Agatha All Along showrunner Jac Schaeffer wanted to include Hulkling in the spooky series, but Marvel nixed the idea.
Marvel Studios last Wednesday conjured the final two episodes of Agatha All Along on Disney+, delivering one of the superhero studio’s most satisfying series yet. Not knowing what to expect, the WandaVision spinoff, starring Kathryn Hahn as the witch Agatha Harkness, presented fans with a spooky series that pushes the boundaries of any Marvel-related content. While Agatha’s journey along the Witch’s Road is filled with twists, tragic romance, and self-discovery, it almost featured another fan-favorite character, Hulkling, but Marvel said no.
According to Agatha All Along showrunner Jac Schaeffer, there were early talks about Billy’s boyfriend Eddie (Miles Gutierrez-Riley) being named Teddy, as in Teddy Altman, aka Hulkling. While fans of the green-skinned Young Avenger would have popped for the character’s inclusion, Marvel shut the idea down for unclear reasons. I could speculate why Hulkling was left out of the show, but Jac Schaeffer is a far better source:
“There were early conversations [about Hulkling],” Schaeffer told Entertainment Weekly. “[Eddie] was originally called Teddy because we were looking at the artwork and thinking about that. That was a Marvel decision to not have him be Hulkling for the purposes of our show. Within our show, he is not Hulkling…but we pivoted to Eddie because he is named after a person that is important to the writers’ room. It wasn’t sort of teasing the fans, it was one of those lovely tributes to somebody who matters to us.”
If the after-credits scene for The Marvels is any indication, Marvel Studios plans to introduce the Young Avengers at some point, seemingly led by Iman Velani’s Kamala Khan. In this case, Marvel could see introducing Teddy in Agatha All Along as a misstep for the character. Considering his importance to the team and intimate ties to Joe Locke’s Wiccan, Marvel could have a more significant introduction in mind. I’m not sure Hulkling would have fit into Agatha All Along, given that the trek along the Witch’s Road covers most of the show’s runtime. Teddy is a big deal, and I understand why the studio might want to save him for another title or opportunity.
Do you think Teddy would have been a great addition to Agatha All Along? Does Marvel already have their hands full with Harrison Ford’s Red Hulk set to debut in Captain America: Brave New World? Let us know in the comments section below.
