Power is a funny concept in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Infinity Saga is, in some part, about the nature of power. The characters in the cast have a wide variety of abilities. At the top, characters like Thor and Captain Marvel come close to gods, especially in comparison to traditional humans like Hawkeye. Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch represent the esoteric side of the franchise’s power scale, which has struggled to stand out in the team-up vehicles. Billy Kaplan, better known as Wiccan, might change that when he joins Agatha All Along.
A lot of people reasonably counted Agatha All Along out as the show sat resolutely on Marvel’s 10-year plan. As WandaVision consistently faded to the back of many fans’ memories, its spin-off series seemed more and more like an afterthought. All those title changes inspired conjecture about the show’s creative inconsistency. The recently released trailer hasn’t completely silenced suggestions of poor quality, but it has inspired a fair amount of interest in its unique appearance.
Who is Billy Kaplan in the comics?
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Full Name |
William “Billy” Kaplan-Altman |
|---|---|
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Codenames |
Wiccan, Asgardian, Demiurge |
|
Creators |
Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung |
|
First Appearance |
Young Avengers #1 |
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First Appearance Date |
April 2005 |
Billy Kaplan has an incredibly straightforward and absurdly complex backstory. Born to Jeff and Rebecca Kaplan, young Billy was a brave and sensitive boy. He suffered attacks from bullies while in school, leading him to idolize superheroes like the Avengers. One day, after sustaining an injury in a schoolyard fight, Billy met the Scarlet Witch. Wanda healed young Billy’s wound and kindly encouraged him to stand up for himself. Billy took her advice to heart and attempted to emulate his idol by defending a fellow student. This moment of strength allowed Billy to suddenly discover his immense magic powers, which nearly killed the young bully in an unexpected blast. Billy works hard to develop his newfound gifts, finding the power to fly and summon lightning. In time, he becomes a recruiting target for the late Vision’s Young Avengers initiative, allowing him to live his dream as a superhero and follow in the footsteps of his idol, Scarlet Witch.
That classic superhero origin story stands to the side of Wiccan’s other background. Billy Kaplan was born to Jeff and Rebecca, but his spirit inhabited the Earth once before. Through completely unknown circumstances, Billy is the living reincarnation of one of Wanda Maximoff’s twin sons, Billy Maximoff. Wanda created her sons, Billy and Tommy, by tapping into a tremendous source of magical power. The demon Mephisto stole her children from her, proclaiming them an extension of his energy and reabsorbing them into his ethereal presence. Wanda mourned, remembering the loss of her children even after Agatha Harkness enchanted her to forget. Years later, through unclear means, Billy and Tommy are reborn in new bodies. They remained identical twins, despite being born to different parents. Tommy grew up to be the hero Speed, joining his brother in the Young Avengers. Billy and Tommy would later learn their strange history and accept the absence of their supposed creator, deciding to remain happy with the lives they’ve made for themselves.
Tommy inherited his uncle Pietro’s superspeed, but Billy is his mother’s son. He can cast spells, warp reality, and do almost anything by chanting his intentions. On a long enough timeline, Billy is destined to become the Demiurge, an all-powerful god with no notable limitations. Without question, Billy Kaplan is one of the most capable and dangerous characters in the Marvel Comics universe. He is, however, not that interested in becoming a god. Billy joined teams like the Young Avengers, Strikeforce, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. He’s also well known for his half of one of the most wholesome superhero relationships in the franchise. Billy started flirting with Teddy Altman, the Skrull/Kree shapeshifter known as Hulkling, early in his Young Avengers career. The pair are now married, sharing the surname Kaplan-Altman. Billy is a fun character who will make a great addition to the MCU, but he is, in some way, already there.
Has Billy Kaplan been in the MCU?
WandaVision added the magical twins storyline to the MCU. Wanda generates two fictional children to make her perfect dream family with Vision. Young Billy even dresses as Wiccan for the Halloween episode. Like the comic book version of Billy Maximoff, Wanda’s son is not a real child. She created him by mistake with her chaos magic. She unmakes him when she releases the hex on Westview, sending whatever spirit created the boys into the aether once again. Wanda finds another universe’s version of Billy, who may have been born naturally. That Billy returns to his home. Wanda also discovers statues of Billy Kaplan in his Wiccan garb at the top of Mount Wundagore. The Wiccan that will appear in Agatha All Along might be the reincarnation of Billy Maximoff, but he could just as easily be a representative from another universe or an unrelated figure. If there’s any show that will tease Scarlet Witch’s return, it’ll be Agatha All Along, but fans will have to wait and see.
Who will play Billy Kaplan in Agatha All Along?
Joe Locke will play Billy Kaplan in Agatha All Along. Locke is an up-and-coming new star from the Isle of Man. He is best known for his starring role in Netflix’s adaptation of Alice Oseman’s beloved Heartstopper graphic novel series. Locke is openly gay, and he’s spoken publicly about his experiences and how they relate to his role in Heartstopper. As a young talent, Locke certainly has a fascinating career ahead of him. His only projects between the 2022 release of his debut series and his upcoming Marvel appearance were an episode of The Great Celebrity Bake Off For Stand Up to Cancer and the role of Tobias Ragg in a Broadway performance of Sweeney Todd. Agatha All Along will likely see his star grow considerably.
Billy Kaplan is the kind of character that makes a brilliant addition to a team. Marvel is slowly building its Young Avengers team, though they’re doing so in a strange order. Kate Bishop and Ms. Marvel are the only confirmed members to date, but a ton of other players are on the board. Billy Kaplan could become one of the most powerful figures in the franchise, but he could also just be content as another fun player on a growing team.
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