Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been all about laying the groundwork for the future of the superhero franchise. After Avengers: Endgame knocked several key players on the chessboard, it was time to rebuild the roster. According to Kevin Feige, he has been intentionally planting the seeds for the Young Avengers as far back as 2018, so when it was announced that Heartstopper actor Joe Locke would star in Agatha: Coven of Chaos, the belief was that he would round out the list of young superheroes already present in the MCU.
When Julian Hilliard, who played Wanda Maximoff’s (Elizabeth Olsen) son Billy in WandaVision, tipped his hat to Locke following the news of his casting, the consensus among the Marvel fandom was that Locke had indeed been cast to play the adult version of Billy. In the comics, Billy’s superhero persona is Wiccan, who just so happens to be a member of the Young Avengers.
The theory was not far-fetched, especially since virtually every Young Avenger has already been introduced into the MCU, but thanks to a major slip-up by Coven of Chaos actress Patti LuPone, Locke may not be playing the super-powered warlock after all.
According to LuPone, she is playing Lilia Calderu, a 450-year-old Sicilian witch, who, along with Hahn’s Agatha, is in a coven of witches made up of Aubrey Plaza, Sasheer Zamata, and Ali Ahn. Oh, and Joe Locke, whom LuPune identified as a Familiar.
That’s right, according to LuPone, Locke is allegedly not playing Billy/Wiccan but instead is playing some sort of Familiar i.e. a supernatural guardian who protects their charges — or witches — from threats that mean them harm. In the Marvel comics, it just so happens that Agatha does possess a Familiar, a cat-like creature named Ebony.
One will recall that when Agatha was masquerading as Agnes in WandaVision, she was in possession of a rabbit. Some in the Marvel fandom have suspected that the rabbit might actually be Nicholas Scratch, Agatha’s son. Of course, the rabbit could also be Ebony; Marvel is not shy about changing minor (and major) details in the MCU. Either way, Agatha has a Familiar and this recent development in the Locke-department seems to indicate he just might be the very one.
Then again, Locke’s so-called Familiar character could be neither Ebony nor Nicholas Scratch. He could be an entirely different Familiar. Whichever way you spin it, it’s safe to say our hopes of a Young Avengers debuting in Coven of Chaos have officially been dashed. All thanks to a slip-up from LuPone. We don’t know where to direct our disappointment…
Agatha: Coven of Chas does not have an official release date, but if you ask LuPone, it’s reportedly premiering sometime in 2024.
