Storytime with Rachel F Hundred

“My boys.” What more needs to be said.

Spoiler Warning for all episodes of VisionQuest.

VisionQuest is the third instalment of the WandaVision series which began with WandaVision (2021) and was continued in Agatha All Along (2024). Written and directed by Terry Matalas, the show is an excellent addition to the series delivering on every level. Indeed, I’m left with feeling that there is very little to raise as a negative, which is weird when I consider I started watching with trepidation since I’m ambivalent towards Vision as a character, prefer magic themes to technology, and really didn’t enjoy Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) very much. There was a mountain to climb for this show to engage me, but it climbed it very successfully.

I am going to give huge kudos to Matalas. Matalas was also responsible for the third season of Picard (2020-23) which I thoroughly enjoyed. That show also focused on artificial versus human, fathers and sons, and the trope of Found Family. It did it very successfully, although not without flaws in-built because of the nature of the seasons which had preceded it. But Matalas understood the assignment: get the crew of the Enterprise-D back together again and have a fantastic last adventure. He pulled it off with panache, an awesome moment to have especially in the wake of Patrick Stewart’s recent passing.

Here, Matalas also demonstrates very quickly that he understood the assignment: to restore Vision’s heart and soul and to bring about as much of the Maximoff family reunion as possible (I’ll talk more on that end credit scene later). The themes are very similar to Picard; human vs artificial and tech, fathers and sons, and Found Family. But the narrative keeps this exploration grounded in its Marvel context.

Narratively, this is one of the most cohesive and well-structured shows in the Marvel Disney Plus catalogue. The spine of a client searching to acquire The Vision and how this creates a cascade of events which forces Vision out of his own head to fully face his grief and experience the real world is a great set-up. Having Ultron be the meddling parent who is pushing Vision at every turn on the inside and, in doing so, finding his own way is a great sub-plot. Having Tommy be the human son who is also pushing Vision at every turn in the real world and, in doing so, finding his identity as Tommy Maximoff is a great sub-plot.

There is a beautiful interweaving of identity issues, having agency and choice about who and what you are, whether human or non-human that is well-done. As the Artificial Intelligence personas understand what they have inherited from their human avatars, they come to understand what they might want to keep or discard in their own personalities. By the end, all the AIs are free from Vision’s mindscape and finding their own paths forwards which is a great ending for them.

It is an especially great ending for Ultron. He continues to exist in the world thanks to his nanobot body which is a power upgrade. Importantly, he remains an ambiguous element. He’s not good. He’s not a hero. He’s still a megalomanic who wants to kill humanity to save it from itself. But he values his connection with Vision. He has come to understand love and grief. The mid-credit scene has him holding Jocasta’s programme; will he resurrect her? The possibility is there.

Tommy’s ending is solid and what is expected. He fully accepts that he is Tommy Maximoff, introducing Speed fully into the MCU.  His acceptance blooms because Vision accepts Tommy as his son and gives Tommy the information he has been lacking about who he is and how Vision and Wanda are his parents.

Vision’s ending is also neat. He has accepted that he is The Vision. He is the one who first fell in love with Wanda and who died in Wakanda; who lived and loved again because of Wanda’s grief and who became a father. His is all of these parts of Vision. In the end, he is healed and he has embraced his family – both the AI one who he sets free (including Ultron) but also Tommy and Billy.

For me, the most emotive scenes of the entire series were the ones where Billy joins the reunion. When Tommy drowns himself to build a connection back to his brother, the moment they hugged in the psychic bridge Billy had created for them was just special. That was only transcended by Billy reaching Tommy by magical portal just in time to help save their Dad; to save him together. And after…the three-way hug and Vision calling them simply ‘my boys’ – that was powerful and moving and yes, I was crying.

It wasn’t the first time either. Admittedly, the first time I cried was when JARVIS sacrificed himself to give Vision and the others a chance. I love JARVIS. Part of the reason I hate Age of Ultron is because of his death in that movie.  The other time I cried though was during Vision’s path to healing – his conversation with Jim, the original AI, buried deep within him was incredible. When Vision faces and accepts his grief…Paul Bettany was just outstanding. Strong storytelling focusing on character and emotion – this is the type of narrative I adore.

The acting has also been superb.

Bettany really owned and carried the show. He played multiple characters. Not only his previous version and his current version, but Phineas Horton and Jim. Each was different and a character to themselves. But it is as Vision Bettany shines as he evolves from confused and trying robot to fully realised personhood because he allows himself to feel.

He and Spader together were magic. Two very strong actors with great onscreen chemistry and connection. Every scene they performed together was wonderful. Spader’s Ultron is more dynamic and snarky, drawing more attention. But Bettany kept his Vision from being sidelined; his quiet straight man to Ultron’s antics acted as a contrast and reflection.

Spader has made an artform of portraying morally dubious (yet with their own innate set of ethics) sarcastic and witty characters. But he also acts Ultron’s loneliness and grief, his want for connection so well in the quieter moments. Then as Virgil Horten he eased his Ultron persona into a truly dislikable human man who nobody mourned when he was killed. That Virgil dance is just iconic.

Ruaridh Mollica is a find. He held his own with Bettany and just about held his own with Spader. He was charming and charismatic as Thomas Shepherd; vulnerable and broken as Tommy. He evolved the character through the show with a deft hand. But while these three male leads deserve their kudos, kudos too to the rest of the cast. I applaud each of them individually.

Todd Stashwick’s Paladin was at times more caricature than character, but he sold the bounty hunter’s tortured past and personal life. The AIs – Emily Hampshire for EDITH’s moments of self-realisation and struggle throughout; Orla Brady for FRIDAY’s grief at losing Tony; Henry Lewis and Jonathan Sayer for the moment they acknowledge their grief at losing JARVIS; James D’Arcy for making me cry at losing JARVIS again in that scene; and shout-out too to Diane Morgan for pulling off that twist of the Girl in the Chair for Paladin actually being an AI.

Kudos too to T’Nia Miller who brought Jocasta/Jo to life. Some of her choices were not my favourite, but her acting through the scenes with Virgil where her face clearly showed her inner distress at being controlled was wonderful. As a strong female partner to Ultron, the character really worked.

And our boys really do love their strong women. Lauren Morais as Lisa Molinari worked well with Mollica and really sold the found family relationship between Lisa and Tommy. Her skillset added value to the team and made her an essential part of getting things done rather than just a damsel in distress.

Talking of strong women…

It is no surprise that the internet chatter today has been about the end credit scene with Wanda’s return via resurrection thanks to Doom. As a set-up for Doomsday it is wonderful. I much preferred, however, that cut away to an image of Wanda smiling back at Vision in his conversation with Ultron about grief. As a marketing ploy for Doomsday, it is a win, but I feel for Matalas and the whole cast and crew of VisionQuest that the quality of it and its wonderful finale has been rather overshadowed.

Other things to note which I’ve loved: the sitcom in the final episode with the callback to WandaVision; the mindscape mansion; FRIDAY infiltrating Jocasta; the con to get into the event to stop Jocasta; the AIs acting as detectives tracking down clues scenes; the flashback to how Tommy and Lisa met; Vision meeting Jim…

Possibly the only real negative I have is the reimagining of the creation of AI in the MCU as not originating with Tony Stark but with Horten and Jo Carrington with Virgil then selling their work onto Tony who built upon it. I’m not a fan of this revision but I can live with it, and, ultimately, it doesn’t take away at all from the excellence of everything else. The entire crew should take a bow. While I’ve waxed lyrical on the narrative and the acting, they’ve been ably supported by the quality of the set design, the make-up, the costuming, the CGI, the musical score, the lighting…everything has been done brilliantly.

In conclusion    

I have thoroughly enjoyed VisionQuest. That I have enjoyed it more than I ever thought I would is down to its brilliance on all counts. When every aspect is just quality, it leaves very little to dislike and a lot to love. So much so that I wouldn’t be averse to seeing another show in the WandaVision ‘verse continuing to follow this crazy family on another adventure.

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