History ComicBook / Wiccan

[[redirect:Characters/MarvelComicsWiccan]]

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->''"See, I'm the child of [[ComicBook/ScarletWitch a witch]] and [[ComicBook/TheVision an android]]. I'm their wish come true. Bigger than magic, living information, retro-reincarnated in human form. Now, my brother? He'd give you a physical fight. He'd warp time and space to punch you fifty times a second. But when I warp time and space... I use my words. And I say I'm a bigger deal in this reality than you are."''

Billy Kaplan, better known as Wiccan, is a Creator/MarvelComics character created by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung, first appearing in ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'' #1 (dated April 2005).

Along with his twin brother Tommy Shepherd --AKA Speed-- Wiccan is the son of ComicBook/ScarletWitch and ComicBook/TheVision. Kind of. Born separately to different parents, Billy (and Tommy) are actually the reincarnated souls of twin boys Wanda once believed she'd given birth to years earlier. So while they're not ''technically'' Wanda and Vision's biological children, they're their children in spirit... literally.

Billy's dubious parentage also makes the source of his powers --namely, {{reality warping}} like Wanda's-- a mystery. He's not a mutant like she is (or was, anyway [[note]]as of a 2014 retcon, neither Scarlet Witch nor Quicksilver are the biological children of Magneto, and therefore not mutants[[/note]]), nor is he an android like Vision. The best theory anybody seems to have is that he's, simply, a {{pure magic being}} with natural sensitivity to the arcane.

Origin aside, Wiccan is most associated with the Young Avengers, where he met his boyfriend Teddy Altman, better known as the shapeshifting alien ComicBook/{{Hulkling}}. They're especially notable for being some of the first openly gay characters in all of superhero comics, and one of the first same-sex couples to share an on-panel kiss. Rarely apart from one another for too long, they eventually joined ComicBook/{{Sunspot}}'s [[ComicBook/{{New Avengers|2015}} Avengers Idea Mechanics]] together, and Billy even lead a splinter faction of them during [[ComicBook/AvengersStandoff the assault on Pleasant Hill]].

After a brief retirement from superheroics, Billy and Teddy [[MyOwnPrivateIDo eloped]] before the latter was [[ComicBook/{{Empyre}} sent off to serve as the leader of the new Kree-Skrull Empire]]. After the dust settled in their fight against the [[PlantPeople Cotati]], Billy and Teddy had a proper wedding attended by virtually all of the MarvelUniverse, with him becoming Emperor Hulkling's official consort.

In many possible timelines, Billy is shown to replace [[ComicBook/DoctorStrange Doctor Stephen Strange]] as Sorcerer Supreme, as well as being married (with children) to Teddy. He also has fated dalliances with some of the universes's most nefarious threats, like the omnipotent entity known as Demiurge, and the parasitic wizard Moridun. He prefers not to think of them.

Billy (and Tommy) made their live-action debut in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse series ''Series/WandaVision'', where they're born to Wanda and Vision in "UsefulNotes/TheSeventies" after an [[ExpressDelivery accelerated pregnancy]], and eventually develop their powers during childhood. As a result of PlotRelevantAgeUp throughout the series, Baylen Bielitz and Julian Hilliard portray Billy at different ages.

Compare ComicBook/{{Hulkling}}, ComicBook/KateBishop, ComicBook/AmericaChavez.
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!! Wiccan appears in:
[[AC:Comic Books]]

* ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'' vols. 1 & 2 (2005 -- 2006, 2013 -- 2014)
* ''ComicBook/{{Avengers}}: ComicBook/TheChildrensCrusade'' (2010 -- 2012)
* ''[[ComicBook/{{New Avengers|2015}} New Avengers: A.I.M.]]'' (2015 -- 2016)
* ''ComicBook/DoctorStrange & The Sorcerers Supreme'' (2016 -- 2017)
* ''ComicBook/DeathsHead'' vol. 2 (2019)
* ''ComicBook/{{Strikeforce}}'' (2019)
* ''ComicBook/{{Incoming}}'' (2019)
* ''ComicBook/{{Empyre}}'' (2020)
* ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' vol. 6 (2021)

[[AC:Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse]]
* ''Series/WandaVision'' (2021), portrayed by Baylen Bielitz [[note]](age 5)[[/note]] and Julian Hilliard [[note]](age 10)[[/note]]

[[AC:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/AvengersAcademy'' (recruitable)
* ''VideoGame/LEGOMarvelsAvengers'' (playable)
* ''VideoGame/LEGOMarvelSuperHeroes2'' (playable)
* ''VideoGame/MarvelFutureFight'' (playable)
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!! Wiccan provides examples of:
* AscendedFanboy: He was a big fan of the Avengers before he started superheroing. He's also a big Norse Mythology geek.
* AtrociousAlias: He changed his codename to 'Wiccan' when it was pointed out to him what the media would do with a gay superhero named 'Asgardian.' This is Loki's opinion of 'Wiccan', too. In ''ComicBook/NewAvengers2015'', Power Man once again calls attention to this, saying that Wiccan calling himself thus without actually being one is a misrepresentation of actual Wiccans. Not long after, he decides to change his name to something he knows he will become in the future, namely a "Demiurge", thanks to [[spoiler:a case of demonic possession.]] Afterward, he dumps the name and goes back to Wiccan after discussing it with his mother (a dedicated magick practioner) and deciding to study Wicca.
* BadassCape: All three of his outfits. His fondness for capes has reached memetic level in fandom.
* BattleCouple: He's dating fellow superhero teammate Hulkling.
* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: He expels Moridun rather handily when directly confronting him in his mind. This is because all Moridun has are rather shallow StrawNihilist speeches about the suffering and futility of living, which to Billy is old hat since he's been living with anxiety and depression for some time now, and he's hurting the one he loves.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: He idolized Scarlet Witch even before finding out about his heritage because she once cheered him up after being bullied.
* BerserkButton: Don't loot Asgardian relics, especially in a disaster area. He will literally smite you.
* BlessedWithSuck: Being a RealityWarper means his mistakes can spin out of control and spell doom for everyone. It also draws attention, from forces that seek to destroy, manipulate, or control him or just plain steal his powers.
* CuteWitch: He's an attractive magic user, as stated by Loki multiple times. It's a good bet that Teddy agrees, considering.
* DeadpanSnarker: He can be.
-->'''Eli:''' You got a better idea?
-->'''Billy:''' Gee, let me check my superhero manual. Oh, wait, it's in my other tights.
* DemonicPossession: Briefly, during ''New Avengers'', [[spoiler:he's taken over by Moridun of the Fifth Cosmos.]]
* TheDeterminator: Not always in a good way. Once an idea gets into his head, he can stubbornly go with it regardless of common sense.
* DistressedDude: He has been whisked away or locked up quite a few time. Doesn't help that he's helpless when his magic goes haywire for one reason or another.
* DrivenToSuicide: In volume 2, his unresolved guilt and self-esteem issues escalate into this. Being told his death would undo the disaster he unintentionally caused doesn't help. Thankfully, he gets talked out of it.
* EmoTeen: Invoked in his introduction in the recap page of vol.2 ("Angsty chaos magic user"). Averted in the story as he has reasons to despair.
* FatalFlaw: His tendency to act without thinking, which can be disastrous when coupled with his powers.
* FutureBadass: While already plenty badass by himself, we're shown three universes [[note]] the BadFuture Iron Lad chances upon in the ''Children's Crusade'', the future shown in ''ComicBook/BattleOfTheAtom'', and Strange's supposed future from ''Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme''[[/note]] in which he becomes the next [[ComicBook/DoctorStrange Sorcerer Supreme]]. And then there's the Demiurge, a reality warper so powerful he'll be able to create entire universes, and rewrite the laws of reality so comprehensively even ''Doctor Doom'' can't find a way around them.
* AGodAmI: He is called a "demiurge" (a creative/destructive force) in vol. 2. [[spoiler: The After Party reveals that he is the one who creates America's homeworld and thus is considered a god there.]]
* GlassCannon: Has devastating power, but is just as vulnerable to physical and psychic attacks as any normal guy.
* HappilyAdopted: Sort of. [[spoiler: Technically his "adopted" parents are his biological parents. However, he is the reincarnation of one of the Scarlet Witch's twin sons, and she also takes some maternal interest in him]].
* InSeriesNickname: Billy is short for William.
* InterspeciesRomance: [[spoiler:With Hulkling, who's revealed to be half-Kree half-Skrull.]]
* InnocentlyInsensitive: So wrapped up in his own angst that he forgets that Teddy had to watch the only mother he had ever known be incinerated right in front of him. When Teddy finally cracks and lambasts Billy for his ongoing ItsAllAboutMe behavior, during which Teddy had been completely supportive, Billy is so shocked and ashamed that he goes and does something really stupid...
* ItsAllMyFault: He blames himself for kickstarting the whole ''Children's Crusade'' disaster. And again for inviting a interdimensional parasite into his world.
* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: Billy makes no secret that he really looks up to the Avengers, the first time he meets most of them. He's one of the few people aware of Jessica Jones' former identity of Knightress, and freaked out quite a bit the first time he met Scarlet Witch (before he knew she was his mom-sorta, and before his powers even manifested).
* JewishAndNerdy: Billy's family are Reform Jews per WordOfGod. He's ''very'' geeky and often quotes pop culture. For example, he refers to fighting Laufey as looking more fun in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings.''
* JuniorCounterpart: Patterns himself after Thor at first, but later embraces being the JuniorCounterpart to his sort-of mom, the Scarlet Witch. Given his rapidly burgeoning power, some stories have him in line for the Sorcerer Supreme mantle as well.
* LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards: He's the magic user of the team and his power keeps getting stronger to the point it makes the adults nervous. [[ShockAndAwe Lightning]] to [[FunctionalMagic magic]] to potentially world ending [[RealityWarper reality warping]].
* MommasBoy:
** He's pretty attached to his (technically biological, functionally adoptive) family, at least, as seen when Steve Rogers announces he is one of the heroes necessary to maintain the safety of the world at the start of ''Heroic Age''. His response:
--->'''Billy''': Uh... I might have to ask my mom.
** Towards Scarlet Witch as well, as demonstrated by all he goes through in ''Children's Crusade''.
* NiceJewishBoy: Billy is mostly very caring and considerate.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: You would think that after all that had happened with Iron Lad[=/=]Kang, Billy would know better than to try to go and change history, even with the best of intentions. Instead he attempts to [[spoiler:[[BackFromTheDead bring back Teddy's mother]] and ends up summoning an EldritchAbomination instead]], although it's suggested Loki put the idea into his head.
* NiceGuy: Billy is a very kind boy. Notably he couldn't stand up for himself against a bully after they assaulted him but he could stand up for another kid
* NotSoDifferent: He can be just as willful and rebellious as Tommy and to an extent Pietro. As Pietro puts it:
-->'''Quicksilver''': I thought I'd have more in common with your brother, the speedster, but here you are, disobeying my father the moment he turns his back. I'm impressed.
* OpenmindedParent: The Kaplans are ''extremely'' understanding and openminded. When Billy attempts to come out as a superhero, they misinterpret and affirm their support of his homosexuality, and they take it pretty well when Captain America informs them anyway. They even let Teddy and Tommy move in when they show troubled home lives. They're so understanding that apparently Tommy got fed up with them and left.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: Because of his powers. The Avengers are now understandably wary of the idea that he could take out an entire team of bad guys in an instant ''without even meaning to.''
* PopCulturedBadass: Gains points for referencing ''Series/ProjectRunway'', loses them for ''Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic''.
* PowerAtAPrice: As Billy becomes more powerful, his spells seem to have more and greater downsides. Teddy remarks at one point that the Universe treated Billy's magic with kid gloves when they first started the heroics because, well, [[JustForPun Billy was a kid]]. [[EquivalentExchange Nowadays...]]
* PropheticFallacy: Billy began scrying on his various futures in the multiverse, trying to guide himself to an ideal future by reuniting the Young Avengers, but he mostly just brings on anxiety attacks from the dark possibilities he sees and Teddy convinces him to stop this. Come the ''Deathshead'' series, he does follow one such path that would create a Young Avengers reunion- but it also trashes his and Teddy's apartment and nearly gets them both (and Kate Bishop) killed in the process.
* RedIsHeroic: A red cape features predominantly in both his costumes, and he's an idealistic good guy.
* RefusalOfTheCall: After the end of ''Children's Crusade'', he gives up being a superhero. [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom His mistake]] at the beginning of the 2013 run forces him to [[HesBack don the costume once again]].
* SecretLegacy: The long-lost son of Scarlet Witch.
* TheSmartGuy: How straight he plays this Trope depends on the people/team he's in/around. He's not actually intellectually smart or tech savvy, but usually comes off as the more level-headed and person with the most common-sense, one's again, subject to who he's with. That is, when he isn't busy being stubborn or self indulgent with his worries and problems.
* SorryImGay: His response to Enchantress coming on to him in Dark Reign.
-->'''Billy''':"Very, ''very'' gay!"
* StarSpangledSpandex: Present in his third costume, where his arms and the sides of his legs and torso are covered in realistic stars. He starts wearing it around the time he ''really'' unlocks his RealityWarper powers.
* StraightGay: He was at first, but he was revealed to have a few more feminine interests than originally let on.
* StrongAsTheyNeedToBe: When Billy manages to temporarily access his Demiurge potential, he becomes capable of BreakingTheFourthWall and actually stepping out onto the pages of the comic to change[=/=]rearrange panels (i.e. reality), effectively making himself almost as [[TheOmnipotent all-powerful]] as the artists, writers and editors.
* SquishyWizard: The most powerful guy on the team -- provided he can get out the words for his spells. Just saying the spells won't work, either -- he has to ''hear'' himself say it; hence his power is practically useless if he's rendered effectively deaf.
* SuperiorSuccessor: His spiritual mother the Scarlet Witch is already a very powerful sorcerer to the point that some would rather have her dead, and it has been implied several times that Billy will eventually far eclipse her power.
* SuperpowerLottery: Definite winner. He has an impressive powerset, which borderlines StoryBreakerPower.
** HealingHands: He can use his magic to heal people, as seen when he heals Teddy after the Super-Skrull attack, though it can be rather erratic. It also tends to depend on whether or not he ''actually'' wants the person to heal, as seen when trying to heal the Super Skrull at Teddy's request after Kl'rt murdered Teddy's mother. When Teddy notes that it isn't working, Billy says flatly, "Probably because I ''don't'' want him to heal."
** {{Invisibility}}: He can also use his magic for this.
** MassTeleportation: His powers can teleport the entire team places.
** RealityWarper: At his most dangerous. Loki even heavily implies to Hulkling [[spoiler: that their meeting and relationship is a product of a subconscious use of his powers to give him his "dashing prince"]]. On the other hand, this is ''[[ManipulativeBastard Loki]]'' suggesting this, [[spoiler:and he later admitted to manipulating everyone,]] so take it with a grain of salt.
** ShockAndAwe: His powers first manifested as blue lightning (that almost killed a bully) and initially the only power he's willing to admit to the Avengers, because it would remind them of Thor.
* TangledFamilyTree: He's one of the sons of Scarlet Witch, reborn into a new biological family. This means he can count Tommy, aka 'Speed' as his twin brother, and Magneto and Quicksilver as his grandfather and uncle, respectively. And don't start on all the people he could conceivably call 'father'...
* TooPowerfulToLive: Wolverine's opinion of him in ''The Children's Crusade'', to the point that Wolverine actually ''tries'' to murder Billy in front of the ComicBook/YoungAvengers, ComicBook/TheAvengers, [[TooDumbToLive and]] ComicBook/{{Magneto}}. While Wolverine's main focus in that arc is killing ComicBook/ScarletWitch, he flat-out says that if the Avengers were smart, they'd get rid of Wiccan, too. The Avengers don't do much to protest this opinion.
* TranquilFury: When he gets angry or upset enough to blow things up, he's quiet and cold.
* UhOhEyes: His eyes glow blue when he does big spells.
* UnskilledButStrong: He has immense power, but to quote Loki, he needs more finesse.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: His well meaning but ill thought out bit of magic at the beginning of the 2013 run.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Billy and Teddy's time in the ''New Avengers'' ended with a gift of a luxury apartment overlooking Central Park, bought and paid for by Roberto de Costa. The next time Billy and Teddy are seen again 3 years later, they're living in a tiny loft in one of the outer boroughs of New York.
* WordsCanBreakMyBones: When he moves on from lightning to spellcasting he does it by chanting what he wants to happen. He says he picked this up as a visualization technique from a self help book. After really coming into his power he only needs to speak what he wants to happen once, as if ordering reality around.
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* AtrociousAlias: He changed his codename to 'Wiccan' when it was pointed out to him what the media would do with a gay superhero named 'Asgardian.' This is Loki's opinion of 'Wiccan', too. And now, in ''ComicBook/NewAvengers2015'', Power Man once again calls attention to this, saying that Wiccan calling himself thus without actually being one is a misrepresentation of actual Wiccans. Not long after, he decides to change his name to something he knows he will become in the future, namely a "Demiurge", thanks to [[spoiler:a case of demonic possession.]] Afterward, he dumps the name and goes back to Wiccan after discussing it with his mother (a dedicated magick practioner) and deciding to study Wicca.

'''Billy Kaplan''', better known as '''Wiccan''', is a Creator/MarvelComics character created by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung, first appearing in ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'' #1 (dated April 2005).

* NiceGuy: Billy is a very kind boy. Notably he couldn't stand uo for himself against a bully after they assaulted him but he could stand up for another kid