Who Are The Salem Seven? Agatha All Along Villains" Marvel Comics History & Powers Explained

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Marvel Studios’ Agatha All Along introduces a new team of MCU supervillains called the Salem Seven — a powerful team of magic users with a history tied to Scarlet Witch and the Fantastic Four. Phase 5"s Disney+ show Agatha All Along revisits WandaVision’s main villain as Agatha Harkness breaks out of Wanda Maximoff’s spell from WandaVision’s epic finale, ending her fictional “Agnes” role. The Disney+ series presents an original storyline that introduces an original coven of witches and an adventure starring Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness and Joe Locke’s unnamed teen character, who seems to be Wanda Maximoff"s reincarnated son Billy.
However, Agatha All Along is also taking some inspiration from the comics. Seven hooded figures appear in some of Agatha All Along’s promotional footage. This group of dark sorcerers seemingly threaten to take down Agatha and her coven, though their real appearance isn’t revealed in the trailers. This group is likely to be the Salem Seven - some of Agatha Harkness’ most important enemies in the source material, as they’re closely connected to her powerful son and her death at the stake. The Salem Seven, of course, will go through some changes to debut in their first live-action MCU appearance.
Salem Seven Team Members & Marvel Comics History Explained The Origininal Salem's Seven Are Agatha Harkness' Magical Grandchildren

In Marvel Comics, Salem’s Seven are Nicholas Scratch’s seven magic-wielding children, who can transform into powerful creatures with special abilities. The Seven inherit their power from Scratch, who in turn owes his magical power to his mother, Agatha Harkness. When Agatha begins to take care of Reed Richards and Sue Storm’s son Franklin, Nicholas Scratch orders the Salem Seven to take Agatha back to New Salem for a trial, as well as to use Franklin as a new body for Scratch’s soul. However, the plan backfires, and Agatha is able to remove the Salem Seven’s abilities and banish Nicholas Scratch.
Agatha Harkness" pet rabbit Señor Scratchy was heavily theorized to be Nicholas Scratch in WandaVision. A deleted scene was supposed to reveal that Señor Scratchy was a demonic entity, but it wasn"t Agatha"s son Nicholas.
The Salem Seven manage to reverse Agatha Harkness’ spell and regain their abilities, severely weakening her. The Seven take this as an opportunity to abduct Agatha and burn her at the stake. Agatha’s spirit then guides Scarlet Witch and Vision to New Salem, where they fight six of the Salem Seven with the help of one of their own, Gazelle. Scarlet Witch blows up New Salem and kills the Salem’s Seven, and when their spirits try to take revenge on her, Wanda, Vision, and Agatha’s astral form defeat them by trapping the demonic entity Samhain inside them, which frees Agatha.
Salem Seven Powers Explained Marvel Comics Has Two Salem Seven Teams With A Variety Of Extravagant Powers Close In the comics, Salem’s Seven are composed by Thornn, Gazelle, Vakume, Vertigo, Brutacus, Hydron, and Reptilla. Thornn is the most villainous member of the team, and he’s able to transform into a yellow demon-like creature covered with detachable red horns. Gazelle is the least evil and transforms into a deer-like humanoid with super speed, strength, and agility. Vakume can fly, absorb energy, and manipulate the wind, Vertigo can induce nausea in her enemies, Brutacus can transform into a super-strong red demon, Hydron can transform into a water-shooting merman, and Reptilla can transform into a snake with smaller snakes for hands.
Earth-616 Salem"s Seven Member
Main Power
Thornn
Red horn-like projectiles
Gazelle
Super speed
Vakume
Wind manipulation
Vertigo
Nausea induction
Brutacus
Super strength
Hydron
Water cannon
Reptilla
Snake hands
In Marvel Comics’ Earth-1610, a.k.a. the original Ultimate Marvel universe, the Salem Seven are a very different team. Earth-1610’s Salem Seven are a split personification of the mythical Hydra who takes the form of Agatha Harkness. In Marvel"s Ultimate universe, the Salem Seven are composed of Alpha Dog, Filament, Synchron, Neuropath, Primal Screamer, Penultimate, and GhostWare. Alpha Dog has super strength, Filament can shoot energy, Synchron has super speed, Neuropath can manipulate emotions similarly to the MCU"s Mantis, Primal Screamer shoots powerful screams, Penultimate is a shape-shifting robot who can create weapons, and GhostWare can phase through objects like Vision.
Salem Seven's Role In Agatha All Along Explained The MCU Introduces Its Answer To The Ringwraiths

When Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza) reunites with Agatha in Westview as Scarlet Witch"s distorted spell ends, she reveals her own desire to kill her, suggesting unfinished business. Unable to kill a fellow witch thanks to a witches code that seems to be new to the MCU, Vidal tells Agatha that the Salem Seven are coming, and that Agatha"s time is running out.
Their arrival is heralded by the ominous appearance of animals in Westview: first a crow, then a rat, and finally a coyote, all of which Agatha appears to recognize. Finally, the Salem Seven"s actual appearance is confirmed as Agatha All Along episode 2 builds to its conclusion, when seven black-robed figures appear outside Agatha"s home.
Agatha initially decides to flee Westview, but is convinced by Joe Locke"s Teen to head to the Witches" Road instead to regain her powers to avoid being an easy target for the Salem Seven. The newly-formed coven enact the required ritual (of singing The Ballad of the Witches Road) to open a door to the Road, just as the Salem Seven arrive. The vengeful villains attack the house, almost killing Teen, but Agatha and the coven escape to the Witches Road just as they begin to break through the door.
Salem Seven Comics Changes Explained The MCU's Salem Seven Can Transform Into Animals In Agatha All Along

The MCU"s Salem Seven are quite different from both Marvel Comics teams. Instead of colorful, musclebound villains who can transform into demonic creatures, Agatha All Along"s cast introduces a Salem Seven team that makes its MCU debut as a group of hooded sorceresses who can transform into actual animals: Okwui Okpokwasili"s character can transform into a cicada, Marina Mazepa"s into a snake, Bethany Curry"s into a crow, Athena Perample"s into a fox, Britta Grant"s into a rat, Alicia Vela-Bailey"s into an owl, and Chau Naumova"s into a coyote.
MCU Salem"s Seven Actor
Animal Form
Okwui Okpokwasili
Cicada
Marina Mazepa
Snake
Bethany Curry
Crow
Athena Perample
Fox
Britta Grant
Rat
Aicia Vela-Bailey
Owl
Chau Naumova
Coyote
Interestingly, all members of the Salem Seven are titled in Agatha All Along"s credits as their animal forms apart from one - Vertigo (Okwui Okpokwasili) - who, in the comics, has the power to mess with eliquibrium, making victims sick to the point of debilitation. Whether we"ll see that in the MCU specifically remains to be seen.
The Seven are formidably powerful, beyond their transfiguration powers, to the degree that Agatha and her Coven all fear them. Even Rio Vidal warns Agatha of their impending arrival with a tone that suggests she recognizes their power. Rather than the individual powers shown in the comics, though, they appear to possess more conventional - and less creative - magic. They attack Agatha"s house with magical blasts and are more like the Lord Of The Rings" Nazgul than other magic-wielders in the MCU.
Who they answer to is unclear, but it presumably cannot be Nicholas Scratch, who is not the evil magical force he is in the comics in this universe. Mephisto is always an option, but Agatha"s crime presumably being linked to her theft of the Darkhold suggests the Salem Seven could be followers of Chthon. Their mission in Agatha All Along being one of vengeance certainly fits, and their name suggests that Marvel Comics" magical community of New Salem may well exist in the MCU.

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Showrunner Jac Schaeffer Writers Jac Schaeffer Cast Kathryn Hahn , Patti LuPone , Miles Gutierrez-Riley , Aubrey Plaza , Emma Caulfield , Debra Jo Rupp , Joe Locke , Maria Dizzia Release Date September 18, 2024 Streaming Service(s) Disney Plus Number of Episodes 9 Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe Expand Upcoming MCU Movies