Agatha All Along has already confirmed the existence of one Young Avenger, but is another hero hiding in plain sight? After learning that Joe Locke’s mysterious Teen is Wiccan, one of Scarlet Witch’s twins from WandaVision, we got an entire episode of Agatha All Along dedicated to his origin. Viewers followed William Kaplan’s journey as he learned he was possessed by the spirit of Billy Maximoff, and along for the ride was his boyfriend Eddie. William/Billy and Eddie’s relationship has been adorable to watch, but it also raises questions about the other man in Wiccan’s life, Hulkling. Could Eddie and Hulkling be one and the same?
Wiccan and Hulkling are arguably the biggest queer relationship in the Marvel Universe. Their relationship evolved from dating to officially getting married, so you can understand why fans are curious to find out if Eddie actor Miles Gutierrez-Riley is Hulkling. There is some physical resemblance between Eddie and Hulkling, and Eddie is already a major part of Wiccan’s life, so in theory the speculation makes sense. But if you dive a little bit deeper, there are clues the Eddie/Hulkling fan casting may be off the mark.
All the signs Agatha All Along’s Eddie cannot be Hulkling
image credit: marvel studios
The first sign that Eddie can’t be Hulking in Agatha All Along has to do with Eddie’s name. Hulkling’s real name is Teddy Alman, which is obviously different from the name “Eddie.” It’s quite possible that Marvel Studios chose to change Hulkling’s name to Eddie, but why would the studio do that? You could argue that maybe Teddy and Tommy (Wiccan’s twin brother and the Young Avenger Speed) were too similar, and wanted to go a different route to not confuse fans. But the names Teddy and Tommy aren’t that similar, so it seems like a waste of time.
There also isn’t a precedent for Marvel changing the name of a prominent character like that. We’ve already been introduced to several future Young Avengers across a number of projects, and none of their names have been changed. You can argue that “Hulkling” is more important than “Eddie” to the Marvel fanbase, but that would still be a significant change to the Hulkling character.
Something else we’re factoring into our observation is how vocal Miles Gutierrez-Riley has been on social media regarding Agatha All Along. He’s shared his excitement for the series premiering on the Agatha All Along red carpet premiere, along with posting about the Disney+ series on social media. While Gutierrez-Riley has been careful not to spoil any details or break his NDA, we’re going to say that if he was playing Hulkling, he’d probably keep a lower profile to make the reveal all the more shocking.
Wiccan and Hulkling’s relationship may mirror a Marvel Netflix series
image credit: netflix
So we know Wiccan and Hulkling wind up together in the comics, but what if the Marvel Cinematic Universe goes a different route with the characters? Fans may eventually meet Hulkling, but he could start his MCU career as an ally and not a boyfriend of Wiccan. We have an example of a Marvel couple not fulfilling their destiny of winding up together, and it happened on Netflix.
Luke Cage and Jessica Jones are married with a daughter named Danielle in the Marvel Universe, but they were definitely not a couple on Netflix. The two heroes hooked up in the first season of Jessica Jones, causing fans to wonder how long it would be before they became an official item. However, their romance quickly fizzled and Luke Cage ended up in a relationship with Claire Temple. Luke Cage and Jessica Jones fought together in The Defenders, but their connection never matched the heights its reached in the comics.
All of this is to say that it’s possible for Wiccan and Hulkling to be a part of the Young Avengers, but not wind up in a serious relationship. Perhaps Wiccan and Eddie are destined to last. Or, Marvel could look to establish Wiccan and Hulkling as their own individual characters, with them finding love between each other down the road.
What would be funny is if Eddie revealed his name isn’t Eddie at all, and that it’s Teddy, during one of the final three episodes of Agatha All Along. It would be a twist no one would see coming, except the legion of fans who have thought Eddie and Hulkling are the same all along.
