Disney+ Makes MCU History With Marvel’s VisionQuest Villain

The Disney+ series VisionQuest features plenty of familiar faces. Beyond the titular synthezoid, the AIs who rent a room in his mindspace also have extensive MCU histories. However, the show’s main villain, Paladin, is a newcomer. While he’s brushed shoulders with notable MCU figures, including Daredevil and Punisher, little is known about his past, as he’s operated in the shadows for years. In fact, Vision has to dig up dirt on his adversary to learn he’s part of franchise history.

In VisionQuest Episode 6, “Deadlock,” Paul Bettany’s hero and Paladin meet face-to-face to negotiate for Thomas Shepherd’s life. Paladin will spare the young man if Vision agrees to shut down and submit to the mysterious client. But Vision has his own leverage: he knows everything about Paladin’s daughter and their complicated relationship. 

Paladin wasn’t a great father while his child was growing up, and he lost a good chunk of time with his family after Thanos’ Snap turned him to dust. Even after returning, he never reached out to his daughter, believing she would be better off if she continued to think he was dead.

The shocking VisionQuest twist humanizes Paladin, who isn’t nearly as heartless as his code makes him out to be. It also serves another purpose: it’s the first example of a major MCU villain being a victim of the Snap. 

Ever since the Mad Titan used the Infinity Stones in Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel Studios has used the plot device almost exclusively to shake up the heroes’ status quo. Those who returned have to wrestle with a world far different from the one they left behind. Meanwhile, the MCU’s villains have gotten off mostly scott-free, with the likes of Kingpin using the madness to improve their standing in a broken world.

Paladin’s evil colleagues probably wouldn’t have been a great support system anyway. He’s better off reaching out to his fellow Disney+ residents, since more than a few of them know exactly what he’s going through and could probably offer a few words of encouragement.

Disney+ Characters Who Were Victims of Thanos’ Snap

Yelena Belova

Florence Pugh’s trained killer didn’t make her MCU debut on Disney; she appeared in the Black Widow movie alongside her sister, Natasha Romanoff. Yelena Belova made the jump to the small screen in Hawkeye, which turned her into a bit of a villain as she hunted down Clint Barton. The Disney+ series showed Yelena being snapped out of existence, only to return a moment later to a world without her sister. 

Wanda Maximoff

In Avengers: Infinity War, Wanda Maximoff was forced to kill her beloved Vision because the Mind Stone Thanos needed was trapped in his body. The Mad Titan nullified her choice with the Time Stone, then turned her to dust. When Wanda returned, her grief drove her to create an alternate reality in Westview, New Jersey, kicking off the events of Disney+’s WandaVisionand setting the stage for VisionQuest.

Monica Rambeau

SWORD sent Monica Rambeau to Westview to study the anomaly and try to reach Wanda. Carol Danvers’ old friend understood Wanda’s actions because Thanos also turned her life upside down. WandaVisionrevealed that Monica was snapped while in the hospital with her mother, Maria Rambeau, who passed away while her daughter was gone.

Bucky Barnes

Despite fighting countless battles over many decades, Bucky Barnes didn’t hesitate to suit up in Infinity War when Captain America and Co. needed him. He teamed up with Rocket Raccoon and dealt a major blow to Thanos’ army. Unfortunately, it was all for nothing because Bucky became the first victim of the Snap. The Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier helped Bucky put things into perspective and move on from all the tragedy. 

Sam Wilson

Like Bucky, Sam was also present during Thanos’ invasion of Wakanda. He fought valiantly before the Mad Titan killed him. Avengers: Endgame gave Falcon a second chance, and he ran with it by accepting Steve Rogers’ offer to take over as Captain America. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier showed that Sam struggled with becoming the MCU’s Star-Spangled Man, but he refused to throw in the towel.

Nick Fury

Nick Fury put the MCU’s Avengers together. However, he wasn’t there during their darkest moment in Wakanda. In Infinity War‘s post-credits scene, Fury realized he was about to be snapped and reached out to Captain Marvel, who was deep in space. Once the team he built set everything right, though, he got right back to work in Secret Invasion, helping stop a Skrull attack on Earth. 

Maria Hill

Fury wasn’t alone when the world fell apart in Infinity War. His closest confidant, Maria Hill, was right by his side and turned to dust just as he did. In Secret Invasion, Hill lent her boss a hand, but it backfired when the Skrull Gravik killed her.