Who Is VISIONQUEST’s Paladin? His Marvel Comics History, Explained

In episode one ofVisionQuest, the synthezoid Avenger (Paul Bettany) is trying to keep his head down after WandaVision, working in a pub in Scotland. He’s even friendly with his boss, who tries to get him to go out into the world a bit, not knowing her best employee is an ultra-advanced android. Sadly, Vision’s life in Scotland is shattered when an elite squad of military snipers attacks the bar, and kills his friend. These assassins are working for Paladin, a bounty hunter played by Star Trek: Picard’s Todd Stashwick. He’s accepted a contract to track down and capture Vision from a mysterious benefactor. And this lethal mercenary character has a history in Marvel Comics going back almost fifty years.

Paladin First Appeared in 1978’s Daredevil#150

Paladin is one of the few Marvel characters who is almost as mysterious today as he was when writer Jim Shooter and artist Carmine Infantino introduced him. This was way back in 1978’s Daredevil #150. Clad in black and purple, Paladin held the reputation as the best of the best in the mercenary business. Neither hero nor villain, he merely tracked down and eliminated a target for the highest bidder. In his first appearance, his mark was none other than the Daredevil villain the Purple Man. His pursuit of Purple Man (who Jessica Jones fans might remember) led him to battle with Matt Murdock.

Paladin Has Remained a Man of Mystery in Marvel Comics for Decades

Paladin displayed super strength, agility, and speed, although no writer has ever revealed the source of those powers. Very quickly after his first appearance, Paladin, whose real name was unknown, received a solo headlining story in Marvel Premiere. He spent the next several decades either helping or hunting various well-known superheroes. Among them are Spider-Man, the Wasp (who he briefly dated), and others. Although often on the side of the good guys, he only does so if there’s a handsome reward. He’s been a part of the mercenary Silver Sable’s Wild Pack, and also worked for Norman Osborn’s Thunderbolts. In addition, the Heroes For Hire team contracted Paladin as well.

Despite five decades of appearing in nearly every major Marvel series, no writer has chosen to explore Paladin’s backstory. Readers still don’t know how he got his powers, or even his true name. He has assumed the names Paul Denning and Paul Dennis before, but both are believed to be aliases. Aside from being a very cocky womanizer, who believes himself to be the best gun-for-hire in the world, we know very little about Paladin or his motivations. This is truly remarkable, as Marvel Comics has revealed the “secret history” of nearly every major character over the years. Yet they’ve chosen to keep Paladin’s life a mystery.

The MCU Version of Paladin Has a More Complex Backstory

In the MCU, we learn more information about Paladin than in any previous comic book appearance. Although Stashwick’s version doesn’t seem to have any actual superpowers, he’s definitely a master assassin. In the second episode of VisionQuest, F.R.I.D.A.Y. reveals Paladin is actually one of many Paladins, going back a century. It’s the name given to an elite assassin/bounty hunter who passes the mantle down. The Paladin always completes their mission and cannot accept failure. In the MCU, Paladin wears what looks like a medieval crest on his chest, which suggests that the Paladin title goes back centuries.

Nerdist’s Take: We Hope to See the Heroic Side of MCU Paladin in VisionQuestEventually

The MCU Paladin seems a lot more ruthless than his comics counterpart, and so far, we haven’t seen a lot of his flirty nature. He has a trusty secretary he talks to, but their relationship seems professional. Will VisionQuest end with Paladin showing his heroic side? Or will he stay in adversary mode the whole time? He shows genuine regret when one of his men kills an innocent bystander at Vision’s place of employment. Maybe this signals he has a moral compass after all. We’ll have to wait and see how it all plays out over the course of VisionQuest.