Joe Locke Thinks a Benefit of ‘Agatha All Along’ Being a ‘Secretive, Complex Show’ Is All the ‘Fan Theories’
For weeks, viewers of “Agatha All Along” have been kept in the dark over the true identity of Joe Locke’s character, simply referred to as “Teen” due to a sigil placed on him that prevents the witches from hearing his name, until Episode 6, “Familiar by thy Side,” when it was revealed he was Wanda Maximoff’s son, Billy, trapped in the body of a young Jewish boy named William Kaplan. Those familiar with the Marvel comics storylines know that Billy ultimately becomes the superhero Wiccan, but in adapting this character for the screen, both Locke and creator and showrunner Jac Schaeffer wanted to put their own imprint on his arc. In a recent interview with Variety, they discussed keeping Billy’s re-entrance into the MCU a secret and how the conjecture around Locke’s role has added to the intrigue around the show.
“One of the best things about having a weekly release for such a secretive, complex show is the fan theories that come out of it,” Locke said. “You see things like, ‘Oh, I’ve never even thought there would be a link to that. You’re so wrong, but I see why you think that!’”
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While Schaeffer knows people are familiar with Billy Maximoff aka Wiccan, choosing not to reveal this early on in “Agatha All Along” allowed for an added mystery, echoing the tone of the show.
“It is my deep pleasure to not waste anything, from what’s on the page to what’s in the frame to who is cast, when everything is used with great meaning,” said Schaeffer. “So I’m so grateful that this is a fandom that pores over every detail. Sometimes that is to the detriment of the watch, because you should let it wash over you — and sometimes it pays off. I would just say, keep watching.”
Another big secret revealed in Episode 6 was the return of “X-Men” and “WandaVision” star Evan Peters, who reprised his role from the series as Westview inhabitant Ralph Bohner. Agatha had put Ralph under a spell, forcing him to play Wanda’s brother Pietro in her ruse to steal Wanda’s dark magic. Once Ralph was released from the spell, he was forever changed and shown in “Agatha All Along” to be essentially a paranoid conspiracy theorist, but William/Billy has a feeling he may be telling the truth.
Discussing Peters’ return, Schaeffer gave the actor credit for adding both emotional and physical nuance to the character, describing an animal skull totem Bohner carries to ward off black magic that Peters created on set.
“He made it from, like, props and things that they had on the day,” Schaeffer said to Variety. “That hat has all these etchings in it — that was his idea. The witch spray was his idea. He just jumps all the way in.”
New episodes of “Agatha All Along” drop on Disney+ every Wednesday at 6pm PT/9pm ET.
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