During her appearance on “The View,” Patti LuPone described her character as “a 450-year-old Sicilian witch whose power is divination and whose trial is tarot.” As for her history in the comics? First and foremost, it is pretty minimal. Lilia Calderu debuted in the pages of “Marvel Premiere” #12 in 1973 and seemingly died in that very same issue … although deaths in comics are pretty often meaningless, particularly when dealing with a magic user.
All told, in the nearly 50 years since Calderu debuted, she has only appeared in a grand total of five individual issues, meaning that there isn’t exactly a lot to draw on (as opposed to Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch, a character who’s appeared in literally thousands of issues). But there are some key things in those handful of issues, with Calderu becoming the keeper of the Book of Cagliostro, which was mentioned in 2016’s “Doctor Strange.” It’s a particularly important book, too, with connections to the Darkhold (itself already part of the MCU).
Calderu also has ties to Baron Mordo, who was played by Chiewetel Ejiofor in “Doctor Strange” and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” Her mother, Lilia Morgu, is Mordo’s half-sister in the comics, although things got a little, shall we say, blurry with their family lineage. Per Comicvine:
Karl Mordo eventually learned of the existence of his half-sister and his niece. He also learned of the Book of Cagliostro and wanted to get his hands on it. So he came seeking his niece, romancing Lilia. She fell for her handsome uncle and in time entrusted him with her secrets. He proceeded to turn on her, attacking her and stealing the book. Mordo assumed Lilia was dead. She survived… but with a “broken heart” and an ongoing pregnancy. According to “Doctor Strange” vol. 3 #87, Lilia gave birth to Astrid Mordo.
