Witches are by nature mysterious—and that carries over into Marvel’s WandaVision spin-off, Agatha All Along, which will follow Kathryn Hahn’s breakout character as she assembles a coven to accompany her on a dark quest. But how does Agatha get motivated to embark upon her mission? Look to Joe Locke‘s character, who is just as mysterious as the rest of this.
In a new Empire Magazine feature, showrunner Jac Schaeffer describes Locke’s role as a, yes, “mysterious goth teen” who gives Agatha the idea to take the Witches’ Road in a bid to regain her magic powers. Locke himself says his name in the script is literally just “Teen,” in the grand tradition of Marvel keeping certain twists close to the vest until it’s time to reveal them.
Since Locke was announced for the series, Marvel fans have speculated that he’s playing Wiccan–aka Billy Kaplan–the magical Young Avenger who is in fact the re-incarnated soul of one of Wanda and Vision’s twin sons. In the comics, both Billy and Tommy were made from pieces of Mephisto’s soul when Wanda created them, eventually re-incarnating after the twins were erased from existence as new beings who grew up in separate entirely unaware of their connection to Wanda, even after they re-developed their superpowers. So even if “Teen” really is Billy, there’s a good chance he still wouldn’t know by the time of Agatha All Along.
“He’s a familiar; he’s like the assistant to the coven,” Locke told the magazine. “Teen is a big fan of witchcraft and witches, so for him to be taken under Agatha Harkness’ wing and form a coven and go down the Witches’ Road is his dream. He’s fanboy-esque, and in his element. Which is very fun—because I was [too]!”
He also brought up a comparison that feels unexpected, given what we’ve seen of Agatha All Along so far: “Jac sent [Marvel boss] Kevin Feige a picture of the Witches’ Road set and he replied, ‘Oh my God, we’re making The Goonies.’That’s what I’d been saying—that we were making this adventure series.”
Witches plus superpowers plus The Goonies plus (rumor has it) musical numbers? Agatha All Along can’t get here soon enough—and we won’t have much longer to wait. It arrives on Disney+ September 18 with a two-episode premiere.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
