Wiccan (character)
Wiccan is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been depicted as a member of the Young Avengers, a team of teenage superheroes, as well as Strikeforce and New Avengers. Created by writer Allan Heinberg and artist Jim Cheung, the character first appeared in Young Avengers #1. The character's appearance is patterned on that of two prominent Marvel superheroes, Thor and Scarlet Witch, both of whom are members of the Avengers. Like the Scarlet Witch, Wiccan possesses powerful magical abilities which make him a key member of his superhero team.
Recruited to the Young Avengers by Iron Lad, Wiccan's story includes the discovery that he and fellow teen hero Speed are in fact long-lost twin brothers, and that the pair are reincarnations of the sons of Scarlet Witch and her husband Vision, Billy reincarnated from William Maximoff. Significant storylines for the character include his and his brother's search for their original mother, learning to master his powers, and an ongoing relationship with his teammate Hulkling.
Alongside his permanent role as a member of the Young Avengers, Wiccan has also been a member of Avengers Idea Mechanics, Strikeforce, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Avengers. He is known for being a prominent openly gay Jewish superhero in Marvel Comics.
Billy Maximoff appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ miniseries WandaVision, played by Baylen Bielitz and Julian Hilliard, with Hilliard returning as a Billy from an alternate universe in the film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Maximoff returned in his teenage reincarnation, William Kaplan's body, in the series Agatha All Along, portrayed by Joe Locke.
Publication history
Wiccan first appeared in Young Avengers #1. The issue was scripted by Allan Heinberg and drawn by Jim Cheung. One of the original four members of the Young Avengers, the team was founded after the Avengers disbanded in the story line Avengers Disassembled.Initially, Heinberg assumed that Marvel would not allow him to write two lead gay characters. Because of this, he originally planned to write Billy's love interest, Hulkling, as a female shapeshifter named Chimera. Chimera would discover that her true form was male, which would force Billy to decide if he was still in love with him. However, due to the complexity of this proposed story line, editor Tom Brevoort suggested simply making both characters gay.
Afterward the series concluded, Wiccan continued to appear alongside the Young Avengers in series such as Young Avengers Presents and Dark Reign: Young Avengers; the event comic tie-ins Civil War, Secret Invasion and Siege: Young Avengers ; and various other guest appearances. From 2010 to 2012 he was a part of the main cast in Avengers: The Children's Crusade, written and drawn by the original Young Avengers creative team of Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung.
Wiccan was again a main character in the 2013 Young Avengers series by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie.
As part of the All-New All-Different Marvel relaunch in 2015, Wiccan became a main character in New Avengers vol. 4, written by Al Ewing, as a member of an Avengers team led by Sunspot, alongside Hulkling, Songbird, Squirrel Girl, Hawkeye, Power Man and White Tiger. During this time he also briefly appeared in the Scarlet Witch series by James Robinson. New Avengers ended at issue #18 with Wiccan and Hulkling in semi-retirement.
An alternate-future version of Wiccan who became the Sorcerer Supreme appears in Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme.
In 2019, Wiccan appeared in Unstoppable Wasp #7 and War of the Realms: War Scrolls #2. Later that year, he and Hulkling co-starred in the four-issue miniseries Death's Head written by Tini Howard. Soon after, Wiccan became a main character in Strikeforce, also written by Howard, alongside Blade, Angela, Spider-Woman, Monica Rambeau, Daimon Hellstrom and Winter Soldier. The series ended at issue #9 in August 2020.
Wiccan is a prominent supporting character in the event comic miniseries Empyre.
Wiccan and Hulkling join Al Ewing's Guardians of the Galaxy series starting with #13 in April 2021 as part of a new story arc, joining current members Star-Lord, Nova, Gamora, Groot, and Rocket Raccoon. He was also a supporting character in Jonathan Hickman's 2025 series Imperial.
Wiccan received his own five issue solo limited series, Wiccan: Witches' Road from December 2025 to April 2026 written by Wyatt Kennedy.
William Maximoff
and William Maximoff were twins born to the superhuman sorceress Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, and the android hero Vision, both members of the Avengers. The pregnancy and births were the result of Scarlet Witch temporarily tapping into a great source of magical energy that allowed her to grant herself a wish for family. Later, the twins are taken by the villain Master Pandemonium, a servant of the demon lord Mephisto. Mephisto claims that after his defeat at the hands of the powerful Franklin Richards, his essence was divided into several pieces and scattered, and that Wanda inadvertently used two of these pieces to give life to her twins, who in reality are magical constructs. Mephisto then apparently wiped the boys Thomas and William from existence, reabsorbing their energy. Following these events, Wanda and Vision end their marriage.Later during the story Avengers Disassembled, it is suggested the twins were actually created by reality warping powers Wanda Maximoff has always had, even if she did not know it. Later on, this suggestion is proven to be false in Avengers: The Children's Crusade, which clarifies that Wanda only temporarily has reality warping powers during Avengers Disassembled due to Doctor Doom having her tap into the mystical energy of a source called the Life Force. The same story refers to William and Thomas as "lost souls" who were "taken" rather than reclaimed by Mephisto, and later on the Scarlet Witch considers the possibility Mephisto was lying about the origins and nature of the twins just as he has often lied to further his own agenda.
Somehow, years before the marriage of Wanda and Vision, their twins are reborn as Thomas Shepherd and Billy Kaplan, two boys physically identical but born to different families.
Billy Kaplan
William "Billy" Kaplan is the eldest of three sons born to Jeff Kaplan, a cardiologist, and Rebecca Kaplan, a psychologist.Regularly bullied in school, Billy looks up to superheroes, particularly the Avengers team. He finds solace outside the gates of the Avengers Mansion. One day after being injured in a fight with bullies, Billy encounters the Scarlet Witch, who tells him to stand his ground the next time he's bullied and touches his head, healing him.
A few weeks later, Billy acts to defend another kid being bullied, demonstrating his magical powers for the first time, and nearly killing his tormentor. Afterward, he begins practicing with his powers, learning he can generate lightning and fly. He can also cast spells by chanting his intentions.
A few years later, due to the influence of Doctor Doom and being overwhelmed by temporarily increased power, Scarlet Witch attacks the Avengers, causing the destruction of Vision as well as Avengers Mansion. After subduing Wanda, and unaware she was under another's influences, the Avengers disband.
Young Avengers
Before his destruction, Vision created a protocol to activate and recruit a team of young people with superhuman abilities and who are connected in some way to the Avengers team. One of those selected is Billy, indicating that Vision and others learned his power was similar to that of Wanda Maximoff. Iron Lad, a young version of Kang the Conqueror, becomes leader of these Young Avengers. Initially, Billy chooses the codename Asgardian. During the team's initial adventures, Billy starts flirting with teammate Teddy Altman / Hulkling.Iron Lad later disappears, but his brain wave patterns are used, along with his armor, to create a new version of Vision who resembles a teenager and has his own personality. After the team's initial adventures, Billy decides to change his code name to Wiccan. Despite the main Avengers now having reformed, the Young Avengers continue to operate as a superhero team. Billy and Teddy begin seriously dating. Wiccan starts using "self-help books" to help him with his spell casting.
Wiccan & Speed
Billy has said that Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, was his favorite Avenger, and it has been implied that his powers are linked to hers. Billy joins Tommy as they search for the Scarlet Witch through Genosha and Wundagore before finally encountering Master Pandemonium at a former residence of the Scarlet Witch and the Vision. Master Pandemonium decides not to fight the boys after recognizing Wiccan's magic as being the same as the Scarlet Witch's. Instead, he elaborates on their history concerning Mephisto and the Scarlet Witch and advises them that the history they search for is filled with "darkness and chaos" and that they should embrace who they are in the present.Civil War
During the Civil War, Billy and Tommy plan to look for Wanda. S.H.I.E.L.D. arrests the Young Avengers. Falcon and Captain America intercept the S.H.I.E.L.D bus which is transporting the prisoners and Wiccan teleports the team out of the situation, into the Resistance Fighters base of operations.When the Runaways try to stay out of the conflict, they barely escape from the government forces. Hearing of this development in the news, the Young Avengers decide to help the Runaways even though Captain America vetoes the plan. Wiccan uses his magic to locate and teleport to the Runaways. However, the Runaways believe that the Young Avengers have come to capture them and a fight ensues until Eli Bradley convinces Nico Minoru to stop the hostilities. The two teams are later attacked by Noh-Varr, who captures Wiccan, Karolina Dean, and Hulkling, and almost kills Xavin. The young heroes become the prisoners of the Warden, who vivisects Teddy. The boys are rescued by Xavin, whose Skrull physiology allowed him to recover from Noh-Varr's attack. He comes close to killing the Warden, but Teddy stops him.
Wiccan is among the Secret Avengers who takes part in the first major battle of the Civil War and was one of the first two casualties. Tony Stark and Peter Parker realize that the two rebels with teleportation powers needed to be incapacitated to prevent an escape from the ambush. Wiccan and Cloak are shot with tranquilizer darts and rendered unconscious. This attack on two of his youngest followers infuriates Steve Rogers. A violent battle ensues, during which Goliath is killed by Ragnarok. Most of the Anti-Registration group escapes, but Wiccan is left behind and captured by the Pro-Registration side.
Billy and the other imprisoned anti-Registration heroes are eventually freed in a raid led by Captain America. This liberation is made possible largely by Teddy's shape-shifting ability, which allows him to mimic Hank Pym's retinal and voice patterns, and thereby release all the prisoners from their cells.
Billy is shown to be a member of the Initiative, along with Hulkling. It is later revealed that some, perhaps most, of the Young Avengers did not actually join The Initiative or even register. They were registered by their Earth-A counterparts; both Wiccan and Hulkling are seen complaining about being registered to their "A Selves".
It's been subsequently shown that since registration, Billy has spent most of his time at home, apparently grounded, with his parents wanting him to register.