When Netflix brought the Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez comic book series to life in its new original Locke & Key, one of the most familiar faces in the cast was Uncle Duncan, the man who helped the Locke family move into their new home.
Uncle Duncan was the younger brother of the Locke patriarch, who was killed by a student, causing the family to uproot and move across the country to Matheson, Massachusettes, and the Locke family manor, the Key House.
However, when Uncle Duncan showed up, many fans had a lot of trouble figuring out exactly who he was, with some thinking it was X-Men actor Shawn Ashmore.
Who is Uncle Duncan on Locke & Key?
However, it is not Shawn Ashmore playing Uncle Duncan on Locke & Key — but his twin brother Aaron Ashmore.
In the comics, Uncle Duncan was a gay man who lived with his partner away from the old family home. He was also an important part of the comic book story.
He witnessed a horrific event and had his memories taken from him as a protective measure. However, when the memories began to come back, he found himself in great danger from a terrible evil.
On the Netflix show, he has the same backstory, but his personal relationships were only hinted at and he was just there to add a bit of mystery to the puzzle as the Locke kids searched for the truth.
Shawn Ashmore and Aaron Ashmore
Shawn Ashmore is the more famous of the Ashore twins. He appeared in some major movies, including the X-Men franchise. He was Ice-Man in the original trilogy and then returned for X-Men: Apocalypse.
He also had big roles in the TV series The Following and movies like The Ruins. However, Aaron Ashmore has enjoyed his own level of success as well.
Before this most recent role in Netflix’s Locke & Key, he was on the comic book series Smallville. In that origin story of Superman, Ashmore played Jimmy Olsen.
He also had a large role in the Canadian sci-fi series Killjoys as well as the SyFy series Warehouse 13. He had memorable smaller roles in shows like Designated Survivor, In Plain Sight, and Veronica Mars.
Shawn and Aaron Ashmore were born in 1979, and at the age of 40 the two have enjoyed a nice career in Hollywood, although most fans still can’t tell the two apart.
All 10 episodes of Locke & Key are currently streaming on Netflix.
I’ve only seen the first episode of Locke & Key so far, but Nina Locke clearly refers to Duncan’s partner by name and talks about the family meeting the couple in Boston for dinner. That’s more than a hint.