As the Marvel Cinematic Universe approaches the end of its Multiverse Saga, the questions surrounding every character's fate has once again come into question. Heck, some characters' fates within the saga have come into question (Scarlet Witch, anyone?). But it's true, as fans are speculating which of the franchise's heroes and villains will make it out of both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars alive.
But life and death situations aren't the only variables here. Remember Captain America, Steve Rogers, actually got the chance to end his tenure as a superhero, retiring to a long and happy life with Agent Peggy Carter. Which other characters have been ruled out for future stories in the MCU after the Multiverse Saga comes to a close?
The good news is that one actor has seemingly confirmed he will return in the future, well beyond the Multiverse Saga. We just don't yet know when that will be.
Joe Locke confirms he signed a multi-year contract to play Wiccan in the MCU
Agatha All Along star Joe Locke has opened up about when - or if - we will see him return to the MCU as Billy Maximoff, a.k.a. Wiccan. In a new interview with The Playlist, he spoke about what the process of waiting for the next chapter of Billy's story is like, and whether he needs to wait on a phone call from Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige to confirm it.
"Kevin Feige doesn’t ring you up, but when I signed my contract, I signed for my whole life. But so you sort of wait for them. You’re in limbo to them, which is, there are worse things to be in limbo for."
Locke's comments have understandably excited a lot of Marvel fans as they confirm that we will see Wiccan again at some point. The studio clearly has long-term plans for the character and hearing that his contract wasn't simply to play the role in Agatha All Along certainly suggests that a comeback is inevitable for Billy. It also suggests that the studio hasn't changed course after the release of the show, which was one of the final releases of the original wave of Disney Plus shows. In spite of the studio's recent pivot to a new strategy of producing TV, Agatha slotted into that well (becoming the first Disney Plus series to boast the new "Marvel Television" banner), earning rave reviews and going on to become one of the most successful shows on the streamer last year.
As for where we could see the character again, there are some likely possibilities. Marvel Studios has been slowly laying the groundwork for a Young Avengers project for years, and it's only in recent years that it feels like it's finally beginning to take shape. After the introductions of characters such as Billy and his twin brother Tommy in WandaVision, Kate Bishop in Hawkeye, Ironheart in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ms. Marvel in her own series, and Kid Loki in Loki (along with Cassie Lang becoming a superhero in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), the post-credits scene of The Marvels finally set the wheels in motion as Ms. Marvel recruited Kate to a super-team of their own.
Marvel is reportedly working on a Young Avengers series, with a potential release date in 2028. It's current working title is Champions and Locke is among the expected returnees for the project. Rumors also claim that Billy may cross paths with his comic book love interest Teddy Altman, a.k.a. Hulkling, in it.
There are also reports that Marvel Studios will produce a sequel series to Agatha All Along, bringing Locke's Wiccan and Kathryn Hahn's Agatha Harkness back to actually show us their quest as they set out to find Billy's brother Tommy. Since that was what the pair were up to whenever they made their most recent MCU appearances, it wouldn't be all that surprising for that to take place.
Interestingly, some leaked concept art for Avengers: Doomsday featured Wiccan at a table of Young Avengers (potentially alongside Tommy). Directors the Russo Brothers have since said that this concept art isn't for the film that they're currently directing (leading fans to speculate that it might have been for a previous version of the movie before they signed on), so it's unclear if Locke will actually appear in it. If he does, it will likely be a limited role as Avengers: Doomsday has already commenced production and he will be filming the Heartstopper movie this summer.
Regardless of when he returns, we're just very excited about the prospect of seeing Joe Locke back on our screens as Billy Maximoff in the near-future.