Paul Bettany is back in the red-and-green paint. The actor confirmed at Los Angeles Comic Con (via CBM) that he’ll be reprising his role as Vision in Marvel’s upcoming Disney+ series Vision Quest, and he might have spilled more than Marvel Studios probably wanted him to.
When asked what he’s looking forward to most in the next phase of the MCU, Bettany didn’t miss a beat: “A massive paycheck.” That’s honesty we can all respect. But when pressed on what Vision Quest is actually about, his answer dug into much heavier territory. “It’s about intergenerational trauma… fathers and sons and denial of pain and denial of your own truth and coming to terms with who and what you are.”
That makes Ultron’s inclusion a little clearer. James Spader is back as the genocidal robot, Vision’s twisted “dad,” which only adds fuel to the rumors surrounding Scottish actor Ruaridh Mollica. Word is his Tucker character could become the vessel for Tommy Maximoff, a.k.a. Speed. If true, that places Vision Quest deep into family drama territory.
The series has been described as the third act of a loose trilogy following WandaVision and Agatha All Along. And the cast list keeps getting more interesting. Emily Hampshire is playing a human version of Tony Stark’s AI E.D.I.T.H., while Orla Brady steps into the role of F.R.I.D.A.Y. (sorry Kerry Condon fans). James D’Arcy will once again pop up as Jarvis.
On the villain side, Faran Tahir returns as Raza, the Ten Rings leader from 2008’s Iron Man, while T’Nia Miller, fresh from Foundation and The Fall of the House of Usher, is set to play Jocasta, the Bride of Ultron. She’s described as cunning, powerful, and out for revenge.
Running the show is Terry Matalas, best known for Star Trek: Picard. Marvel’s Kevin Feige reportedly loved his work so much that he even joined him on the Inglorious Treksperts podcast for a two-hour nerd-out session. Feige being a Trekkie probably explains a lot about Marvel’s love for existential AI characters.
What fans really want to know is where this leaves Wanda Maximoff. Elizabeth Olsen hasn’t been confirmed for Vision Quest, and Bettany wasn’t spilling. Still, the series is set after the events of WandaVision, where we last saw the ghostly White Vision flying off to parts unknown after declaring himself the “true Vision.”
Marvel has been unusually tight-lipped about this project, which is saying something for a studio that usually leaks more than a cracked Tupperware lid. Between Spader’s Ultron, Mollica’s possible Speed connection, and Bettany’s promise of exploring generational trauma, Vision Quest is shaping up to be less about laser beams and more about identity, family, and messy robot feelings.
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