Warning: This article contains spoilers for Agatha All Along episode 6, “Familiar By Thy Side.”
Billy Maximoff’s return to theMCUwas explained inAgatha All Alongepisode 6, “Familiar By Thy Side,” revealing exactly how the Scarlet Witch’s son was able to come back afterWandaVision’semotional finale.Billy and Tommy Maximofffirst appeared as Wanda and Vision’s magically-created twin sons inWandaVisionepisode 3, “Now in Color.” They aged-up throughout the series, eventually being depicted as superpowered ten-year olds, but their futures were left uncertain after the Scarlet Witch brought down the Hex around Westview, New Jersey.
AlthoughBilly Maximoff was seemingly killed off at the end ofWandaVision,Agatha All Alongepisode 5 confirmed that he has now returned to the MCU.Joe Locke’s “Teen” was heavily theorized to be Billy Maximoff prior to episode 5’s revelation, with many clues pointing to him being the Scarlet Witch’s son.Agatha All Alongepisode 6, “Familiar By Thy Side,” explored Billy Maximoff’s new origin story in the MCU, changing his Marvel Comics backstory, but perfectly explaining Wiccan’s much-anticipated return.
What Happened To Billy Maximoff At The End Of WandaVision
Julian Hilliard Portrayed Billy Maximoff In WandaVision
Born duringWandaVisionepisode 3, which took the form of a 1970s-style sitcom, Billy Maximoff was aged-up to five years old, played by Baylen Bielitz, in the 1980s. He was later aged-up to ten, this time played by Julian Hilliard, so that him and his brother would be allowed to keep their new dog, Sparky.Hilliard’s Billy was the first to exhibit his magical abilities, copying those of his mother, the Scarlet Witch. While these powers came in handy during the final battle against SWORD, they didn’t help Billy survive the dismantling of the Westview Hex.
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Joe Locke
When Wanda Maximoff decided to bring the Hex down, the versions of Vision, Billy and Tommy that she had created within the Hex ceased to exist, too. Billy and Tommy Maixmoff, unlike Westview’s other residents, had no human alter egos outside the Hex, meaning their physical forms were not reverted to their original owners, but disappeared entirely instead. Hilliard portrayed a variant ofBilly Maximoff inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but his Earth-616 counterpart was seemingly deceased - until now.
How Agatha All Along Explains Billy’s Return
Agatha All Along Episode 6 Explored Billy Maximoff’s Return In Detail
The ending ofAgatha All Alongepisode 5, “Darkest Hour, Wake Thy Power,” confirmed that Joe Locke is playing a new version ofBilly Maximoff’s Wiccan. This was a shocking, yet expected and heavily-theorized, revelation, so it was great to seeAgatha All Alongepisode 6 explore how Billy Maximoff has returned. When the Westview Hex was dismantled,Billy’s physical body may have ceased to exist, but his “soul,” created from the Scarlet Witch’s magic, survived. Billy’s soul found an empty vessel to inhabit: the body of William Kaplan.
Why WandaVision’s Billy Maximoff Actor Didn’t Return For Agatha All Along
Billy Maximoff’s Wiccan returned to the MCU in Agatha All Along, but he is no longer played by Julian Hilliard, who debuted the role in WandaVision.
Born and raised in Eastview, New Jersey, William Kaplan, son of Jeff and Rebecca Kaplan, was witness to the Westview Anomaly being dismantled by the Scarlet Witch on the day of his Bar Mitzvah. This distracted his parents, which caused a tragic car accident, culminating in William Kaplan’s early demise. At the same moment,Billy Maximoff’s soul found its way into Kaplan’s now-empty body, and he retained his abilities, even though he didn’t remember who he was until three years later, when he started to investigate Agatha Harkness in hopes of accessingthe Witches' Roadand finding his brother.
How Marvel Comics Answers The Mystery Of Wiccan’s Return
The MCU Changed Wiccan’s Marvel Comics History
Agatha All Along’sexplanation of Billy Maximoff’s return found the perfect way to adapt his slightly more-complex Marvel Comics origin story.Billy and Tommy Maximoff first appeared in Marvel Comics’TheVision and the Scarlet Witch #12in 1986. Just like inWandaVision, the twins were made using the Scarlet Witch’s reality-warping powers, though they were later revealed to have been forged by fragmented pieces of the soul of thedemonic villain Mephisto. Mephisto reabsorbed the twins, ending their lives, and leading to a world of pain for the Scarlet Witch.
Billy and Tommy Maximoff became the superheroes Wiccan, with Chaos Magic and reality-warping powers, and Speed, who could move at incredible speeds. These abilities mirrored those of the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, the twins' mother and uncle, respectively.
Through their mother’s love and sheer power,the souls of Billy and Tommy were not completely reabsorbed by Mephisto, and instead returned years later in 2005’sYoung Avengersseries as Billy Kaplan and Tommy Shepherd. These reincarnations, despite being raised by new parents, were indeed brothers and the sons of the Scarlet Witch, and went on to become formidable Young Avengers as Wiccan and Speed, respectively.Agatha All Alongdramatically changed this story while still keeping it fairly faithful, providing a believable and understandablenew origin for Billy Maximoff’s Wiccan.
New episodes ofAgatha All Alongrelease every Wednesday at 6pm PT/9pm ET on Disney+.
Agatha All Along
Cast
Agatha Harkness, after the events of “WandaVision,” seeks to regain her magical powers. Joining forces with unexpected allies, including the son of an old adversary, she battles new mystical threats while uncovering hidden secrets in the magical realm.
