Joe Locke is set to portray the enigmatic “Teen” in the upcoming Agatha All Along series, sparking speculation among fans that he might actually be playing Wiccan, one of Scarlet Witch’s sons introduced in WandaVision.
Not much is known about his character but in a new interview with Variety, it’s confirmed that his character, Teen, is gay in the MCU.
Being gay doesn’t define the character
Locke, reflecting on the experience, first shared his mixed feelings. “I’ve never really thought about it. It’s one of those things that gets a bit stressful if you think about it too much,” he said. “But being in a Marvel series is the most pinch me thing.”
Locke adds that being gay isn’t what his character is entirely about.
“The show never shies away from his queerness, but it’s not a defining feature of his character,” he said. “It’s just one layer of him as a person.”
Stay small and twink-y
Locke also reveals he was specifically told by Marvel not to have a super buff bod befitting of a Marvel superhero.
“I thought you get cast in a Marvel show, you get paid to get really muscly and hench,” he explained, using a Britishism for “buff.” “‘We want you to stay small and twink-y’ is basically what they said, in a very corporate way.”
Joins a cast of queer icons
Showrunner Jac Schaeffer also revealed that Locke’s character isn’t the only one representing the LGBTQ+ community in Agatha: All Along.
“This isn’t stepping into any Marvel project,” Schaeffer said. “Joe, young queer icon that he is, was joining a cast of queer icons.”
“It’s like a group of big sisters,” Locke added. “We just would banter and joke and have fun and laugh. Patti would play music sometimes, and we’d all have a dance.”
Responds to backlash
However, Locke is bracing himself for what he says will be online backlash to his character. Locke explains the trailers for Agatha: All Along have already sparked some backlash, even from LGBTQ fans.
“It was like, ‘Oh, why has Marvel done this campy gay stereotype?’” he recounted, reacting to the criticism from the LGBTQ fans. “It really annoyed me because I was like, ‘You can’t ask for authentic casting and then be upset if you have a camp character.’”
Despite the potential for negative feedback, Locke remains unfazed. “I’m fully aware that the Marvel fandom is far less nice than the Heartstopper fandom. There’s going to be a lot of people that just hate everything about the character and everything about what I’ve done with it, and I just have to be OK with that.”
Perhaps similar to his character, with a mischievous glint in his eye, Locke added, “Marvel fans are very open with their opinions. But they’re not in a Marvel show, so—” He pauses before blowing a playful raspberry. “I’m doing the one thing that they really wish they could be doing. Sorry!”
Agatha All Along premiers with the first two episodes on September 18 on Disney+.
Watch the trailer:
