Wiccan and Speed are finally here!
Caution: Spoilers For WandaVision Episode 3 below.
As we’ve been sharing with you for two years now, the MCU is preparing to give us A LOT of LGBTQ representation. At least, at a first glance. And the Marvel Cinematic Universe has just kicked off that representation. Although, it was done with baby steps.
WandaVision is currently airing weekly on Disney+. The show is Disney and Marvel’s attempt at bolstering Disney’s streaming platform with new content outside of Soul and The Mandalorian. Marvel Studios will be supplying Disney with several upcoming series such as Ms. Marvel, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, She-Hulk, and more.
WandaVision is both a mystery and a family sitcom. It shows Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and The Vision (Paul Bettany) living a charming and comedic family sitcom life in small-town America. But as the series continues, The Dick Van Dyke Show merges with The Twilight Zone and reveals there’s something seriously wrong happening around the seemingly happy scene.
In the latest episode, “Now in Color,” we see Wanda and Vision having babies. Twins, specifically. Twin boys Tommy and Billy are born. And who are Billy and Tommy in the comics? None other than the Young Avengers Speed and Wiccan!
Wiccan
In Marvel Comics, Wiccan has similar superpowers to his mother Wanda. He’s a spell-caster who is so powerful that he takes over from Doctor Strange as the Sorcerer Supreme in an alternate universe. In addition, he’s an openly gay superhero in a committed relationship with teammate Hulking. They have stayed together for the majority of the time they have existed in comic book history. The two have continued to be one of the most popular gay couples in all popular comics and got married in 2020.
Speed
As for Tommy, aka “Speed,” he’s also LGBTQ. While Wiccan gets the most attention for being gay, Tommy’s bisexuality has been explored in the Young Avengers comics as well. In fact, comic updates have increasingly suggested that he and Prodigy, a character who is rumored to appear in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, have a continuous flirtation going on.
Powers-wise, Speed has super-speed like his uncle Pietro or “Quicksilver.” Perhaps this is why WandaVision has heavily leaned into The Vision’s super-speed in the show’s first three episodes. It could be Wanda’s way of remembering her brother and/or the show’s way of signifying this passing of powers.
The Young Avengers
But, again, this isn’t the only known arrival of queer teenage super heroes to the MCU. It’s just the first. In the comics, the Young Avengers team is full of queer heroes. And thankfully, many of them are already set to appear in the MCU’s Phase 4.
Again, Prodigy is rumored to be appearing in an upcoming Disney+ show. Then, Loki is reportedly going to be bisexual in his show and insider gossip says that he’ll spend some time in his Kid Loki form. Then, Bisexual hero America Chavez has been cast for Dr. Strange 2. (Other members like Hawkeye and Kang the Conquer are set to appear. Plus, Stature already showed up in Avengers: Endgame, and Hulkling could appear in either Captain Marvel 2 or the Secret Invasion Disney+ show).
Babies?
But there’s still some concern on how Speed and Wiccan will pop out from WandaVision to join the rest of the MCU. The two were JUST born. They’re babies. How can they be teenage superheroes and join the rest of the crew?
Well, there are many ideas at play here. First, Wanda went through pregnancy in one episode. That alone leaves the option for Marvel to write in some sort of fast-paced age-up of the twins. Plus, the developing mystery behind the show, and the upcoming events of Doctor Strange 2, could lead to the twins disappearing or aging up.
Second, it would be CRAZY for Marvel Studios NOT to have Wiccan and Speed. With several Young Avengers popping up in other properties, it wouldn’t make sense not to have the twins join them. Plus, the characters are being introduced young (considering America Chavez’s casting). Marvel could be thining ahead and playing with the time it takes for films to be made and release (including with COVID-19 messing everything up). This could leave time for the twins to be cast with young actors and age up naturally as the MCU evolves through the years.
Actual Representation?
We do have to be careful of getting too excited though. Hollywood films have let us down before. And with Marvel wanting to make money abroad, and specifically in anti-gay countries like China, we can’t be sure the MCU won’t give us half-baked representation. Here’s looking at you, gay guy from Avengers: Endgame and all the LGBTQ characters who have remained closeted so far (Valkryie, Ayo, Korg). Will the films’ Young Avengers be allowed to be as messy, sexual, and queer as they are in the comics? We’ll see.
No matter what, the LGBTQ superheroes Wiccan and Speed are here! Some excitement is deserving. Now, we just have to wait and see what the MCU does with them.
