‘VisionQuest’ Review: In The Cloud/Nine

It’s been nearly six years now since WandaVision hit television screens everywhere. In the time since we have seen the same plot thread weave into Doctor Strange: In The Multiverse of Madness, continue into Agatha All Along and being tied off with Marvel’s latest endeavor, VisionQuest. The question remains, did they reach a satisfying conclusion?

Where Agatha picked up on the Billy Maximoff side of things, VisionQuest instead focuses on the other twin, Tommy. Last we saw of him was in Agatha where, in the series’ penultimate episode, Billy used his magic to find a vessel for his lost brother’s soul which lands in the body of a boy being drowned to death by his peers. 

VisionQuest follows The Vision (Paul Bettany) in the aftermath of WandaVision as he attempts to connect emotionally with his freshly installed memories all the while trying to better understand humanity. Vision and Thomas Shepard (Ruaridh Mollica) are drawn together into a sprawling conflict that will test their bond while Ultron (James Spader) lingers in Vision’s Mindscape.

Really the heart of the show lies in the inter-generational struggle between those three characters. On one hand, Vision knows that Ultron is incredibly dangerous and unstable, but he can’t help but to feel some type of familial connection with him. On the opposite side, Vision is always trying to push his son away with Tommy trying his hardest to get some type of answers about himself as a person and piece together his now fractured psyche. This push and pull between these three makes for a very layered and effective central character drama that offers some of the most interesting dynamics that Marvel has produced.

On the flip side are the other supporting cast members, such as the group of AI programs that live inside Vision’s mind palace helping him with tasks and other maintenance work. At times this bunch can feel a little thin with E.D.I.T.H (Emily Hampshire) as the only member that truly gets a chance to shine— though some people may find her a bit overbearing, so your mileage may vary. Elsewhere is Tommy’s love interest, Lisa Molinari (Lauren Morais), who tags along for the ride. Unfortunately, we only get to see a little of the love blossoming between the two, which is something I would’ve liked to see more of to fully buy into some of the stakes. 

In the villain corner is Jocasta (T’Nia Miller) who I won’t get into much because her plotline is riddled with spoilers, but suffice to say Miller is able to toe the line between malice and honesty, providing us with a refreshingly interesting antagonist for MCU TV. The biggest shining light in this series however is James Spader in his return as Ultron, the proverbial devil on Vision’s shoulder. He effortlessly steals every scene he is in with his (electro)magnetic energy, and when it’s all said and done, he will certainly be the thing people talk about most from this series.

The show is chock full of robot-led fight scenes for those looking for some spectacle, but all the best bits are when the episodes get a chance to slow down and focus in on whatever quandary is at hand. It also can’t be understated how beautiful the production design in the Mindscape is, providing a very unique feel for the MCU on par with stuff done in the Loki series.

Overall, showrunner Terry Matalas crafted what I consider to be a very satisfying conclusion to what is being dubbed as the “WandaVision trilogy” of shows. I would go as far to even say it’s my favorite of the bunch with its rabbit hole mystery structure that is always peeling back another layer of complexity. Fans will have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks. 

VisionQuest was created by Terry Matalas and stars Paul Bettany, James Spader, Ruaridh Mollica, Todd Stashwick, T’Nia Miller, Lauren Morais, Orla Brady, Diane Morgan, Polly Frame, Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, with Emily Hampshire and James D’Arcy. The series begins streaming October 13th on Disney+.

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