We knew that Agatha All Along was stacked with a cast of queer icons, but now we officially have a canonical gay character. Episode 5 has confirmed long-standing fan theories about one character’s true identity, and it just so happens to be one of the most beloved queer superheroes in Marvel comics history.
Spoilers for Agatha All Along Episode 5 below!
Ever since Heartstopper star Joe Locke joined the cast, rumors have surged over his role. In promotional materials and interviews, Marvel has only ever referred to his character cryptically as “Teen,” but the internet has long theorized that he is in fact Wiccan, Scarlet Witch’s son.
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Another possibility was that Locke would play Agatha’s son, Nicholas Scratch. Episode 5 has now revealed which fan theory is true.
Towards the end of the episode, Agatha and Teen lock horns over the outcome of a recent trial. As the argument escalates, Agatha mocks Teen by saying he’s “just like his mother.” Teen soon turns his magic against Agatha and hurls her into a quicksand trap off the road.
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In the aftermath, a crown forms around his head, almost identical to Scarlet Witch’s crown, essentially confirming that he is her son. Cue Billie Eilish’s “You Should See Me in a Crown” to play over the credits.
In the comics, Wiccan (or Billy Kaplan) is a reality-warping chaos magic user who appears most prominently in Young Avengers. While on the Young Avengers team, he meets Hulking, a shapeshifting Skrull-Kree hybrid (who isn’t actually related to the Hulk). Hulking and Wiccan’s groundbreaking relationship was what many queer comic nerds of the mid-2000s might have called ‘their Heartstopper’ (if they knew what Heartstopper was).
Billy was previously depicted in the Marvel series Wandavision (alongside his twin brother Tommy Shepherd, or Speed) as a child. Both children existed only as manifestations of the Scarlet Witch’s magic, and by the end of the series, they ceased to exist as she came to terms with her grief.
It’s unclear how Billy has reappeared as a teenager (not to mention, where his brother is) and whether this is even the same Billy. But that’s just the fun mystery fans have to look forward to. The mystery queer fans are undoubtedly looking forward to is how Joe Locke’s Wiccan will figure into the larger MCU, how Hulking will be introduced into the story, and who will play him.
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