Contents 1 HistoryEdit 1.1 Origin 1.2 Young Avengers 1.3 Civil War 1.4 Searching for the Scarlet Witch 1.5 Secret Invasion 1.6 Dark Reign and The Siege 1.7 The Children's Crusade 2 Powers and AbilitiesEdit 2.1 Powers 2.2 Abilities 2.3 Strength level 2.4 Weaknesses 3 ParaphernaliaEdit 3.1 Transportation 3.2 Weapons 4 TriviaEdit 5 LinksEdit 5.1 Discover and Discuss 5.2 Footnotes

HistoryEdit

Origin

Billy Kaplan was the eldest of three sons born to Reform Jews Jeff Kaplan, a cardiologist, and Rebecca Kaplan, a psychologist.

Billy had trouble with bullies in school due to his sexuality and fanboy-ness. Once while sitting in front of Avengers Mansion, he briefly met the Scarlet Witch, his favorite Avenger. She gave him some words of encouragement and told him that he "could take care of himself". Billy took her advice and stood up to his bully, John Kesler. Unfortunately, Billy's electrokinetic powers emerged for the first time and nearly killed Kesler.^[1]

Young Avengers

As he began to use his powers more and more he sought out the Scarlet Witch for help, only to find out that the Avengers had disbanded. However, Billy was one of the people listed in the Avengers Fail-Safe Program compiled by the Vision to be used to form a new team of superheroes in the event of the destruction or disbanding of the Avengers. Iron Lad, a younger version of Kang the Conqueror, found Billy using the Vision’s Fail-Safe Program and requested his help in preventing his future self from returning him to the future. Billy joined the Young Avengers, and, styling himself after Thor, adopted the super-hero identity of the Asgardian. He began dating his teammate Hulkling not long after.^[2][3]

After loosing Iron Lad and recruiting Kate Bishop and Cassie Lang, the girls made the suggestion Billy change him codename from Asgardian to Wiccan and Billy agreed.^[4]

Billy tried to tell his parents that he was an aspiring superhero, but they misread his intentions and assumed that he was revealing his relationship with Teddy. Though his parents thought Teddy would make an excellent son-in-law, they were unaware that Billy was a practicing witch dating a shapeshifter. The nature of his heroic activities and the danger associated with became apparent when the Super Skrull nearly destroyed the Kaplan's upper west side home in his attempt to kidnap Hulkling. The altercation resulted in the death Teddy's mother.^[5]

Not long after, Hulkling was captured by the Kree Sentries, and Wiccan and the other Young Avengers were desperate to rescue him. To locate reinforcements, the Vision recommended using the Avengers Fail-Safe Program, the same program Iron Lad used to locate the original Young Avengers.^[6]

The team was able to locate him in a high security detention facility for superpowered juvenile offenders. They release him from his cell, and Stature almost immediately noted that Tommy and Bill could be twins. The breakout did not go unnoticed, and as the team ran into the armed officers of the facility.^[6]

Tommy helped the other Young Avengers and Avengers team fight off both Skrull and Kree forces to save Hulkling, and joined the team after the battle.^[7]

Civil War

During the Civil War, S.H.I.E.L.D. arrested the Young Avengers. However, Falcon and Captain America intercepted the S.H.I.E.L.D bus which was transporting the prisoners, and Wiccan teleported the team out of the situation, into the Resistance Fighters base of operations.

When the Runaways tried to stay out of the conflict, they barely managed to escape from the government forces. Hearing of this development in the news, the Young Avengers decided to help the Runaways even though Captain America vetoed the plan. Wiccan used his magic to locate and teleport to the Runaways. However, the Runaways believed that the Young Avengers had come to capture them and a fight ensued until Patriot succeeded in convincing Nico Minoru to stop the hostilities. The two teams were later attacked by Marvel Boy, who captured Wiccan, Karolina, and Hulkling, and almost killed Xavin. The young heroes became the prisoners of the Warden, who proceeded to practice vivisection on the unconscious Teddy. The boys were rescued by Xavin, whose Skrull physiology allowed him to recover from Noh-Varr's attack. Billy came close to killing the Warden, but Teddy stopped him.^[8]

Wiccan was among the Secret Avengers who took part in the first major battle of the Civil War, and was one of the first two casualties. Tony Stark and Peter Parker realized that the two rebels with teleportation powers needed to be incapacitated to prevent an escape from the ambush. Wiccan and Cloak were both shot with tranquilizer darts and rendered unconscious. This attack on two of his youngest followers infuriated Captain America. A violent battle ensued, by the end of which Goliath was dead, slain by the cyborg clone of Thor. Most of the Anti-Registration group escaped, but Wiccan was left behind and captured by the Pro-Registration side.

Billy and the other imprisoned Anti-Registration heroes were eventually freed in a raid led by Captain America. Teddy's shape-shifting ability played a pivotal role in Captain America's plan allowing him to impersonate Yellowjacket in order to free the imprisoned heroes of Prison 42.

Searching for the Scarlet Witch

When Wiccan decided to begin searching for the Scarlet Witch, Tommy agreed to joined him. The pair searched through Genosha and Wundagore in Transia before finally encountering Master Pandemonium in Cresskill, New Jersey at a former residence of the Scarlet Witch and the Vision. Master Pandemonium offered some information, but did not know the current whereabouts of the Scarlet Witch.^[9]

Secret Invasion

When the Skrulls invaded Earth, Wiccan joined the other Young Avengers and Runaways on the frontlines of the battle. Wiccan and Speed saved Hulkling from execution and later assisted Xavin to again rescue Hulkling.^[10]

Dark Reign and The Siege

Wiccan gathered the Young Avengers together at the Avengers Mansion to respond to wave of supernatural chaos caused by Chthon. The team was turned to stone by Chthon's magic, except for Vision and Stature, who arrived too late.

Doctor Strange, the former Sorcerer Supreme, visited Wiccan to discuss his potential candidacy and ability to assume the position as the new Sorcerer Supreme. When the Hood found Strange and engaged him in magical combat, Wiccan aided him, contrary to Strange's orders to flee. Wiccan and Strange teleported to the New Avengers seeking help.

Wiccan along with the other Young Avengers helped rescue the fallen from Asgard during the Siege. Together, he and Hulkling also battled the Wrecking Crew.^[11]

The Children's Crusade

During a fight between a group of nuclear-armed Sons of the Serpent and the Young Avengers, Wiccan lost control of his powers and rendered the entire group of terrorists comatose. The Avengers arrived and took Wiccan to their base stating that they wanted to examine his full capabilities, concerned that, like the Scarlet Witch, if he were to lose control of his powers, he could cause massive devastation. In the process, the Avengers revealed to the team that the Scarlet Witch, having gone insane after losing her twin sons, killed several of her teammates, changed all of reality into House of M, and then was responsible for the depowering and deaths of millions of mutants. Wiccan reiterated his belief that he and Speed were truly the transposed souls of the Scarlet Witch's children and that she might not have been purposefully behind those events. Seeing the Avengers' and his friends' distrust of the Scarlet Witch and their discomfort with him due to uncertainty of his powers, he stormed out, only to find that Captain America had informed his parents of what occurred during the early battle. Wiccan, accompanied by Hulkling, went with Captain America and was situated for observation. However, the other Young Avengers decided to break them out, urging Wiccan to search for the Scarlet Witch. By showing her that the children she lost might be alive and well, the Young Avengers believed that she might be cured of her madness and be able to reverse the damage she had done. In particular, Stature hoped that locating and curing the Scarlet Witch could mean a chance at reviving her father. Immediately, Magneto arrived, stating that he wanted Wiccan and Speed to finally know him as their grandfather.^[12]

However, the Avengers interceded in the concersation and went into battle with Magneto and the Young Avengers. Wiccan was attacked by Wolverine and was then convinced by Ms. Marvel that this was a battle they could not win. Wiccan then teleported his team and Magneto to Wundagore Mountain in Transia, The Scarlet Witch's birth place, leaving the Avengers behind, who decided to let Wiccan find the Scarlet Witch so they could take care of both of them at once. Upon arriving, Patriot lashed out in anger at Wiccan, but Hawkeye interceded and decided that they would look for the Scarlet Witch together. Patriot then confided with Hawkeye that he believed the Avengers were right and that they needed to go back. However Hawkeye told Patriot that he needed to pick a side and walked away angryly. The Vision confided his fear that Stature might sacrifice herself to bring back her father, and that that was something that neither he or her father would want. Finally, the group reached the Grave of Magda, Wanda's mother, and Magneto told the children about the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver's birth. Wiccan then reached out with his magic and found the Scarlet Witch in the town, and Speed went to investigate, only to run into Quicksilver. Quicksilver then threatened Magneto and kidnapped Wiccan. Speed however caught up with Quicksilver and the two raced, with Wiccan being carried by Quicksilver the whole time. Eventually, Quicksilver decided that the only way to stop his father and get Wiccan to help him find his sister was to kill Magneto. He fashioned out stakes using fence posts and ran back to the village, throwing wooden stakes at Magneto, who dodged them. In the process, Quicksilver seemingly impaled Wanda, who was discovered to be a Doombot, and that Doctor Doom had the real Scarlet Witch.^[13]

That night, everyone, Magneto and Quicksilver included, decided that invading Latveria to get back the Scarlet Witch was stupid, and they decided to sleep on it and decide in the morning. Patriot once again iterated that he did not like working with Magneto. Wiccan left the group secretly and was in the middle of a spell, Quicksilver interrupted him, pointing out their similarities and again trying to get Wiccan to help him. However, Hulking came with the rest of the Young Avengers and threatened Quicksilver and reprimanded Wiccan for being so stupid as to think about going to Latveria alone. Meanwhile, the Avengers met with Wonder Man, hoping to use him to find Wanda and Wiccan. Simon however disagreed and decided to go and find Wanda and help bring her back. Late that night in Transia, Wiccan wrote a note for Hulkiling expressing his love and apologizing for leaving for Latveria. Wiccan then teleported to Doom's castle and disguised himself as the Scarlet Witch to get in. He was escorted by Doombots to a room where he was then assaulted by an amnesiac Scarlet Witch. Wiccan told Wanda that he planned to get her out of there, leaving out that he was her son. However, Wanda stated that there was no need for that as she was about to be married. Doctor Doom then arrived to tell Wiccan that it was he who Wanda would marry and then attacked Wiccan.^[14]

Wiccan tried to tell Wanda about her past life as the Scarlet Witch, but Dr. Doom knocked him unconscious during the battle before Wiccan could finish. Later, Doom told Wiccan that Wanda came to him, and although he did not understand how, that he had truly fallen in love with Wanda. Later, Wanda came to see Wiccan asking him to tell her everything about the Scarlet Witch before she married Doom. In the meantime, Magneto and the Young Avengers planned to go invade Doom's castle in order to get Wiccan back, but were stopped by Wonder Man, and the Avengers who followed him secretly. A battle ensued, and Wolverine went to find Wanda and Wiccan to kill them, but was stopped by Iron Lad, who had returned stating that the future depended on Wiccan's survival.

Iron Lad teleported the Young Avengers and Wanda into the timestream. They all went into the past, and met reanimated Jack of Hearts, who is explode. After that Wanda remembered who she was, regained her powers and returned herself, the Young Avengers and Scott Lang into the present.^[15] She then finally confirmed that Billy and Tommy are indeed her reincarnated sons.^[16]

Wanda's increased powers were revealed to be the result of her gaining a connection to the life force itself. A ritual intended to undo the Decimation was interrupted by Patriot, leading to the powers being transferred to Doctor Doom. He intended to usher the world into utopia, a utopia in which he would rule. The Avengers and X-Men teamed up to defeat him, in the process, Stature was killed by Doom, and the villain escaped after losing his powers when they overloaded.

Iron Lad proposed to save Stature through the Timestream but Vision refused, ending with both of them battling each other and Iron Lad destroying Vision and then taking off to the timestream, even after Wiccan warned that this was the moment in time where he became Kang the Conqueror.

In the Aftermath of the battles, the Young Avengers disbanded and stayed in low profile during the major events that transpired in the world (the Spider-Island infestation, the X-Men's Schism and the resurrection of the Human Torch. Wiccan stayed in a severe state of depression but Hulkling cheered him up proposing to him, but their moment of joy was interrupted by Ms. Marvel who called them to the Avengers Mansion. After a few words from Captain America all the remaining Young Avengers were officially named as full pledged Avengers.

Powers and AbilitiesEdit

Powers

Wiccan is a both mage and mutant.^[17] As such he he has a wide range of superpowers. However, it is difficult to tell what powers are granted from his X-Gene and which are spells. Wiccan's demonstrated the following powers:

• Teleportation: Can teleport himself and others over undetermined distances with an untested maximum. Can also travel to and open gates accessing other worlds and dimensions.

• Electrokinesis: Can manipulate and generate energy projections in the form of lightning.

• Flight: Can engage in self propelled flight.

• Photokinesis: Can project intense light and heat.

• Energy/Solid Constructs: Can manipulate energy to create solid constructs like disks, shields, force fields, and other projectiles.

• Pyrokinesis: Can generate fire.

• Healing: Can heal others.^[17]

• Spell Casting: Can use magic to enhance himself or others for short periods of time. Spells have included: Enhanced Strength, Sensing Locations of others, Levitation, Telepathy, Astral Projection, and Illusion Casting.

• Reality Warping: Can manipulate probability. By stating an effect or action he wants to happen he can cause unlikely things to happen, by saying "I want.. " until it DOES happen.

Wiccan was one of the many possible candidates for the title of Sorcerer Supreme.^[18]

Power Grid [19]
Intelligence	2
Strength	2
Speed*	7   2
Durability	4
Energy Projection	5
Fighting Skills	2
	* Teleporter

Abilities

High School Education

Strength level

Human, but can be augmented by magic and reality manipulation

Weaknesses

If Wiccan can't hear his spells, they don't work.

ParaphernaliaEdit

Transportation

Teleportation

Weapons

• Billy previously carried a staff.
  

TriviaEdit

• It is believed that Billy and Tommy Shepherd were reincarnations of the Scarlet Witch and the Vision's twin sons, Thomas Maximoff and William Maximoff.
  • Marvel's official Marvel Universe Wiki states: "When the Scarlet Witch used her powers to recreate the world after the House of M event, she inadvertently recreated both William and Thomas as well. However instead of recreating them as her children, they ended up as the children of other parents. Thomas ended up as the son of the Shepard family while William ended up as the son of the Kaplans family."^[20]
• Hulkling (Teddy Altman) and Wiccan are in a romantic relationship.
• Wiccan pattern's himself after Thor and The Scarlet Witch.
• Wiccan wears the suit of the Asgardians.
• Allan Heinberg has stated that Billy and his family are Reform Jews as shown in: [2]. When asked about Billy's codename, Heinberg stated "Wiccan is another word for witch. It doesn't have an exclusively religious meaning."
• Wicca is the name of a religion and is the basis for the word Witch. In the past, it's practitioners were often persecuted as witches. A Wiccan is a practitioner of Wicca.
• According to his teammate and boyfriend, Hulkling, Billy Kaplan learned his spell-casting abilities from a self-help book belonging to Hulkling's mother.

• Wiccan is shown to be a member of the Initiative, along with Hulking.^[21] However, it is later revealed most of the Young Avengers did not actually join The Initiative or even register. They were registered by their Earth-A counterparts; both Wiccan and Hulking are seen complaining about being registered to their "A Selves".^[22] It's been subsequently shown that since registration, Billy has spent most of his time grounded at home with his parents pressuring him to register.^[23]

LinksEdit

• 90 Appearances of William Kaplan (Earth-616)
• 68 Images featuring William Kaplan (Earth-616)
• 4 Quotations by or about William Kaplan (Earth-616)
• Character Gallery: William Kaplan (Earth-616)
• Fan-Art Gallery: William Kaplan (Earth-616)

Discover and Discuss

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Footnotes

1. ↑ Young Avengers Special #1
2. ↑ Avengers: The Children's Crusade - Young Avengers #1
3. ↑ Young Avengers #1- #6
4. ↑ Young Avengers #6
5. ↑ Young Avengers #8- #9
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Young Avengers #10
7. ↑ Young Avengers #12
8. ↑ Civil War: Young Avengers and Runaways #1- #4
9. ↑ Young Avengers Presents #3
10. ↑ Secret Invasion Runaways Young Avengers #1- #3
11. ↑ Siege: Young Avengers #1
12. ↑ Avengers: The Children's Crusade #1
13. ↑ Avengers: The Children's Crusade #2
14. ↑ Avengers: The Children's Crusade #3
15. ↑ Avengers: The Children's Crusade #5
16. ↑ Avengers: The Children's Crusade #6
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1} Avengers: The Children's Crusade #7
18. ↑ New Avengers #53-54
19. ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z hardcover Vol. 13
20. ↑ [1]
21. ↑ Avengers: The Initiative #1- #2
22. ↑ She-Hulk Vol 2 #21
23. ↑ Young Avengers Presents #1