Skip to main content
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Marvel Rivals Elsa Bloodstone aiming glowing double-barrel shotgun
Third Person Shooters All potential upcoming Marvel Rivals characters based on leaks, datamines, and in-game hints
Galadriel in The Rings of Power season 2
Lord of the Rings TV Shows The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 release date speculation, cast, plot, and more news
Omni-Man putting his hand on Invincible's shoulder in Invincible season 4 trailer
TV The best new TV shows to watch in 2026
X-Men 97 season 2: a screenshot of all the mutants in the new Disney Plus series.
Marvel TV Shows X-Men '97 season 2 release date, plot, cast, and everything else you need to know about the animated Marvel series
Ahsoka in episode 5
Star Wars TV Shows Ahsoka season 2 release date speculation, cast, story, and everything else you need to know about the Star Wars show
Dispatch screenshots
Adventure Games Dispatch season 2 isn't even confirmed, but I'm wondering how it could handle the battle of the best girl
Chris Evans as Cap in the first Avengers: Doomsday trailer
Marvel Movies Avengers: Doomsday release date, cast, plot, trailer, and more news
Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams
Fantasy Shows Wednesday season 3 release date speculation, cast, plot, and more news
Lucy, the Ghoul, CX404, and Maximus walking toward New Vegas in Fallout season 2
Sci-Fi Shows Fallout season 2 release date, cast, reviews, and everything we else we know
Spider-Noir aiming his webshooter
Marvel TV Shows Spider-Noir release date speculation, cast, trailer, and everything else we know about the live-action Spider-Man show
Oona Chaplin as Varang in Avatar: Fire and Ash
Sci-Fi Movies Avatar: Fire and Ash ending explained: who dies, what happens to Varang and Quaritch, and if it sets another Avatar film
Scarlet Hollow
Horror Games Scarlet Hollow's fifth chapter is full of terrifying revelations, but I'm too busy chasing a hot mom to notice
Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things season 5 volume 2
Sci-Fi Shows Stranger Things season 5 reviews, cast, plot, and everything else you need to know about the final season of the Netflix show
Gabriel Basso as Peter Sutherland in The Night Agent season 3
Thriller Shows The Night Agent season 3: everything you need to know about the hit Netflix show's latest season
Spider-Noir perching in a church
Marvel TV Shows All the Spider-Man characters we know about in Spider-Noir
  1. Entertainment
  2. TV
  3. Action Shows
  4. Marvel TV Shows
  5. Agatha All Along

New Marvel fan theory could explain what happened to Nicholas Scratch in Agatha All Along – and Rio's true identity, too

News
By Amy West published 3 October 2024

Why does Agatha hate Rio in Agatha All Along? MCU fans think they've worked it out

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness in Marvel's Agatha All Along
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

There's plenty to wonder about in mystery-filled Marvel series Agatha All Along. Who is Teen? What really awaits the coven at the end of the Witches' Road? What happened to Agatha's son Nicholas Scratch? Well, Marvel fans think they've worked out the latter, with a new theory that could also explain the tension between Kathryn Hahn's Agatha and Aubrey Plaza's Rio Vidal...

In episode 4, which we'll delve into here, so be warned, there's going to be major spoilers from this point onwards.

Agatha and co find themselves facing yet another trial on the Road. This time, Teen accidentally curses them when he plays a recording of Lorna Wu's 'The Ballad of the Witches' Road' backwards, leading them to have to perform the song live to lift it. During the challenge, Teen (Joe Locke) gets wounded, and Agatha's obvious devastation combined with certain other comments, suggest she's starting to believe he could be her estranged boy.

You may like
  • Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise in the It: Welcome to Derry finale It: Welcome to Derry fan has theory on that season 1 finale reveal, but others say they have "so many extra questions"
  • Matilda Lawler, Clara Stack, Blake Cameron James, and Amanda Christine as Marge, Lilly, Will, and Ronnie in the It: Welcome to Derry finale IT: Welcome to Derry episode 8 ends with a clever twist that sets up season 2 and fixes my biggest prequel frustration
  • Will Byers and Vecna in Stranger Things season 5 Where is the Mind Flayer? What is Vecna really planning with the Abyss, and 6 other questions I need answered in the Stranger Things season 5 finale

Towards the end of 'If I Can't Reach You, Let My Song Teach You', though, Rio tells Agatha, "That boy isn't yours", while Teen asks her outright what happened to Nick. Now, there's always a chance that Rio could be lying and that Teen doesn't know he's Nick, but there's also a chance that he really isn't him.

Shortly after the episode landed on Disney Plus, one viewer took to Reddit to claim the animosity between Agatha and Rio could be linked to Nicholas' fate. "My theory is Agatha and Rio loved each other but Agatha made a deal with Mephisto for the Darkhold," ITandFitnessJunkie wrote. "Agatha knew there would be a price but didn't know what it was. Mephisto sent Rio to collect on the price, which was her son, Nicholas Scratch."

Other fans echoed the thoughts on Twitter, too, with one tweeting: "Agatha's reaction to Teen "dying" is insane. I feel like Rio took Nicholas's life and that's why she said "don't" looking at Rio because he reminds her of her son."

"We all agree that Rio was doing her job and sacrificed Nicholas Scratch but that also resulted in her gaining the Darkhold, only for Agatha to steal and use its magic to hide from her, right?" wrote another.

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

are they hinting that rio sacrificed agatha’s son nicholas scratch for the darkhold because if they are….. #AgathaAllAlong #AgathaAllAlongBash pic.twitter.com/JZP6iNBob5October 3, 2024

Rio (Death) definitely took Nicholas Scratch (that was her job) that is why Agatha tells her 'No' so she doesn't take Teen (again) 🙁😭 #AgathaAllAlong pic.twitter.com/ktsLrHbzaZOctober 3, 2024

i don’t understand why people are interpreting rio’s part in nicholas’ death as malicious instead of it being something she regrets deeply but still had to do out of duty/circumstancesOctober 3, 2024

A few theories as to Rio's identity have been floating around on the internet since before the show even premiered, which is no surprise given that she's an original creation for the series. Many think she could be working for Mephisto, or the devilish supervillain himself, while others are convinced she's Death. 

Her being Death checks out with the above, especially when you consider a few of her scenes in episode 4. At one point, Agatha quizzes her on why she's joined them on the Road, to which she replies: "I get the pleasure of watching what you do best: kill all the witches around you. You get your power, and I get my bodies."

"Magick, as it does, took the path of least resistance. Ferried the closest, most appropriate candidate down, or up..." she also tells Agatha, as she explains why she appeared when the coven summoned a replacement green witch. Up? As in, she resides in the underworld? Perhaps...

Right at the end of the episode, Agatha and the rest of the coven swap stories about their battle scars. Rio's, it turns out, is more of an emotional one as she tells the group: "A long time ago, I loved someone, and I had to do something that I did not want to do, even though it was my job. And it hurt them." Okay, well, now we're convinced...

Agatha All Along episodes 1 to 4 are streaming now. Ensure you don't miss a thing with our Agatha All Along release schedule. For more on the wider MCU, check out our guide to all of the upcoming Marvel movies and shows or get up to speed with our breakdown of the Marvel timeline.

CATEGORIES
Disney Plus Streaming Services
Amy West
Amy West
Social Links Navigation
Entertainment Writer

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.

Read more
Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise in the It: Welcome to Derry finale
It: Welcome to Derry fan has theory on that season 1 finale reveal, but others say they have "so many extra questions"
 
 
Matilda Lawler, Clara Stack, Blake Cameron James, and Amanda Christine as Marge, Lilly, Will, and Ronnie in the It: Welcome to Derry finale
IT: Welcome to Derry episode 8 ends with a clever twist that sets up season 2 and fixes my biggest prequel frustration
 
 
Will Byers and Vecna in Stranger Things season 5
Where is the Mind Flayer? What is Vecna really planning with the Abyss, and 6 other questions I need answered in the Stranger Things season 5 finale
 
 
Chris Evans as Cap in the first Avengers: Doomsday trailer
Avengers: Doomsday directors may have revealed too much after deleting a video showcasing the biggest fan theories
 
 
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams in Wonder Man.
Wonder Man ending explained: Simon's fate and how does it affect the wider MCU?
 
 
It: Welcome to Derry
It: Welcome to Derry showrunner breaks down episode 8 of the highly rated Stephen King spin-off
 
 
Latest in Marvel TV Shows
Spider-Noir aiming his webshooter
Spider-Noir is the "same character, different version": "It's not a continuation of Into The Spider-Verse"
 
 
Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again season 2
New Daredevil: Born Again season 2 TV spot is packed full of new footage, including another look at villain Bullseye
 
 
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams wearing a red suit and sunglasses in Wonder Man
Wonder Man episode 1 is now free on YouTube, so you can see what all the fuss is about
 
 
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams wearing a red suit and sunglasses in Wonder Man
Marvel supported Wonder Man despite bad test screenings, but it "almost didn’t survive" the big MCU strategy shift
 
 
Hawkeye
Wonder Man showrunner reveals Hawkeye went through massive changes weeks before filming
 
 
Matthew Lillard + Charlie Cox
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 star Matthew Lillard reveals more details about his mystery character going up against Kingpin: "He is not impressed”
 
 
Latest in News
Elsa Bloodshot in Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals devs felt "panic" at the thought of going into the live-service graveyard that just claimed Highguard
 
 
Palworld Pal with shocked expression
"I wouldn't rule out a Palworld 2.0," says Pocketpair publishing head, but don't expect a "No Man's Sky situation"
 
 
Dafne Keen brandishing her claws as Laura/X-23 in Deadpool and Wolverine
Marvel fans are debating whether Dafne Keen should become Wolverine or stay as X-23, and I've already chosen a side
 
 
Peak mesa biome
Peak came about after a bet between Content Warning and Another Crab's Treasure leads to see whose game would sell more
 
 
Key art for Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred showing Mephisto, a spiky and angular demon, against a red, lightning backdrop, arm and claw raised menancingly, cropped to show more of him
Diablo 4's Lord of Hatred expansion will be "really f*cking hard" at its highest difficulty, dev threatens
 
 
Jin, Mugen, and Fuu standing in a row
Samurai Champloo is getting a live-action Netflix series from One Piece studio, and the original creator is on board
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Elsa Bloodshot in Marvel Rivals
    1
    Marvel Rivals devs felt "panic" at the thought of going into the live-service graveyard that just claimed Highguard
  2. 2
    Diablo 4's Lord of Hatred expansion will be "really f*cking hard" at its highest difficulty, dev threatens
  3. 3
    Marvel fans are debating whether Dafne Keen should become Wolverine or stay as X-23, and I've already chosen a side
  4. 4
    "I wouldn't rule out a Palworld 2.0," says Pocketpair publishing head, but don't expect a "No Man's Sky situation"
  5. 5
    Peak came about after a bet between Content Warning and Another Crab's Treasure leads to see whose game would sell more

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...