Who Are the Salem Seven in Marvel Comics?

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Episode 1 and 2 of Agatha All Along and spoilers for the Salem’s Seven in Marvel Comics.

Agatha All Along might only be two episodes into its run, but it’s quickly reminding viewers that a lot of people want to put Kathryn Hahn‘s titular witch in the ground. Chief among them is Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza), a mysterious witch who attempts to kill Agatha once she learns the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) stripped her of her powers. Agatha holds Vidal off by saying she’ll walk the Witches’ Road and regain her powers for a fair fight; before she departs, Vidal warns Agatha that the Salem Seven are coming for her. Better known as the Salem’s Seven in the Marvel Comics, the septet are a deadly group with a foothold in Marvel’s world of magic and monsters, but they also have a connection to one of Agatha’s relatives.

Who Are the Salem’s Seven in Marvel Comics?

The Salem’s Seven are the children of Nicholas Scratch, who himself is the son of Agatha Harkness. Due to Scratch’s magical lineage and the Seven being born of seven different mothers, they can transform into different forms, each with its own magical abilities. Brutacus is super strong, Gazelle can move at super speeds, Hydron has control over water itself, Thornn grows spikes from his body with different effects, Vakume controls the air, and Reptillia, true to her name, is a serpentine woman. The only “normal” member of the Seven is Vertigo; she possesses no special tranformation but can alter one’s sense of balance.

Salem’s Seven Fought the Fantastic Four and the Scarlet Witch

Salem’s Seven first appeared in Fantastic Four #186 by Len Wein and George Perez, when Scratch ordered the Seven to kidnap Agatha and bring her to her home of New Salem to stand trial for supposedly betraying the magical community, but they also captured Franklin Richards — Sue Storm and Reed Richards’ child who Agatha was serving as a nanny to. The Four traveled to New Salem to save Agatha and Franklin, especially when they learned that Scratch wanted to use Frankin as a vessel for his spirit. Eventually, Scratch was banished, but the Seven would take control of New Salem and burn Agatha at the stake.

The Seven would play a pivotal role in the Vision and the Scarlet Witch maxiseries by Steve Englehart and Richard Howell; the titular couple traveled to New Salem but wound up fighting the Seven. Later, the Scarlet Witch attempts to communicate with Agatha’s spirit until the Seven drag her down into the land of the dead. Following the House of M, the Seven were resurrected and continue to act as foes to the Fantastic Four. They’d eventually turn against Scratch when he attempted to use their souls as a bartering chip for the cosmic horror known as Shuma-Gorath, and helped the Four banish him to Hell.

The Salem Seven Are Far Creepier in ‘Agatha All Along’ Than Their Comics Counterparts

The Salem Seven finally show up in Agatha All Along’s second episode, “Circle Sewn with Fate / Unlock Thy Hidden Gate“. They look far creepier than their comic incarnations, mainly due to the fact that they can contort their bodies into horrific positions, and they’re covered lin long flowing black robes. If that wasn’t bad enough, their presence is announced by various animals including a crow, a rat and a coyote — serving as an omen of the misfortune that’s headed Agatha’s way. In fact, the six members of the Seven are credited by these animal names (Coyote, Crow, Fox, Owl, Rat, Snake) rather than proper names in the episode, with the outlier being Vertigo. That’s not even getting into the fact that at least one of them has rotting skin, suggesting that the Seven crawled their way out of the Land of the Dead like in the comics. Agatha and her newfound coven of witches, including the mysterious Teen (Joe Locke), open the path to the Witches’ Road and narrowly escape the Seven…for now.

The Seven are fitting antagonists for Agatha All Along, especially given their comic history. In the first episode, “Seekest Thou the Road“, there was a brief hint that Nicholas Scratch is out there — if his relationship with Agatha is as turbulent in the MCU as it is in the comics, then he could have easily sent the Seven to kill his mother. The Vision and Scarlet Witch miniseries was also a major influence on WandaVision, and that series’ effects set the groundwork for Agatha All Along, so it only makes sense that showrunner Jac Schaffer would continue to mine it for potential story material. With seven episodes left in Agatha All Along, there’s plenty of time for the Seven to reappear and show just how much of a threat they are.

The first two episodes of Agatha All Along are available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S. New episodes air Wednesdays at 6 pm.

Watch on Disney+