The first teaser for Agatha All Along has arrived, renewing interest in which Marvel character Joe Locke is portraying.
The Heartstopper star is part of a star-studded cast—including Kathryn Hahn, Sasheer Zamata, Aubrey Plaza, and Debra Jo Rupp—for Agatha All Along, a spinoff of WandaVision that focuses on Hahn’s Agatha Harkness. While the original series left Agatha trapped in her Agnes persona (long story), the teaser for her solo series confirms she manages to break free from Wanda Maximoff’s (Elizabeth Olsen) spell. Free from the Scarlett Witch, Agatha sets out on her own journey to create a coven of witches, although her and her fellow witches’ motives remain unclear.
There has been much interest in Locke’s character since he signed on to the series. He has shown great versatility as an actor through his role in the hit Netflix series Heartstopper and his recent Broadway debut in Sweeney Todd. Based on Agatha All Along’s trailer, it appears he’ll have a fairly major role in the series, taking on a sort of right-hand man position for Agatha.
Who does Joe Locke play in Agatha All Along?
Despite the fact that Agatha All Along has an official trailer and release date, Marvel has still not officially confirmed Locke’s character. In fact, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been unusually tight-lipped about his role. While characters like Plaza’s Rio Vidal and Zamata’s Jennifer Kale have been unveiled, the show has remained reluctant to confirm Locke’s character. In the trailer, he is never referred to by name. On top of that, the official synopsis simply labels him as a “goth teen.”
While Locke’s character isn’t officially confirmed, fans have been convinced for months that he is portraying Wanda’s son, Billy Kaplan (a.k.a. Wiccan). Viewers will recall that a young Billy (Julian Hillard) appeared in WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, although it was later revealed that Wanda brought him into being through magic. However, in the comics, her boys were later reincarnated and raised by new families. Billy was born into a Jewish family and developed very powerful magical abilities. It is suspected his powers come from his mutant gene, though the comics have never explicitly confirmed his mutant status.
Many fans expect the MCU to follow the comic plotline and introduce the reincarnated versions of Billy and Tommy. Given that Locke’s character is a teen boy with magical powers appearing in a WandaVision spinoff, it’s not surprising many assume he’s portraying Billy. On top of that, Locke’s stunt double revealed on his public resume that Locke was portraying Billy, although he later removed the character’s name. Marvel insiders have also long claimed Locke’s character is Billy.
Most recently, according to Reddit, a Variety article about the new trailer originally listed Locke as Wiccan/Billy before the name was edited out. It could have been an honest mistake that got taken out after fact-checking, but since the news outlet is reputable and often boasts exclusive knowledge of Marvel projects, some are taking it as the official confirmation of Locke’s characters. Another popular theory, though, is that Locke is actually playing Agatha’s son, Nicholas Scratch. While many fans are almost positive he is playing Wiccan, we’ll have to wait for Marvel’s confirmation to know for sure.
