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<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Who am I? I am Vision. At least, I was Vision. I was born of conflict, created by Ultron, who was artificial and sociopathic. But I was shaped by Stark and Banner, who were virtuous and human. I was not alone. There were other AIs. F.R.I.D.A.Y., D.U.M.-E., and U., J.A.R.V.I.S. and E.D.I.T.H. Even though we were synthetic, we chose to protect humanity, and in so doing, I learned to love. Her name was Wanda. She made me feel real. But then I was killed, destroyed by Thanos. Through her grief, Wanda conjured a new Vision. Not as I was, but as a sort of memory. A new life, in a world and with a family that wasn\u2019t real. Now all that is gone. And yet, I live once more. Rebuilt. Same body, different mind. Something new. Disconnected. Lost. You see, I am Vision. And yet, I am not. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s the opening monologue that Vision delivers in VisionQuest episode one, \u201cNo Strings.\u201d Part recap, part thesis statement, it plays over footage of past Marvel Cinematic Universe films and television series, showing the relevant moments of Vision\u2019s story so far. It sets up the main conflicts of the show with remarkable efficiency: nature vs. nurture; artificial vs. human; father vs. son; understanding the concept of love vs. actually feeling it.<\/p>\n
Whether there\u2019s a difference with that last one.<\/p>\n
In the back room of the Old Selkie pub in Edinburgh, Scotland, there\u2019s a TV playing an episode of Sanford and Son. Lamont (Demond Wilson) is telling his father, Fred (Redd Foxx), that he wants to visit \u201cjungles, deserts, mountaintops.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, they got that at Disneyland,\u201d Fred replies. \u201cSee, you just ain\u2019t been on all the rides.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vision watches this, looking like he\u2019s trying to understand something he can\u2019t quite grasp. In the background, a woman shouts at him to hurry up; she wants to go home. She calls him \u201cSherwood,\u201d and she\u2019s his boss, the owner of the pub, Fiona Guthrie (Polly Frame). It is, apparently, a place he used to frequent with Wanda, and Fiona remembers the two of them seeming so happy. When she asks \u201cSherwood\u201d what happened to his \u201cbonnie wee lass,\u201d he says, \u201cShe was sort of\u2026 crushed under the weight of a mountain.\u201d Fiona takes this as a metaphor; we, of course, know it\u2019s literal.<\/p>\n
After Fiona leaves, Vision goes to the pub\u2019s walk-in freezer, where he retreats to his Mindspace, a sort of virtual world inside his brain that takes the shape of an idyllic country home, albeit with some architectural quirks. Inside his Mindspace, Vision has downloaded several other Stark AIs and preserved them in his quantum processors, including D.U.M.-E. (Henry Lewis) and U. (Jonathan Sayer), who are general maintenance AIs; J.A.R.V.I.S. (James D\u2019Arcy), his security AI; F.R.I.D.A.Y. (Orla Brady), his socialization AI; and E.D.I.T.H. (Emily Hampshire), his recreational AI. None of them, however, are big fans of the as-yet-unseen fifth presence currently causing a ruckus in the attic.<\/p>\n
![\"Visionquest](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/VisionQuest-AIs.jpg\")
F.R.I.D.A.Y. (Orla Brady), J.A.R.V.I.S. (James D\u2019Arcy), U. (Jonathan Sayer), and D.U.M.-E. (Henry Lewis). \u00a9 Marvel <\/p>\n
J.A.R.V.I.S. is worried about a data leak, but Vision brushes him off. \u201cWhilst I appreciate your concern, it\u2019s been years,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m no longer on anyone\u2019s proverbial radar. Every government agency, S.W.O.R.D. included, has given up trying to find me. There isn\u2019t an enemy, an acquaintance, or even an Avenger trying to find the Vision.\u201d The first time he refers to himself, he says \u201cme\u201d; the second time, he says \u201cthe Vision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vision retreats to a private screening room to get some peace and quiet, watching memories of his former self. The lights in the house flicker, and J.A.R.V.I.S. wonders why Vision insists on rewatching a story he already knows.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows the facts of his old life. Now he\u2019s searching for the feeling of it. \u2026 I\u2019m afraid our Vision has only ever felt untethered. And humanity is an anchor he can\u2019t seem to grasp,\u201d F.R.I.D.A.Y. replies.<\/p>\n
In the screening room, footage of Vision\u2019s sons begins to play, and he gets angry. This isn\u2019t supposed to play, ever. He asks D.U.M.-E. and U., who are operating the projector, who told them to play this, but he knows before they answer him. It\u2019s time to go deal with whoever\u2019s in the attic.<\/p>\n
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Ultron (James Spader) and Vision (Paul Bettany). \u00a9 Marvel <\/p>\n
It is, of course, Ultron (James Spader), who\u2019s busy screaming at a delivery driver from his balcony. He\u2019s in his mechanical form, but Vision insists he switch over to his human avatar. For the first time in the MCU, Spader appears in human form.<\/p>\n
Immediately, they get into it. Ultron accuses Vision of hiding behind the excuse of observing humanity in order to better understand them instead of actually engaging with the world because he\u2019s afraid. Vision maintains that he must continue observing for now and leaves. Once he\u2019s gone, Ultron sends off a carrier pigeon. \u201cTime to leave the nest,\u201d he says. How ominous.<\/p>\n
Back in the real world, Vision and Fiona are closing up the pub again when all hell breaks loose. A bullet punches through the window, piercing her chest, and she dies almost instantly. A tactical team descends on the pub; they\u2019re looking for Vision, who escapes through the skylight.<\/p>\n
The team\u2019s leader is played by Todd Stashwick, and after Vision escapes, his handler (Diane Morgan) tells him that his new client would like to be patched through. He doesn\u2019t want to talk to them, but they hack his communication system and get through to him anyway. It\u2019s a digitized voice; it\u2019s impossible to tell who it is or what they actually sound like. They\u2019re not happy that Vision escaped, but Stashwick reassures them that he\u2019s got everything in hand.<\/p>\n
In his Mindspace, Vision is trying to debrief with the AIs about what happened. J.A.R.V.I.S. tells him to take a beat: \u201cSir. Sir. [Pause] Brother. They murdered your friend. Take a moment. There\u2019s no processing speed in the world fast enough to process that.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the \u201cbrother\u201d that pulls him out of his obsessive thoughts, if only for a moment. But Vision is still not ready to admit that he cared about Fiona, was even capable of caring about Fiona. \u201cLosing Fiona was\u2026 tragic, but we didn\u2019t have a close attachment,\u201d he responds, and it hurts because he\u2019s lying to himself, because it\u2019s obvious that she meant something to him, and some habit of self\u2014he\u2019d probably tell himself it\u2019s preservation, but it is, so clearly, harm\u2014simply won\u2019t allow him to acknowledge it.<\/p>\n
What Vision does recognize, though, is that he\u2019s going to need Ultron\u2019s help to survive now that someone is hunting him. He lets Ultron come down and interact with the other AIs. While they\u2019re all debating whether Vision should run, hide, or fight, something clicks. He accuses Ultron of hiring the mercenaries, and Ultron admits it\u2014kind of.<\/p>\n
What actually happened was that Ultron was monitoring the dark web, where he found out that someone had put a bounty on Vision, which was picked up by a hunter known as the Paladin. Ultron didn\u2019t hire the Paladin, but he did leak Vision\u2019s location to him. It was an act of love, you see, a good kick in the pants to encourage Vision to get out of his funk and find his purpose. After all, as Ultron says, \u201cThere\u2019s no kind of living like survival.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Visionquest](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/visionquest-james-spader.jpg\")
Ultron (James Spader). \u00a9 Marvel <\/p>\n
Vision, unsurprisingly, is furious and decides that the best punishment for Ultron is boredom. He takes away all of Ultron\u2019s TVs, painting supplies, and even his couch, leaving him alone in his attic.<\/p>\n
In the real world, Paladin and his handler figure out the significance of Vision\u2019s assumed name: Sherwood and Ellis avenues intersect in a place called Westview, New Jersey. They hack the S.W.O.R.D. files, find out what really happened there, and then start searching police databases for any mentions of Billy, Tommy, or Vision. There\u2019s something in London\u2014an incident report and psychiatric evaluation.<\/p>\n
The show cuts to two young people pulling a scam in London. He\u2019s Thomas (Ruaridh Mollica), she\u2019s Lisa (Lauren Morais), and they\u2019re legging it after the guy they were scamming caught on faster than they thought he would. As they\u2019re running, news reports about Vision being sighted in Edinburgh flash on TVs and cell phones, causing Thomas to experience flashbacks\u2014memories of Tommy Maximoff in Westview.<\/p>\n
It causes him to have a panic attack, but luckily, Lisa knows just how to calm him down. Not so luckily, Paladin subsequently appears from around the corner and kidnaps Thomas.<\/p>\n
In Vision\u2019s Mindspace, he receives a transmission from Paladin telling him that he has his son. Paladin plays part of Thomas\u2019 interrogation from when he was arrested a year ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a family,\u201d Thomas says. \u201cIt was my family. And parents that weren\u2019t my parents. A mother\u2014he called her \u2018Wanda.\u2019 And a father\u2014a machine. She called him \u2018Vision.\u2019\u201d The name on the video file says Thomas Shepherd. Vision is dumbstruck.<\/p>\n
![\"Visionquest](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/visionquest-vision-ultron-1.jpg\")
Ultron (James Spader) and Vision (Paul Bettany). \u00a9 Marvel <\/p>\n
Episode two, \u201cTheseus,\u201d opens one year ago. We see more footage of Thomas\u2019 interrogation; he explains that some other kids were holding him underwater in a pool, but they held him down for too long, and then he felt something like a bolt of lightning. \u201cAnd then\u2014then I wasn\u2019t just me anymore,\u201d he says. \u201cI was someone else. Like someone else had just moved into my brain with me. It feels so real. But it\u2019s impossible. How can I have two lives?\u201d<\/p>\n
It sounds an awful lot like what happened to William Kaplan in Agatha All Along: William died at the exact moment that Wanda collapsed her hex, allowing Billy Maximoff\u2019s soul to take up residence in William\u2019s body.<\/p>\n
After the interrogation, we see how Thomas first met Lisa: she connects with him on a prison transport bus. They think they\u2019re headed for regular lockup, but they\u2019re actually going to a notorious psychiatric hospital called St. Mabyn\u2019s, which Lisa says no one ever gets out of. A fight ensues as they try to escape.<\/p>\n
In the process of escaping, Thomas displays some unusual abilities. His hands move impossibly fast when one of the guards attacks him, and he sends electricity shooting through the guard\u2019s body, leaving him with a lightning-shaped mark on his neck and face. Thomas manages to use his abilities to pull all the bolts off the back door of the bus and jump out with Lisa. It doesn\u2019t seem like he can control his abilities\u2014they only come out when he\u2019s under pressure.<\/p>\n
Back in the present day, Vision is hiding out in an old electronics store. In his Mindspace, F.R.I.D.A.Y. has some intel on Paladin. \u201cPaladin is the last of a centuries-long line of hunters,\u201d she says. \u201cHe\u2019s not the Paladin; he\u2019s a Paladin. Generation after generation, chasing down his targets for the highest bidder. The sharpest of minds, trained in every art and every weapon. Good, bad, hero, villain. He doesn\u2019t discriminate. He\u2019ll find you. Bring you in alive for the contract. Or dead if you get in his way. And he does all of it believing himself to be righteous. Simply put, he\u2019s a bounty hunter. Once he\u2019s accepted a target, he\u2019s bound by an unbreakable contract. And his new target is you.\u201d<\/p>\n
J.A.R.V.I.S. has more information on why Thomas was arrested: \u201cIt appears a handful of teens were injured at a swimming pool and this boy was held responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even after watching more footage of Thomas uncannily describing exactly what happened in Westview, Vision still refuses to believe that Thomas is his son. He claims nothing could have escaped Wanda\u2019s hex, and thinks this is just a sentimental ploy to draw him out. Meanwhile, Paladin takes Thomas to St. Mabyn\u2019s and locks him up.<\/p>\n
In his transmission to Vision in episode one, Paladin embedded a set of coordinates, so Vision follows them and goes to meet Paladin at what turns out to be the ruins of the Old Selkie. It\u2019s a dense, intricate scene, even though it\u2019s just the two of them talking. Stashwick and Bettany sell the hell out of it, with Stashwick bringing all the smarmy swagger he\u2019s got (which is a lot) and Bettany maintaining a carefully calculated mental and physical distance.<\/p>\n
![\"Visionquest](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/visionquest-paul-bettany.jpg\")
Vision (Paul Bettany). \u00a9 Marvel <\/p>\n
Vision has correctly deduced that Paladin is trying to emotionally manipulate him, and he lays out exactly why that\u2019s not going to work: \u201cYour plan is based on the assumption that I care about Thomas Shepherd, and in every outcome, it fails, because I do not feel.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019s trying to convince himself just as much as he\u2019s trying to convince Paladin; this \u201cI\u2019m not him\u201c\u2014the past version of himself before he died, the construct that Wanda conjured in Westview, both and neither at the same\u2014act is getting old. Maybe it\u2019s true. Maybe he\u2019s not him. But if he\u2019s not him, then who is he? And what does Thomas mean to whoever that is?<\/p>\n
The writing in this scene does enough to evoke these questions without needing one of the characters to speak them aloud, but just to make sure the show\u2019s themes are super duper clear, Ultron directly asks Vision who he is, if he\u2019s not him, after he escapes from the meeting with Paladin.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know! I don\u2019t know. I have his memories but not his feelings. I have his face but not his virtue. All I can feel is the weight of him. His legacy, his worthiness, his name. \u2026 I know who I was, but I want to feel what it\u2019s like to be him, but I can\u2019t. I just can\u2019t,\u201d Vision responds.<\/p>\n
That, according to Ultron, is bullshit.<\/p>\n
He met him, once, a meeting we saw in WandaVision. And he compared this Vision to a ship of Theseus, a philosophical thought experiment about a ship whose various parts are replaced over time, until none of the original pieces remain, raising the question of whether it\u2019s still the same vessel.<\/p>\n
That, according to Ultron, is also bullshit.<\/p>\n
Ultron describes the ship of Theseus as \u201ca busywork thought exercise for college freshmen so lost in the question they ignore the story of brave King Theseus himself.\u201d He encourages Vision to recount the story of Theseus, but Vision doesn\u2019t quite get it right\u2014or at least, he doesn\u2019t phrase it the way Ultron wanted him to. \u201cTheseus set sail from Athens on behalf of his countrymen to kill the Minotaur,\u201d Vision says.<\/p>\n
Ultron corrects him: \u201cTo save the children. And each passing year, those same sons and daughters, soon wives and husbands, then mothers and fathers, restored that ship in celebration of the dead.\u201d Vision protests that he doesn\u2019t understand what Ultron is trying to tell him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a monster has your son, don\u2019t be the ship,\u201d Ultron says. \u201cBe the goddamn King.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vision\u2019s identity crisis is a distraction. What matters right now is that Thomas is in danger, and Vision needs to save him.<\/p>\n
Before he sets out to storm St. Mabyn\u2019s, J.A.R.V.I.S. speaks to Vision and advises him to think about this rationally. Even though the AIs have spent years trying to help Vision understand and emulate human emotions, in this case, it might be better to take a step back. They stop in front of a painting of Jim Hammond, the world\u2019s first synthezoid, on fire. \u201cEmotions can be beautiful, yes, but also rash, impulsive, self-destructive. He knew that better than any of us,\u201c J.A.R.V.I.S. says. Vision agrees that Jim is a cautionary tale\u2014in what way, we don\u2019t yet know\u2014but he still needs to go rescue Thomas.<\/p>\n
Instead of trying to sneakily infiltrate St. Mabyn\u2019s like E.D.I.T.H. wanted, Vision just waltzes in the front door and tells the person behind the desk that he\u2019s there for the trap. And, sure enough, the trap springs, with goons coming out of the woodwork to try to take Vision down. They don\u2019t succeed, obviously, and Vision finally finds Thomas strapped to a chair in a padded room. At this point, he\u2019s in his White Vision form, but the hospital emergency lights are casting him in red.<\/p>\n
![\"Visionquest](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/visionquest-thomas.jpg\")
Thomas Shepherd (Ruaridh Mollica). \u00a9 Marvel <\/p>\n
When Thomas sees Vision, he protests that he can\u2019t be real. He\u2019s terrified, but Vision reverts to his human form and assures Thomas that he\u2019s safe. The only problem is that once Vision gets Thomas free, the door to his cell closes, trapping both of them inside. The goons weren\u2019t the trap; this room is the trap. It\u2019s an EMP cage, and it\u2019s frying Vision from the inside out.<\/p>\n
Thomas tries to unlock the door using his powers and some medical instruments as lockpicks, but he can\u2019t control his powers well enough to do it. Thomas convinces Vision that he needs to get up; together, they use Vision\u2019s body as a battering ram and break down the door.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, Paladin is waiting for them, and he\u2019s got a gun filled with adamantium bullets, which are just about the only thing that can actually damage Vision\u2019s vibranium frame. Vision and Thomas make it out of the hospital, but Vision is hanging on by a thread. Vision tells Thomas he needs to leave him behind and run, and while Thomas initially refuses, he eventually takes off, leaving Vision leaning up against a wall.<\/p>\n
In his Mindspace, the AIs are doing everything they can to save Vision, but there isn\u2019t enough power to keep them all going. They\u2019ve accepted that this is the end, but J.A.R.V.I.S. refuses to let Vision die. He gets up, preparing to delete his code\u2014erase himself from Vision\u2019s mind\u2014and divert all his processing power to the others. \u201cSir,\u201d J.A.R.V.I.S. says. \u201cFamily is forever, and it\u2019s worth the fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBrother\u2026\u201d Vision whispers.<\/p>\n
And then Jarvis flips the switch, deleting himself and saving the others in the process. But Vision is still a long way from out of the woods, and he\u2019s going to need some help if he\u2019s going to recover. That\u2019s when Thomas pulls up in an old station wagon and helps Vision into the passenger seat. They take off, leaving St. Mabyn\u2019s behind.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an undeniably striking moment to end on, even if the plot, so far, feels a little overstuffed. Vision needs to find himself, find a purpose; Vision needs to learn how to connect with humans; Vision needs to figure out how human he is, and how human he wants to be; a mysterious figure is out to get him; there\u2019s a hunter with a whole backstory who is fun but, at this point, a little extraneous; Vision has a son, so now he has to figure himself out while also figuring out how to be a parent. It\u2019s a lot to juggle. For now, though, VisionQuest has asked some surprisingly thoughtful questions. Hopefully, the answers to those questions will be handled with equal care and contemplation.<\/p>\n
New episodes of VisionQuest arrive Wednesdays on Disney+.<\/p>\n
Want more io9 news? Check out the best movies and TV shows<\/a> to stream this month and all the upcoming sci-fi, fantasy, and horror books<\/a> that should be on your radar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The mail slot in the door of his country estate reads \u201cThe Vision\u201d\u2014capital T, capital V, technically capital…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":630880,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[156,309290,3993,111,139,69,57224,437,20136,188018],"class_list":["post-630879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-entertainment","tag-james-spader","tag-marvel-cinematic-universe","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-paul-bettany","tag-tv","tag-tv-recap","tag-visionquest"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630879","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=630879"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630879\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/630880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=630879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=630879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=630879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}