While the MCU series WandaVision explored the trauma of the Scarlet Witch through the lens of sitcoms, the upcoming follow-up series Agatha All Along descends into the darkest fantasy depths of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and mixes horror with humor.
The scary witch series seems to be as unpredictable as Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) herself. The first trailer shows us another main character named Billy, played by Heartstopper star Joe Locke. And this character should not actually exist. We’re getting to the bottom of the big Marvel mystery.
Agatha All Along brings Wanda’s son Billy back – but how?
The Scarlet Witch is dead and the enchanted Agatha Harkness works as murder investigator Agnes in Westview without any memory. According to the official synopsis, she is able to escape the hex spell thanks to a “mysterious goth teens” and begins his renewed search for power and black magic. And that same teenager has already been identified by Variety as Billy, the magically created son of Wanda Maximoff. How can that be?
Here you can discover Billy in the trailer for Agatha All Along:
Agatha All Along – S01 Teaser Trailer (German) HD
Let’s remember: In WandaVision, Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) created her own reality, which not only resurrected the deceased Vision (Paul Bettany), but also created two sons named Billy and Tommy. In the end, she had to let go of the unreal family happiness and the existence of her hex family was wiped out.
At first glance, Billy’s return may not be noticeable. After all, the previous actor Julian Hilliard (seen in WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) was replaced by Joe Locke. How can he now exist again and be much older than before? That is a mystery that Agatha All Along has to solve over the course of nine episodes. But there is already an answer in the Marvel comics.
Warning, spoilers for the Marvel comics:
Agatha All Along brings one of the biggest Marvel mysteries to the MCU: Who is Billy Kaplan?
The new Billy character in Agatha All Along has the surname Kaplan and not Maximoff. This means that the new MCU series follows in the footsteps of the comic book. We first met the gay wizard in the Young Avengers comics from 2005. Billy Kaplan whose existence is accompanied by a huge twist.
Billy, who takes the name Wiccan as a young superhero, grew up with human parents Jeff and Rebecca Kaplan. In Agatha All Along they are played by Paul Adelstein and Maria Dizzia. Only later does he discover that he is a Rebirth of Wanda Maximoff’s son and has a brother named Tommy Shepherd.
Disney
The “old” and the “new” Billy in comparison
In the comics, it took 16 years for the reincarnations of Wanda’s extinguished children to first appear, leaving Marvel fans scratching their heads as to how exactly the reborn souls can have superpowers comparable to those of their original mutant family. How the MCU will solve this mystery is not yet known.
One possible explanation for Billy’s recasting and his advanced age would be that the souls of the disbanded Hex children after the end of WandaVision into the bodies of already existing teenagers However, it is currently unclear whether we will also see Tommy’s reincarnation in Agatha All Along. However, the official synopsis provides a hint:
As [Billy] she asks to take him on the legendary path of the witches, is [Agathas] Interest aroused in the magical gauntlet in which a witch, if she survives, is rewarded with what she lacks.
So it’s possible that at the end of Agatha All Along, Billy will be rewarded with the missing piece of the puzzle of his existence: a brother he never knew about. Now we can only hope that it won’t be Ralph Boner.
One thing is certain, however: With the introduction of Billy Kaplan, the MCU series is already laying the foundation for a potential Young Avengers project as well as a future return of the Scarlet Witch, who was believed to be dead.
When does the WandaVision spin-off Agtha All Along start on Disney+?
Agatha All Along starts on 19 September 2024 on Disney+ in Germany. There are two episodes to start with. The remaining seven episodes will then be available online on the streaming service every week until November 6, 2024.