about Joe Locke’s yet unnamed character. “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.” So with that in mind let’s dig into the deep cut Marvel character, Lilia Calderu, and what she could mean for the MCU.

Who is Lilia Calderu and What Are Her Powers?

Like so many characters throughout Marvel history, Lilia was introduced and killed in the same issue, 1973’s Marvel Premiere #12 by Steve Englehart, Mike Friedrich, and Frank Brunner. She’s introduced as a magic wielding traveler who comes across one of the Marvel Universe’s most powerful heroes, Doctor Strange, as he traverses Transylvania. Her powers seem to focus on being able to command others and hypnotize them, which we see her do to Strange. Over the centuries her family have been tasked with protecting the magical tome known as the Book of Cagliostro, which contains immense power and possibility for anyone who claims ownership of it. She quickly joins Strange on a quest to retrieve the book but sadly dies before the end of the issue. RIP to that witch.

How is Lilia Calderu Connected to Doctor Strange?

Let’s dig into the Doctor Strange connection a little more. Lilia doesn’t just have a passing connection to the character even though she was only featured in one true appearance and a few flashbacks. She debuted in Marvel Premiere, the famed Doctor Strange title, and she played a key part in his battle against Baron Mordo. A later issue of Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme would reveal that Lilia had a history with Karl Mordo, as he had seduced her and ultimately stole the Book of Cagliostro from the witch in order to try to kill the Ancient One. It was that same theft which would eventually bring Lilia and Strange together, and saw them attempt to take Castle Mordo and the Book of Cagliostro. While Lilia was murdered by one of Mordo’s gargoyles in Marvel Premiere #12, Strange managed to save the Book of Cagliostro and take it with him, though it was rarely seen again. Eagle-eyed Marvel movie viewers will remember it has appeared in the MCU already in the hands of none other than the Sorcerer Supreme, which brings us to our next question.

What Does Lilia’s Arrival Mean for the MCU and Coven of Chaos?

First and foremost it means that we have a new witch in the MCU alongside Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) and Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen). But on a bigger picture level it means that the connections we saw between witchcraft and sorcery in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness are only going to get stronger from here. The Book of Cagliostro was featured in the original Doctor Strange movie as one of the books in the library at Kamar-Taj. While the mystic halls were supposed to be safe, the film’s villain, Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen), managed to break in and steal some of the book’s secrets in order to harness Dormammu. And, echoing his connection to the book in the comics, later Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) would use the book in his quest to create the fantastic artifact known as the Eye of Agamotto.

Seeing as Lilia’s entire Marvel history is connected to the Book of Cagliostro, we expect to see that represented in the MCU. Perhaps she has teamed with Agatha in order to find the book? Especially as the franchise has already introduced another key Marvel Magic book in the form of the Darkhold, which Agatha was in possession of before Wanda took it in WandaVision. With the Darkhold destroyed by Scarlet Witch at the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it would make sense that the witches would need a new magical text to expand their powers.

Of course, Lilia’s connection to Doctor Strange also means that we might see him in the series, especially if he has history with Lilia and the book she was sworn to protect. Plus in Lilia’s only appearance Clea and Wong find Stephen meditating in the Mexican desert after his battle with Shuma-Gorath and the pair counsel him before his journey to Transylvania. With that in mind it feels like we could likely see the MCU’s Clea (Charlize Theron) turn up, especially as we last saw Stephen heading into the Multiverse with her. And there’s an obvious route for Wong (Benedict Cumberbatch) to pop up too which ties to where we last saw the Book of Cagliostro.

We know that the Book of Cagliostro was in the Kamar-Taj library, of which Wong has a deep and abiding connection too. He’s the Sorcerer Supreme now and if anyone is trying to reclaim the Book of Cagliostro, he’d be the one who would have to prevent it. Perhaps in the past Mordo stole it from Lilia — to place it in the library at Kamar-Taj — and now she wants it back? We’d definitely love to see a Chiwetel Ejiofor versus Patti LuPone showdown (or team up), but we’ll have to wait until the series drops to find out just how Lilia and the Book will impact the MCU.

Rosie Knight is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything from anime to comic books to kaiju to kids movies to horror flicks. She has over half a decade of experience in entertainment journalism with bylines at Nerdist, Den of Geek, Polygon, and more.

Author: Rosie Knight. [Source Link (*), IGN All]

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