Agatha All Along: What’s the Deal With the Salem Seven (And Are They in the Comics?)

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Agatha All Along Episode 1, “Seekest Thou the Road” and Episode 2, “Circle Sewn with Fate / Unlock Thy Hidden Gate.”

Agatha All Along introduces a scary – and mysterious – new menace to the MCU: the Salem Seven. So, what’s the deal with the Salem Seven in Agatha All Along, and are they in the show’s Marvel source material?

Who Are the Salem Seven in Agatha All Along?

The Salem Seven are a group of very powerful (and very creepy) witches who are out to get Agatha Harkness. The specifics of their beef with Agatha will presumably come to light in Agatha All Along‘s six remaining installments. For now, all that matters is that the Seven are hellbent on taking out Agatha before she regains her magical powers – and they’ve come close already. In Episode 2, they arrive just as Harkness and her coven complete the Witches’ Road ritual, and chaos ensues. Agatha’s coven ultimately escapes, but not before the Salem Seven provide a chilling display of their supernatural abilities, including freaky sideways gliding and unnaturally contorted limbs.

Related: Is Demonic Marvel Supervillain Blackheart Secretly in Agatha All Along?

Agatha All Along‘s two-episode premiere also hints at the Salem Seven’s other, less overtly spooky gifts. A series of animals – a crow, a rat, and a coyote – spy on Agatha at different points in Episode 2, which suggests that the Salem Seven can either control these creatures or physically transform into them. The latter tracks with comic book canon, where the group are shapeshifters who assume animal-like forms. It would also line-up with the Seven’s individual names in MCU continuity (per Agatha All Along‘s credits). Apart from their apparent leader, Vertigo, each of Seven – Snake, Crow, Fox, Rat, Owl, and Coyote – is named after a different beast.

Are the Salem Seven Also in the Comics?

Yep, as mentioned above, the Salem Seven originated in Marvel’s comics canon. Here, they’re known as the “Salem’s Seven,” and they’re decidedly less unnerving than their MCU counterparts. This version of the Seven aren’t even witches in the conventional sense (there are men within their ranks), and their shapeshifting and associated powers – while magical in nature – function more like mutations.

Related: Is Agatha All Along a Prequel? Where the Disney+ Series Fits on the MCU Timeline

But one thing is true about both the comic book and live-action incarnations of the Salem Seven: they have a history with Agatha. Indeed, in the comics, the Seven are Agatha’s grandchildren! Her son, the warlock Nicholas Scratch, fathered the group with seven different women (no judgment, Nick). Whether this familial connection will carry across to the MCU remains unclear, however, Agatha All Along has already teased Nicholas Scratch’s introduction.

Agatha All Along is currently streaming on Disney+, with new episodes dropping Wednesdays.