Actor Joe Locke Confirms Character’s Sexuality And Slams “Less Nice” Marvel Fans
“You can’t ask for authentic casting and then be upset if you have a camp character.”
Joe Locke, star of the upcoming Marvel show Agatha All Along (formerly titled Agatha: Coven of Chaos), recently sat down with Variety to discuss his role as a gay teen named Elton. The 19-year-old actor, best known for his breakout performance in Netflix’s Heartstopper, didn’t hold back when it came to addressing his character’s sexuality and the potential backlash from Marvel fans.
Locke confirmed that Elton is indeed gay, but emphasised that it’s just one aspect of the character. “The show never shies away from his queerness, but it’s not a defining feature,” he explained. “It’s just one layer of him as a person.” However, the young actor anticipates some pushback from the Marvel fandom, which he described as “far less nice” than the Heartstopper fanbase.
“I just have to be OK with that.”
Despite the potential criticism, Locke stands by his portrayal of Elton. “I’m fully aware that there’s going to be a lot of people that just hate everything about the character and everything about what I’ve done with it,” he admitted. “But they’re not in a Marvel show, so… I’m doing the one thing that they really wish they could be doing. Sorry!”
Locke also touched on his own struggles with “internalised homophobia” during the interview. While discussing his desire to play non-gay characters and prove he’s not a “one-trick pony,” the actor mused, “Which in itself is maybe a problem of the industry, or a problem of me and my internalised homophobia. I don’t know.”
Agatha All Along, run by WandaVision creator Jac Schaeffer, premieres on Disney+ on September 18 with its first two episodes. The show follows Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) as she teams up with a mysterious teen to embark on the legendary Witches’ Road, a magical gauntlet of trials.
