“They were like, ‘Go away, go away”: Marvel Didn’t Show Joe Locke Mercy When He Tried Sneaking into Thunderbolts Set Despite Agatha All Along’s Success
- Despite being an important Marvel actor, Joe Locke was stopped from entering the 'Thunderbolts' set.
- Marvel's high level of secrecy includes using fake scripts and contract clauses against spoilers.
- Locke's character might become a part of Young Avengers or team up with Doctor Strange in the future.
Marvel is gradually moving toward one of its busiest phases as MCU will begin wrapping up its multiverse saga. 2025 is going to be completely packed with many shows and movies, and the studio has already started filming and producing multiple shows and films simultaneously.
Agatha All Along has been the MCU’s latest surprise hit show. The show has introduced some new faces that will potentially become the future, and Joe Locke’s Billy Maximoff is one of them. However, despite holding such an important position, it looks like Marvel is indifferent to everyone when it comes to their privacy.
Joe Locke Was Stopped at Thunderbolts* Set
After the disbandment of the Avengers, the MCU is bringing a new team of superheroes called Thunderbolts. However, unlike the Avengers, the new team will be a group of misfits who will be like a darker version of Earth’s mightiest heroes, as none of them have a clean record of work.
According to People, the filming of Thunderbolts* began in early 2024 in Utah and New York and ended around June. Co-incidentally, its filming began around the time Agatha All Along wrapped up its shooting. Joe Locke, staying true to his character’s curiosity, once decided to take a look at the ongoings of Thunderbolts* production.
In an interview on Scene Stealers podcast, Locke revealed how he was prohibited from entering the set of the movie. He said,
They started filming that just after we finished. One day they were on the same set as us, so I was trying to sneak up on the sets. They were like, ‘Go away, go away.’ And I was like, ‘Well, I just want to have a look.’
Locke’s experience is not surprising to Marvel fans, as the studio is known to be very cautious about the privacy of its projects’ details. In an interview with Games Radar, the Russo brothers revealed the fake script trick of Marvel.
We put a lot of effort into making sure nobody knows the true story of the film. All the actors were given fake scripts… very few people have seen the actual film itself.
Moreover, many times, the actors are given limited scripts with limited dialogs, which they have to perform while imagining the scenario and the other actors around. Tom Holland, who is infamous for spoiling plot details, once revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live that he was told to be prepared for a wedding scene before filming Tony Stark’s funeral scene.
Moreover, according to former Marvel Studios attorney Paul Sarker, it would be a “breach of contract” if any actor purposefully spoils any plot point, and he or she “could get sued” for that. Taking all these into account, it can be understood why Marvel stopped Locke from entering Thunderbolts’* set.
Joe Locke’s Future in the MCU
The ending of Agatha All Along opened up a lot of possibilities for Joe Locke’s character, Billy Maximoff. The last episode ended with Agatha Harkness and Maximoff going out to look out for Tommy Maximoff, who will most probably become Speed from Marvel comics.
Both Billy and Tommy have been a part of Young Avengers in comics. It looks like MCU will also follow the same, as it has already started setting up the group with Kate Bishop and Kamala Khan. The other characters from the group, like America Chavez, Cassie Lang, Riri Williams, Skaar, and Eli Bradley, have also been introduced.
Talking about his future, Locke said in an interview with Deadline that his character might eventually become a pupil of Doctor Strange because of their similarity with magic. He said,
I think Billy would learn a lot from Doctor Strange or someone. He’s such a young magic person who knows what they’re doing. Obviously, in the comics, they have a connection. So I think that would be cool, but who knows?
Marvel might not be giving much priority to Young Avengers anytime soon, as it is already packed with films and shows that will lead to Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. However, there is a high possibility that Billy Maximoff might appear in cameos soon, especially in the upcoming show Vision Quest.
Agatha All Along is now streaming on Disney+.
Thunderbolts* will be released in theaters on May 2, 2025.
