As expected, this week’s episode of Agatha All Along opened up the mystery box that was once called Teen (Joe Locke). We know that he’s Billy Maximoff, the son of the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). But he’s also a kid named William Kaplan. And he’s got two parents: Jeff Kaplan, and Rebecca Kaplan. Wondering who they are, and who plays them? Read on.
After Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) revealed in “Darkest Hour, Wake Thy Power” that she knew Wanda was his mother (not in so many words), Marvel’s social channels have been going on a tear revealing that yep, Joe Locke is Billy Maximoff, the hero known as Wiccan. But that’s only half the story because last we saw Billy Maximoff, he was played by Julian Hilliard. Oh, and also he wasn’t real.
So how did Billy Maximoff go from a creation of Wanda’s magic to a real American boy? It’s because he took over the body of the dear, departed William Kaplan.
Who Are Jeff And Rebecca Kaplan On Agatha All Along?
As we discover in this week’s episode, Jeff and Rebecca Kaplan live in Eastview, the neighboring town to Westview. Their son is named William Kaplan, also played by Locke. On the day of William’s Bar Mitzvah, the anomaly over Westview, i.e. Wanda’s hex (as seen in WandaVision), begins to fall, causing a panic at the party. Rushing home, the Kaplan’s car barely avoids a truck crashing into a tree. While Jeff and Rebecca are fine, William Kaplan died, and the soul of Billy Maximoff entered his body.
And yeah, his parents are Jeff and Rebecca, who continue to live with Billy Maximoff, in the body of William Kaplan, none the wiser. Is it weird that 10-year-old Billy Maximoff entered the 13-year-old body of Billy Kaplan, and is now 16-year-old Billy Squared? Yes, but don’t worry about it.
I’ll also note that as in the comic book, the Kaplans are Jewish. Paul Adelstein, who plays Jeff Kaplan, was raised Reform Jewish; Maria Dizzia (Rebecca Kaplan) and Joe Locke (Billy Kaplan) are not Jewish. As I am of Jewish descent myself, it is fairly annoying that this keeps happening (meaning: casting non-Jews in Jewish roles, given the scarcity of Jewish characters in Marvel), but it is what it is.
Speaking of Marvel characters and the comic books, in case it isn’t clear: yes, Jeff and Rebecca are Billy Kaplan’s parents in the comic book source material. The big difference is that Billy Maximoff is reborn as Billy Kaplan as a baby, not through the whole car crash thing. Also, they live on the Upper West Side, not in Eastview. Oh, and Billy has two younger brothers. But otherwise, 100% the same.
Who Plays Jeff Kaplan, Billy’s Dad? Meet Paul Adelstein
Paul Adelstein is a 55-year-old Chicago native probably best known for his role as Paul Kellerman on Prison Break. However, he’s appeared on dozens of other TV shows, notably Private Practice for over 100 episodes as Cooper Freedman, Scandal as Leo Bergen, and Jake Novak on Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce. However, I still remember him as Mike from the short-lived, excellent series Cupid, aka his first-ever TV role.
Coming up, he’ll star in Amy Landecker’s For Worse, opposite Simon Helberg, Ken Marino, and others.
You can follow him on Instagram, where as of this writing he has 213k followers.
Who Plays Rebecca Kaplan? Meet Maria Dizzia
Maria Dizzia is probably best known as a stage actress, though has also appeared in dozens of TV shows and movies. She was nominated for a Tony Award in 2010, but on the screen is probably best known for her role as Polly Harper on Orange is the New Black, Mrs. Down on 13 Reasons Why, and the lead role in the Academy Award-winning short, The Neighbor’s Window.
Coming up she has a number of projects, including Before on Apple TV+, starring opposite Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey in Plainclothes, and taking the lead in a drama called Dissocia.
Not actually of note, but I went to college with Maria, and it was always clear to everyone she was far and away the best actor in her class, and was going to go on to do amazing things. And she has! Proud of her!
You can follow her on Instagram, where she currently has 11.9k followers.
Agatha All Along Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
The first two episodes of Agatha All Along premiered September 18 at 6 pm PT / 9 pm ET on Disney+. It streams weekly, leading up to the two-episode finale on October 30. There are nine episodes, in total.
Here’s the full list of episodes in Agatha All Along, with premiere dates:
- Wednesday, September 18, 2024: Agatha All Along, Episode 1: “Seekest Thou The Road”
- Wednesday, September 18, 2024: Agatha All Along, Episode 2: “Circle Sewn With Fate Unlock They Hidden Gate”
- Wednesday, September 25, 2024: Agatha All Along, Episode 3: “Through Many Miles of Tricks and Trials”
- Wednesday, October 2, 2024: Agatha All Along, Episode 4: “If I Can’t Reach You Let My Song Teach You”
- Wednesday, October 9, 2024: Agatha All Along, Episode 5: “Darkest Hour, Wake Thy Power”
- Wednesday, October 16, 2024: Agatha All Along, Episode 6: “Familiar by Thy Side”
- Wednesday, October 23, 2024: Agatha All Along, Episode 7
- Wednesday, October 30, 2024: Agatha All Along, Episode 8
- Wednesday, October 30, 2024: Agatha All Along, Episode 9
Where To Watch Agatha All Along:
Listen to MarvelVision:
Discover more from Comic Book Club
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.