Ever since the MCU expanded to Disney+ streaming series, we’ve learned one thing. The Marvel shows are at their best when they’re really quirky and weird. WandaVision, Loki,andAgatha All Along were beloved because they embraced the more bizarre side of the Marvel Comics source material. And we’re happy to report that VisionQuest is very much in the same vein. The long-awaited series, which follows up on what became of Paul Bettany’s Vision after the events of WandaVision, delivers in just about every way. It juggles being weird, funny, and profound with seeming ease, all while also remembering this needs to be a fun show about robots fighting each other.
Editor’s Note: Some general spoilers ahead, so reader beware!
VisionQuestpicks up years after the end of WandaVision, with the reconstructed “White Vision” now bearing the weight of the original “dead” Vision’s memories and experiences. He’s relocated to Scotland and works at the pub where he and Wanda frequented in their two-year romance, as seen in Avengers: Infinity War.He believes that S.W.O.R.D., the government agency that put him back together, has stopped searching for him. And he spends his downtime retreating into his own mind, trying to reconcile these distant memories with who he is now. And this is where the show not only gets really creative and fun, but often incredibly thoughtful.
What Is the Release Schedule for VISIONQUEST?
Inside the Vision’s own mindspace, he’s constructed a Victorian manor, where he exists with different Stark programs he’s absorbed into his own neural net. J.A.R.V.I.S., F.R.I.D.A.Y, and even E.D.I.T.H. from Spider-Man: Far From Home; they are all here as human avatars within Vision’s mind. Even the hydraulic arms from the first Iron Man, DUM-E and U, exist within Vision’s mind. And frankly, they are some of the most delightful parts of the series. Who would have ever thought, nearly twenty years after Iron Man, that they’d not only get referenced, but become scene stealers? This is just one of the many joyful details within VisionQuest.
To be honest, all of Vision’s inner AI personas are scene stealers in this series. Star Trek: Picard’s Orla Brady plays F.R.I.D.A.Y., who in a sense is the mother figure in the house. In a wonderful bit of MCU casting, VisionQuest has cast James D’Arcy as J.A.R.V.I.S.’ avatar, the same actor who played the real-life Jarvis the program was named for back in Agent Carter. But our favorite AI is none other than E.D.I.T.H., played with adorable perkiness by Emily Hampshire from Schitt’s Creek. In many ways, the other AIs carry this show, and give VisionQuest its entirely quirky vibe. There’s no way you finish this series thinking these programs are anything but sentient people with feelings, thanks to each delightful performance.
Of course, the human avatar with the most screen time is James Spader as Ultron. As we learn very quickly, at the end of Age of Ultron, Vision saved Ultron’s programming and secretly kept him locked away behind firewalls. And he’s been rotting away, locked in the attic of Vision’s “house” all this time. Whatever you think of Spader’s version of Ultron in the first Avengers sequel, he absolutely rules here. Not only can Spader deliver sarcastic asides better than anyone on the planet, but Ultron might also have the best arc of anyone in the MCU after this show.
Despite Ultron’s scenery chewing (in the best possible way), VisionQuesthas room for two more antagonists, and they both steal every scene they are in. The first is Paladin, a bounty hunter on Vision’s tail, played by Picard’sTodd Stashwick. The other is Jocasta (T’Nia Miller), another AI from the comics, often referred to as “The Bride of Ultron.” Like all the best villains, these two have complex backstories that make you feel sympathy for them, all while also loving every minute where they are just twirling their mustaches. The fact that VisionQuest somehow juggles so many characters and doesn’t shortchange anyone is a minor miracle.
We already knew VisionQuest is part three of the WandaVision “trilogy.” But the promos didn’t tell you this is more than a follow-up. It deals with the same issues of loss, grief, and loneliness as WandaVision. And many of the same issues of family are explored here.
Showrunner Terry Matalas, who created the Syfy series 12 Monkeys, pulled off a magic trick with VisionQuest. Interestingly enough, he pulled off a similar magic trick with season three of Star Trek: Picard. That show had a very rough reception in its first two seasons. Then, Terry Matalas came on as showrunner for the final installment. He somehow drew from decades of Star Trek lore, while maintaining a strong core narrative for his story. Similarly, Matalas built VisionQuest’s narrative the same way. He pulls from 20 years of MCU and Marvel Comics lore, all while maintaining a driving narrative that builds to a big emotional payoff. Picard season three and VisionQuest are almost companion pieces.
In our current era, the topic of how AI can either save us or utterly destroy us is everyday conversation. And VisionQuest doesn’t shy away from those debates in any way. It’s hefty themes for what is essentially a show about a superhero robot who fights a supervillain robot (or two). But these things make VisionQuestremarkably timely and compelling while also remembering this is an MCU show that needs to be fun to watch (and it really is). Ultimately, we think VisionQuest has not only been worth the wait, but also completed the best trilogy of the MCU. Sorry Guardians of the Galaxy, but we think the witch and the synthezoid just stole your crown.
