New clip gives a sneak peak at Joe Locke’s MCU debut

After a near year-long delay and two name changes, we’ve finally got updates on the latest (and possibly the gayest) MCU series, Agatha: Darkhold Diaries. The newly released behind-the-scenes clip not only features creator interviews and glimpses of upcoming film sets—fans also get their first look at Heartstopper’s Joe Locke in his new mysterious role.

Disney included the nearly two-minute-long clip on the recent Blu-ray release of WandaVision. In addition to showing Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) in various vintage outfits and hairstyles, there is a brief shot of Locke walking alongside the nefarious witch in a spooky forest.

Agatha: Darkhold Diaries (which was previously called ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’ and ‘Agatha: House of Harkness’ before that) is a spinoff to Marvel’s first and enormously popular Disney+ series, WandaVision. In addition to Locke, the series (which again, is about witches) will also feature Aubrey Plaza and Patti LuPone. They really said, ‘This one is for the gays.’

Some spoilers for WandaVision below

WandaVision featured a suburban town that had been transformed into a medley of classic sitcoms after the Avengers’ resident sorceress—Wanda Maximoff, or The Scarlet Witch—experienced a psychotic break. Agatha was introduced as the villain, playing the role of Wanda’s neighbor and best friend in order to steal her powers. By the end of the series, Agatha was defeated and trapped in Wanda’s fabricated sitcom world, and this is where Agatha: Darkhold Diaries picks up.

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We already had queer representation through characters Ramona, Roxie, and Wallace. Now, a familiar face joins the roster.

Marvel has not yet revealed which character Locke is playing, though fans are hoping he will be some new incarnation of Billy Kaplan, the superhero Wiccan. Billy is Wanda’s son, and both he and his brother Tommy/Speed appeared as children in WandaVision. But since both were ultimately illusions Wanda had created through her reality-warping powers (it’s best not to ask…), they both ceased to exist when the illusion was destroyed.

This came as something of a blow to queer fans. In the comics, Wiccan is a fan favorite gay character, and his relationship with Hulking in the 2005 series Young Avengers was the ‘Heartstopper’ for a whole generation of comic nerds. Although technically an alternate timeline version of Billy (again, don’t ask) did make an appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the current MCU timeline is still missing its own queer Wiccan.

Whoever Locke is playing, it sounds like someone out of the ordinary. “It’s a very cool part,” Locke told Hunger magazine in September. “I resonated a lot with it and I loved WandaVision so much.”

“I think it’s really important and amazing that Marvel isn’t shying away from telling stories about people that don’t necessarily fit the superhero norm,” he added.

Agatha was due for this winter but it has now been pushed back for fall of 2024.