Although many fans suspected it since he was first cast, Marvel Studios has now confirmed it — Joe Locke’s “Teen” character in Agatha All Along is indeed Billy Kaplan, a.k.a. Wiccan, the son of the Scarlet Witch. He revealed his true nature in the latter half of the series, with his full origin story explained in episode six. He comes into his full power as Wiccan in episode eight of the series. But just who is Wiccan in the Marvel Comics universe, and how can he possibly be the teenage son of Wanda Maximoff? The answer is a bit complicated, to say the least.
Wiccan’s Young Avengers Marvel Comics Debut
The first thing to know about Wiccan is that his name wasn’t even originally Wiccan. Debuting in 2005’s Young Avengers #1, this new teen hero, created by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung, originally teased the character as related to Thor. Billy Kaplan’s hero name was Asgardian, and the creators led readers to believe he had ties to the God of Thunder. However, Billy had ties to another famous Avenger instead, Wanda Maximoff, a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch, and to a certain extent, the Vision.
Wiccan, the Son of Scarlet Witch and the Vision
The true origins of Wiccan actually go back to ‘80s Marvel Comics. This was when husband and wife Avengers the Scarlet Witch and the android Vision left the team. Wanda and Vision moved to the suburbs and started a family, after Wanda gave birth to twins, William and Thomas. After a few years, they revealed that Billy and Tommy were only magical constructs, a mystical creation of Wanda’s. She subconsciously created both children from lost fragments of the soul of the demon Mephisto. They were never truly “real.” They eventually disappear, with the witch Agatha Harkness wiping Wanda’s memory of their existence. This was all loosely adapted in WandaVision.
Nearly two decades later, the Scarlet Witch nearly decimated the Avengers. This was in the 2004 event Avengers Disassembled, which saw Wanda lose control of her power. In the aftermath, the Vision activates a protocol to recruit new young heroes as the next generation of Avengers. Among those heroes is a teenager named Billy Kaplan, who could wield potent magical powers. At first, his spells allowed him mainly to fly and create lightning. So he emulated Thor in his superhero career, naming himself Asgardian. When he met the other Young Avengers, the gay teen hero met and fell in love with Teddy Altman, a.k.a. Hulkling, a teen Skrull who emulated the Hulk. Billy soon changed his codename to Wiccan.
How Can Teenage Billy Kaplan Possibly be Wanda Maximoff’s Son?
Billy Kaplan believed he was the eldest of three sons born to doctors Jeff and Rebecca Kaplan. And he was, in a manner of speaking. His soul, however, was the transposed soul of Wanda’s child, also named William. Whether he was the actual reincarnation of Wanda’s child, who somehow went back in time and was reborn to another family, or if he was the soul of Wanda’s son who took over the existing body of teenager Billy Kaplan, all remains a mystery. One prevalent theory is that the real William Kaplan died, possibly in an accident. Then the soul of William Maximoff “moved in,” retaining all of the original Billy Kaplan’s memories. This remains just a theory of Wanda’s however.
Wiccan Finds His Twin Brother, Speed
As a member of the Young Avengers, Wiccan’s powers grew rapidly. He had similar reality-altering, chaos magic powers as that of his mother. This fact scared many other heroes in the Marvel Universe. Billy eventually found his soul twin Tommy, now Tommy Shephard, the super-fast hero called Speed. He joined the team as well, and eventually, Billy and Tommy went on a search for the Scarlet Witch. They eventually found her, and she confirmed they were indeed the reincarnated souls of her lost children Billy and Tommy.
Wiccan’s Magical Powers
Wiccan has incredible magical abilities that allow him to warp reality, similar to his “soul mother,” Wanda Maximoff. Wiccan’s spells work by stating intent, focusing on that outcome, and making it happen. If he says “Iwanttolevitatethiscar,” he merely has to repeat that over and over, focus on levitating the car, and it happens. Among the spells Wiccan has cast are tracking spells, teleportation spells, illusions, concussive blasts, telekinesis, and astral projection.
Wiccan Becomes the Demiurge, and Prince Consort of the Kree-Skrull Alliance
Over the years, Wiccan’s powers have grown. The Asgardian Loki believed him to be something called the Demiurge, a reality warper with nearly godlike powers. Loki was correct in his assertions, as Billy eventually evolves into Demiurge status. As the Demiurge, he had the power to view the past, present and future, as even alter the universe at will. He eventually relinquishes the power to remain mortal, believing it would corrupt him. Doctor Strange himself has called Billy Kaplan one of the most powerful sorcerers on Earth, and believes he will eventually assume the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme.
Wiccan has stayed with his boyfriend Teddy through thick and thin. The pair served together on teams like the Young Avengers, Avengers Idea Mechanics, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Eventually, they joined the proper “grown-up” Avengers squad. After many years of courtship, Billy married his longtime boyfriend Teddy Altman/Hulkling, who is the ruler of the Kree/Skrull Alliance. He became Prince Consort, and Court Wizard of the Alliance.
Wiccan in the MCU
How they portray Wiccan in the MCU on Agatha All Along is already very different from his comic book appearances. For the first four episodes, Joe Locke was simply described as “Teen,” an Agatha fanboy, one with a magical sigil preventing him from uttering his true name. However, he finally revealed himself as Billy Maximoff at the end of episode five. So how can this be Billy Kaplan/Billy Maximoff?
Episode six gave us our full Wiccan backstory at last. They introduce us to 13-year-old Eastview resident William Kaplan, in a flashback set three years ago. He’s a relatively normal teenager, who is celebrating his Bar Mitzvah. At his celebration, he meets Lilia, who is working as a fortune teller there. Reading William’s fortune, she realizes he has a broken lifeline, and we learn that she placed the sigil on him to protect him in the future.
Soon after, we see Billy in the car with his family, feeling down as Wanda’s hex in Westview starts to come down. His mom is not paying attention to the road (not the witchy one, a regular one) and they get into a terrible car wreck that kills William. But as his heart stops beating, the soul of Billy Maximoff moves into his body. This lines up with Wanda’s own theories in the comics as to how her twins could be teens. Wanda posits that their souls took over existing bodies, killing their original inhabitants. However, MCU Billy didn’t kill William Kaplan, the accident was happenstance. Not realizing who he actually is, and not having access to William Kaplan’s memories either, Billy Maximoff pretends to be the Kaplans’ child.
Over the next couple of years, as William starts to get older, he begins to research the Hex in Westview. He realizes he’s the soul of Billy Maximoff, living in a new body. However, he still has access to his mind-reading powers, and other magical abilities. He seeks out Agatha Harkness, so that she will take him down the Witches’ Road, so he can find his long-lost missing brother, Tommy. With Agatha’s help, he unlocks his full power and becomes Wiccan at last. His power is so great, we learn he actually created a hex that conjured up the Witches’ Road, which was only a myth before. At the end of Agatha All Along, he and the ghost of Agatha Harkness set out to find his brother Tommy. What shape this new journey will take is still a mystery, but we are eager to see Billy’s MCU story continue on.
Originally published July 8, 2024.
