The great mystery of Joe Locke’s character in Agatha: Coven of Chaos has been living rent-free in our heads since the very first day his casting was announced.
Of all the actors to join the Disney Plus show — and there have been many — Locke’s remains the greatest mystery for no other reason than its apparent obviousness was called into question after his co-star Patti LuPone accidentally spilled some beans in an interview on The View (more on that in a second).
From the moment his name was uttered, fans were (and still are) convinced that Locke is playing the son of Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), Billy Kaplan aka Wiccan. The superpowered character made his MCU debut in WandaVision as a young boy, played by Julian Hilliard. Billy hadn’t adopted his superhero moniker yet and was still a wee lad when the show concluded, but given the peculiarities of his birth and the speed with which he grew from infant to adolescent in WandaVision, it’s not unfounded to assume he’d be a teenager in the current MCU timeline.
All that to say, yes, it is completely possible that Locke could play Wiccan in Agatha: Coven of Chaos. Whether he actually is playing the magical warlock is another matter entirely, especially since LuPone’s comments threw a major wrench in the plan.
Why we think Joe Locke is playing Wiccan in Coven of Chaos
Aside from the fact that Locke looks exactly like Wiccan from the Marvel comics — tall, lanky, wavy hair — there have been a number of developments along the way that lead us to believe he’s playing Wanda’s magical son.
For starters: the Young Avengers. In case you weren’t aware, Marvel has been sowing the seeds of the Young Avengers in the MCU for years. (Don’t believe us? Just ask Kevin Feige). Billy Kaplan aka Wiccan is a member of the Young Avengers in the comics, as are countless young superheroes who have already made their MCU debut: Tommy (Billy’s twin brother) aka Speed from WandaVision, Kate Bishop from Hawkeye, America Chavez from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Cassie Lang from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Ironheart from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Eli Bradley aka Patriot from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Kid Loki from Loki season one.
Aside from the fact that Billy is a member of the Young Avengers and has ties to WandaVision of which Coven of Chaos is a spin-off, there’s literally no better place for a young warlock such as Wiccan to make his adult debut than a show about a coven of witches. Literally none. Moving on…
The other reason why we believe Locke is playing Wiccan in Coven of Chaos is because the actor who played Billy in WandaVision, Julian Hilliard, quite literally tipped his hat to Locke after Locke’s casting was announced in 2022. Alongside a gif of Agatha’s character from WandaVision winking, Hilliard wrote, “Anything new today?” It doesn’t get any less subtle than that.
The next bit of reasoning comes from Locke himself, who’s openly said he’s dreamed of becoming the first queer Disney prince or Marvel superhero. In speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Locke explained that he was “determined” to get the part at Marvel and “had never been that determined about anything before.” Do you mean to tell me that someone who’s dreamed of becoming the first queer Disney prince or Marvel superhero was going to settle for just any old role? No, he was going to fight to get the queer role of his dreams. And, in case you didn’t know, Wiccan does happen to be gay, which leads us to our next point.
You can’t have Wiccan without Hulkling aka Teddy Kaplan-Altman. Notice the hyphen? The two male superheroes, who start out as teens in the Young Avengers, eventually marry one another in the Marvel comics. Recent rumors suggested Miles Gutierrez-Riley might appear as Hulkling in Coven of Chaos but that was quickly shot down. Nevertheless, it’s still highly believed Billy will have a boyfriend in the show, and since no other actor on the call sheet fits the bill for Billy/Wiccan quite like Locke, the belief remains that he’s the one who will bring the warlock to life.
Why Joe Locke might not be playing Wiccan after all
As promised, it’s time to address that infamous interview Patti LuPone gave on The View that has since become the crux in the argument against Locke as Wiccan in Coven of Chaos. Darn you, Patti LuPone.
On the fateful day of April 18, 2023, LuPone rolled up her sleeves, cleared her throat, and let it rip while talking to the ladies of the set of The View. From revealing her character name (Lilia Calderu) to Aubry Plaza’s identity as a witch, LuPone also shared that one Joe Locke will play a pivotal member of her character’s coven. Not as a witch, but as a Familiar.
“So, we are a coven of witches and the witches are: Kathryn Hahn, Aubrey Plaza, and the Familiar — if anybody knows Heartstopper — is Joe Locke.”
A Familiar, for those who need a Wicca refresher, is a magical being who acts as guardian to their charges — or witches — and protects them from any potential threats. LuPone’s comments remain the only official word that’s been said about Locke’s character, and indeed, it casts a dark shadow on the prospect of him playing Wiccan.
Now, if you ask me, even if Locke plays a Familar in Coven of Chaos I think there’s still a possibility he could play Billy too. We don’t know Billy’s background. We don’t know how Marvel will change the character from the comics. Wiccan could be a warlock and a Familiar? It wouldn’t be too far-fetched. Heck, Marvel could even make him a mutant.
For now, there’s no definitive word on Locke’s character, and we likely won’t get that until after an official trailer drops. With the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes delaying reshoots, it could be a while longer before we get said trailer, let alone the show itself. As of now, it’s believed Coven of Chaos will premiere in the winter of 2024, likely between January and March. When a concrete date is announced you’ll hear it from us right away.
Oh, also, did we mention that LuPone also spilled the beans that Coven of Chaos is a musical? That Patti, she just doesn’t know when to stop talking, but that’s why we love her.
