In response to a fan query about Billy's Romani heritage and if Billy's interest in connecting with it was something Wyatt Kennedy was keen to explore. The author responded so say he was keen to touch on Billy's multiple heritages in a meaningful way and that Billy was going to be having an identity crisis at the start (in another response Wyatt mentioned relating to Billy as someone biracial and queer)
https://x.com/SpiderPato98/status/1958676152609845744
If it does get addressed, what would be a way you would hope to see it addressed for characters like Billy, Tommy and even Luna. Children with a Romani parent but who weren't raised in the community (which has a different set of nuances).
On a side note it would be nice to have a writer confirm Billy (and therefore Tommy) having Romani heritage on page (which I don't think is necessary but much of the fandom get weirdly worked up if any allusion is made to Billy and Tommy having inherited anything but their powers and looks from Wanda and the Maximoffs which I've always found arbitary)
I'm glad that Kennedy doesn't outright dismiss Billy's Romani heritage, but his wording is pretty vague and, cynically, it does feel a little bit like lip service. There's a big difference between acknowledging Billy's origin story or relationship with Wanda, and actually investigating how he relates to his Romani ancestry. We'll see what happens when the comic comes out.
To me, Billy and Tommy represent a specific set of experiences and positionalities within the broader spectrum of Romani identity, which can be best understood as an allegory for transracial adoption. Obviously, that's not exactly what happened, but the twins were taken from their "birth" mother and raised by other families with no connection to, or knowledge of their Romani heritage until they reconnected with Wanda as young adults. That's something that happens in real life, magic reincarnation not withstanding, and based on personal experience, it's hard to imagine that they wouldn't at least want to learn about their heritage, or that Wanda wouldn't be eager to share.
Within more traditional sectors of the Romani community, growing up outside of the culture can mean that you are less entitled to Romani identity, but there are still ways to honor and embrace your heritage as long as your respect other people's boundaries. For example, within community, I usually identify myself as a person of Romani descent, because it's respectful to be clear about my positionality and relationship to Romanipen. I imagine that Billy and Tommy would do the same.
Luna's situation is different-- first of all, there's no ambiguity about her parentage, and barring a few notable absences, both Pietro and Wanda have always been a part of her life. There's no reason to assume that Luna wouldn't have a clear sense of Romani identity, or that Pietro wouldn't have made an effort to share his culture with her. Having mixed heritage shouldn't diminish that. In literal terms, Luna is a child of an immigrant who grew up in a variety of social and cultural settings. That's a tricky thing to navigate, but it's not uncommon, even among Roma.
There are a lot of ways these identities and experiences could have been acknowledged over the years, but unfortunately most writers don't know or care enough about Roma people to even consider this. Having younger characters who grew up outside of the culture, or, in Luna's case, without necessarily experiencing community, is an opportunity to stage meaningful conversations with Wanda and Pietro about their upbringing and cultural identities. Those conversations would be a great way to refresh the narrative with fewer stereotypes and more authenticity while, reminding readers that Roma of mixed heritage and diverse experience do exist, which is clearly not something that most people consider when engaging with these characters.
I think the most organic way to initiate that conversation would be for Wanda to tell her sons and niece about Natalya and the Scarlet Witch lineage. That's information she found out on her own, and still hasn't shared with anybody on-page, so it's a good excuse to start a dialogue that might, otherwise, feel a little forced. I know that folks don't love that retcon, but this is one of the reasons that I think it has value.
That information especially pertinent to Billy, who is the next witch in line. As I've said, he probably won't ever become the Scarlet Witch, and that's likely for the best, but it's still a part of who he is and where his power comes from. Whether he explores that with Wanda, or on his own in Witches' Road, honoring that legacy would be an effective way for Billy to show that he values his Romani heritage without overshadowing other parts of his identity.
This is more of an aside, but I do feel like Trujillo, and to a lesser degree, Oliveira, wasted the opportunity to draw on Billy's Jewish and Romani background regarding his leadership role in the Alliance. Billy's heritage could have given him a stronger perspective on matters like refugee aid, decolonization, and cultural unity, making him a stronger partner to Teddy, but that was never properly utilized. I was especially frustrated with Trujillo's Love Unlimited arc, which starts with an environmental refugee crisis, and continues with a storyline about genocide and historical erasure, something that Billy should have had very loaded feelings about. Instead, he spends of most his time being petty and insecure. If the Alliance is truly coming to an end, then this whole era was a waste of potential, but for Billy especially, it could have been a great time for him to develop and mature, while drawing on his heritage without being overshadowed by Wanda's legacy, which I know is a concern for many fans.
