Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Mike Redmond | TV | October 14, 2026
The very first scene of VisionQuest is Paul Bettany explaining the current state of his title character, and as someone who religiously devours all things Marvel, even I found myself thinking, "Wow, this is a lot." But since the show wants us to grapple up with this massive pile of canon right out of the gate, I will do by best to oblige.
*takes a deep breath*
So, Vision at the start of VisionQuest is not exactly the Vision from the Marvel movies. He is the Vision's android body that was left for dead in the climactic moments of Avengers: Infinity War thanks to Thanos ripping the Mind Stone straight out of our boy's dome. That body was reassembled by S.W.O.R.D. -- the new S.H.I.E.L.D. -- sometime before the events of WandaVision and brought online to stop Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and her hex on Westview, New Jersey. Inside that hex, Wanda recreated Vision from her memories and grief, and the two of them played house through various sitcom eras, complete with twin sons Billy and Tommy.
Unfortunately, Wanda and Vision's domestic bliss was done at the cost of psychically enslaving an entire town, and that's when S.W.O.R.D. stepped in, unleashing it's own resurrected Vision. This White Vision attempted to do battle with the Hex Vision, but a philosophical discussion over the Ship of Theseus vexed the all-white android so much that he completely bounced. Just floated off into the horizon with out giving a single f*ck about whatever S.W.O.R.D. sent him to do. As for the other Vision, he ceased to exist once Wanda let go of her grief and freed the town from her hex. This also required sacrificing her sons, but Wanda's powers over reality proved to be shockingly powerful.
In the WandaVision sequel, Agatha All Along, we learned that Wanda's sons entered the bodies of teens who died in the real world at the exact time her hex on Westview was broken. That show focused exclusively on Billy (Joe Locke) as he proved to be just as powerful a sorcerer as his mother. We were given just a brief glimpse of Tommy (Ruaridh Mollica) and that brings us to the start of VisionQuest.
"Wait, Mike, what happened to Wanda?" Big sigh. For god knows what reason, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness decided to run roughshod over the complex narrative work in WandaVision, turn Wanda into an all-out villain, and then drop a mountain on her head. Is she really dead? Not a chance. Agatha All Along hinted she's still out there, and I'd bet cash money we've already seen her in the marketing onslaught for Avengers: Doomsday.
Everyone's eyes good and crossed? Perfect. Now let's talk VisionQuest.
After dispensing with the lore dump, we find Vision disguised in human form as a bar back in Edinburgh. But not just any bar, the bar where Vision and Wanda used to frequent when they were having crazy android sex before Thanos arrived. It's clear that this version of Vision is still working on acting normal as he converses with the lovely owner Fiona Guthrie (Polly Frame). She has no idea about his true nature, but she does know an odd, lonely lad when she sees one, which is why she continues to remind him there's an open seat at her family dinner table every Sunday. Vision demurs because he's not "good with people." In fact, this whole endeavor is an experiment.
With Fiona gone, Vision tucks into the walk-in freezer for the night where he retreats into a house in his mind populated by all of Tony Stark's AIs: J.A.R.V.I.S (James D'Arcy), F.R.I.D.A.Y. (Orla Brady), E.D.I.T.H. (Emily Hampshire), D.U.M.-E. (Henry Lewis), and U. (Jonathan Sayer). But that's not all. Ultron (James Spader) is also hanging out in the attic. Turns out, Vision kept a copy of his old dad after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, so welcome to this show's snarky Chekhov's gun, who is just dying to go off.
What is Vision's purpose with this whole menagerie? Well, that's the crux of show: He doesn't know. This current form of Vision is haunted by the original after their confrontation in Westview. This Vision knows he's supposed to be the old Vision, he even has his memories, but he has none of his feelings. Setting aside the very thorny debate of AI conscious at this present moment in time, Paul Bettany does brilliant work capturing this unmoored and conflicted version of the Avenger, who is immediately tested in the first episode.
Unbeknownst to Vision, there's a vicious bounty hunter Paladin (Todd Stashwick) on his tail, who finally gets a bead on his prey, resulting in poor Fiona taking a bullet to the chest. This does not go well for Paladin's team, who this Vision has no problem sending to their maker. Our boy snaps necks like he was programmed by Zack Snyder.
Because this Vision is an advanced intelligence and not a complete idiot, it barely takes him a minute to clock who gave Paladin his location: Godd*mn Ultron. But here's the thing, Ultron didn't put the bounty on Vision. There is a mysterious client who wants the android alive. Ultron simply stirred the pot because he thinks his robot son needs to shake things up instead of sulking in his mind palace and reliving old memories with the very notable exception of Westview. This Vision hates that, but he can't run from it forever.
Case in point: After accessing everything S.W.O.R.D. has on Wanda's hex thanks to his handler (Diane Morgan -- that's right, this show has Philomena Cunk) Paladin wastes no time snatching up a Tommy Shepherd in London. Turns out, the young con man is prone to psychotic breaks where he remembers having a mother named Wanda and a robot father with a purple face like a demon. Sound familiar? There's just one small problem. This Vision has no emotional attachment whatsoever to this boy nor does he think it's possible for him to be Tommy Maximoff. But Vision is convinced there is a connection after footage of Tommy shows him saying the banger of a line from WandaVision: "What is grief, if not love persevering?" Nobody else was in the room for that moment, but frankly, it would have been better if Tommy mentioned the dope sweater. Remember the Vishawn memes? Damn, those were great.
Anyway, Vision walks right into a very obvious trap to rescue Tommy at an insane asylum because what are these clowns going to do to a vibranium body? Shoot it with adamantium bullets is what. Paladin clearly does his research and somehow got his hands on the precious metal introduced in Captain America: Brave New World. (Have I mentioned the homework? So much homework.) Those bullets absolutely wreck Vision, so much so that he's bleeding dangerous amounts of power, putting the other AIs at risk for deletion.
After Vision just barely escapes with Tommy, J.A.R.V.I.S. takes one for the team and deletes himself to spare the others, including Ultron, who is all but walking around free in Vision's mind now. He's so far off the chain, that he's basically a backseat passenger as Tommy and Vision make a break for it. You might even say they're... on a quest. -- Get it? Like the show? That might have been too subtle.
Random Data
-- As a well-documented enjoyer of WandaVision and it's shockingly great sequel, Agatha All Along, this show had me eating out of its hand before it even started. While I would have loved to see Jac Schaeffer cap off the trilogy she started, so far, VisionQuest has done a solid job with the beautiful foundation she built. It's also amazingly well crafted. This show feels more like a solid BBC series than a Marvel show. Granted, that could just be the accents, and boy, do I love Ruaridh Mollica's, but if that's all it takes, Secret Invasion wouldn't be a forgotten mess that died on the table.
-- Two things rubbed me the wrong way, so I'll address the biggest one: Fiona's death. I'm giving VisionQuest the benefit of the doubt that it will circle back to this pivotal moment, but for now, it feels jarringly cold. Fridging would not be an uncharitable descriptor. Christ, the villain is more angry about her death. More importantly, it shows Ultron is still stepping on humans like their ants right in front of Vision's face. Sure, Ultron didn't plan on collateral damage, but no matter, the important thing is tinkering with Vision's psyche. Tough break, Fiona's family! Again, I think the show isn't done with this topic because twice Vision made a big deal of saying her death didn't affect him. That will probably change.
-- Second thing, the whole Ultron complaining about the food in Vision's mind. Stupid quibble, but it felt like the writers trying to come up with something for Ultron to snark about. Granted, James Spader is having a ball, and the character dynamics are fascinating, but the food thing stretched the fake house conceit a little too far.
-- I love everything about Paul Bettany's performance. From the quiet, contemplative moments to playing Vision exactly like a page straight out of West Coast Avengers to the surprisingly menacing encounter with Paladin in Fiona's bar. Any other lead actor, and this show would've collapsed under its own weight.
-- Who is Paladin's mystery client? If this particular subset of Marvel series has taught me anything, it's that theories are for suckers. I have some guesses (and, yes, Wanda crossed my mind), but I guarantee it's a character exclusive to VisionQuest and not Magneto or some sh*t. I'm going to learn from my mistakes and let this thing play out.
