Ahead of the release of Marvel Studios’ Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, one of the series’ new cast members has shared his excitement about joining the MCU.
One of the newest additions to the MCU has shared his excitement about joining Marvel Studios, ahead of the premiere of Phase 5’s Agatha: Darkhold Diaries. Following the success of WandaVision and the popularity of Kathryn Hahn’s original Salem witch Agatha Harkness, Marvel Studios confirmed a dedicated spinoff for the new MCU villain, with Jac Schaeffer returning as the series’ showrunner and lead director. Marvel Studios’ Agatha: Darkhold Diaries is set to premiere on Disney+ in late 2024, and will introduce a whole host of new characters to the MCU, including a coven of witches portrayed by fantastic female actors.
As well as debuting the likes of Patti LuPone, Aubrey Plaza and Sasheer Zamata in the MCU, Agatha: Darkhold Diaries’ cast also includes Joe Locke, who rose to prominence as high school student Charlie Spring in Netflix’s smash-hit Heartstopper series in 2022. During a recent interview with Flaunt, Joe Locke revealed his excitement about joining the MCU, noting that he loved WandaVision, and is “excited [for Agatha] to come out – mainly, just so [he] can talk about it.” Locke also revealed more about the audition process for Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, but neglected to divulge anything about his actual role.
My character’s name is ‘Teen’ and he is a teenager.
I remember watching WandaVision when it came out. I loved it. I thought it was so clever. Jac Schaeffer and Mary Livanos, who are the creators of WandaVision and also the creators of my show, are just geniuses. They’re able to craft characters in ways I don’t think many people can, with care and love, which I think really pushes the narrative of what a Marvel TV series or superhero character can be. I think they’ve done that again with my show, which I’m very excited to come out -mainly, just so I can talk about it. I’ve been keeping all these secrets for almost two years now! There are so many secrets I need to tell people!
Yeah, me and Miles [Gutierrez-Riley] bonded really well. He’s an amazing actor and a really funny guy. There was a day when we were pretending that we were both really straight and making jokes about our girlfriends while it was like 3am during a night shoot. Looking back, it makes no sense. But at the time, it was really funny and we were having a great time.
Heartstopper was a breeze compared to Marvel. I did, like, nine auditions for Marvel. I did a self-tape, another self-tape, a Zoom call, another Zoom call. I went to LA and did a chemistry read with Kathryn Hahn, and then I did like four more Zoom calls with Sarah Finn, the casting director. She’s such a wonderful woman. I’ll always be eternally grateful for her.
Who Could Joe Locke Be Playing In Agatha: Darkhold Diaries?
Even though Joe Locke has been tight-lipped about who he’ll be playing in Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, noting that his character’s name is only “Teen,” theories have emerged regarding which role he could be bringing to life in Phase 5. The most popular theory suggests that Joe Locke will portray Billy Kaplan, the reincarnated son of the Scarlet Witch who is known by the moniker Wiccan in Marvel Comics. Kaplan, along with his partner Teddy Altman, a.k.a. Hulkling, is part of one of Marvel Comics’ most iconic LGBT+ couples, which would put Locke at the forefront of representation in the MCU.
There are several other brilliant characters from Marvel Comics that Joe Locke could portray in the MCU. After WandaVision introduced Agatha Harkness’ pet rabbit, Señor Scratchy, it’s possible that Locke could play Harkness’ own son, Nicholas Scratch, or indeed one of his sorcerer children, the Salem Seven. Other theories have also suggested Locke could be playing Belasco, a sorcerer with connections to the X-Men, Scrier, a cosmic being of immense power, or even Franklin Richards, the son of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman. For Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, however, Joe Locke as Billy Kaplan seems like the most likely casting.
