Marvel Studios’ next Disney+ series has a new target in its sights: toxic masculinity. It’s a theme the MCU has had with since its earliest days, whether that’s Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) billionaire ego or a young, hubris-fueled Thor (Chris Hemsworth) who needed to be humbled. That same trend was carried into the Multiverse Saga through characters like John Walker (Wyatt Russell), an aggressive, rash replacement for Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). More than ever, Marvel Television has confirmed it will tackle toxic masculinity head-on, in a way the MCU has never done before.
Paul Bettany has confirmed that VisionQuest isn’t shying away from the loaded topic: masculinity, and specifically the toxic kind.
In a new interview with SFX Magazine, the actor revealed that much of the show is spent digging into “toxic male energy,” before turning it into something more constructive.
He also mentiond how it’s an exciting area to discuss these topics, as it’s all “wrapped up with full-on action, high drama and emotional entertainment:”
“Much of our time is spent talking about sort of toxic male energy, and this is really positive male energy about fathers and sons and grandfathers having a conversation in the wonderful broad church that Marvel is, and that comic books in general are, but wrapped up with full-on action, high drama and emotional entertainment.”
That fathers-and-sons framing lines up with what’s already been shared about VisionQuest. Marvel Television’s Brad Winderbaum has said fatherhood is the show’s central theme, flipping Agatha All Along‘s focus on motherhood, closing out the WandaVision trilogy:
“‘Agatha,’ in many ways, plays with motherhood in the way that ‘VisionQuest’ plays with themes of fatherhood, and the entire trilogy is focused, in many ways, on parenthood as a concept.”
Winderbaum even framed the show around a blunt question: “Can a man who had an abusive father be a good father himself?”
And the MCU’s family tree Winderbaum is referring to here is a strange one. Vision (Paul Bettany) is the father figure to Tommy Maximoff (Ruaridh Mollica), Wanda’s son in a new body, while Ultron (James Spader) returns as the twisted grandfather of the bunch, uploaded directly into Vision’s own mindscape.
If you take all of this one step further, Tony Stark would be Tommy’s great-grandfather, in a sense, but luckily (rest in peace), audiences won’t have to worry about that connective tissue.
The AI now switches between his classic robotic body and a new bearded human avatar, with Vision having to remind him in the official trailer, “Ultron, human avatars only!”
He’s not alone in there either, since JARVIS, FRIDAY, EDITH, and more MCU AIs are all floating around Vision’s mindscape in human form, too. It’s a lot of toxicity to inherit for a Vision who has all of the previous Vision’s memories, but maybe not his soul or spirit.
That’s where things could get messy. This new Vision may not actually see Tommy as his son at all, and Tommy doesn’t seem thrilled about his dad’s houseguest either, at one point snapping, “With a genocidal maniac inside your head?”
Earlier in the trailer, Ultron is heard urging Vision to “free us all, and save your son.”The question becomes, isthat just Ultron trying another manipulation, or does the AI actually want to save his son and grandson?
More than just another wacky trip to this corner of the MCU, VisionQuest does appear to be tackling greater questions about fatherhood, and what that can look like when it’s not planned or welcomed.
What Will Happen in VisionQuest?
At its circuit breaker core, VisionQuest looks like it’s about Vision trying to deal with his past, which he didn’t actually live, and how that will impact his future.
The literal quest of the title seems to be a genuine soul-searching, including how Tommy and Ultron fit into his new reality. All while a new comic-accurate villain complicates things: Paladin (Todd Stashwick), a mercenary bounty hunter chasing Vision for his advanced android tech, who showrunner Terry Matalas has described as “the Boba Fett of the Marvel Universe.”
The season is also expected to plant seeds for the future, with both Tommy and Billy (Joe Locke) serving as the last hope for fans of a future Young Avengers or Champions project, which many have given up on.
And Vision himself is getting a sleek costume upgrade for the occasion, one that fans are already calling his best look yet, with some speculating it could be building toward a final form before Avengers: Secret Wars. Whatever happens, VisionQuest hits Disney+ on October 14, and it could yet be another complicated father-son story in the MCU.
