Two-Episode Premiere of VISIONQUEST Kicks Off With a Techno-Psychedelic Bang

We are introduced to other AI characters that inhabit Vision’s brain/mindscape, all previously featured in the MCU and created by Tony Stark — Emily Hampshire’s E.D.I.T.H, James D’Arcy’s J.A.R.V.I.S, Orla Brady’s F.R.I.D.A.Y, Henry Lewis’ D.U.M-E and Jonathan Sayer’s U. The only actor that had previously appeared in the MCU from this list is James D’Arcy as Edwin Jarvis in Agent Carter and Avengers: Endgame. They are all remarkable in their own way, although I would have loved to see montage sequences with their roles in other films, which would further establish VisionQuest’s connection to the MCU as a whole. 

We are also introduced to Thomas Shepherd and Lisa, a duo with impressive chemistry that met on the way to prison, since they both steal for a living. We also learn that Thomas Shepherd’s body has inherited the memories of Tommy Maximoff after the destruction of the alternate reality (also called ‘The Hex’) created in WandaVision. Ultimately, both of Vision and Wanda’s sons inherited bodies of boys who were about to die so they could live on after the Hex was gone. Now, Thomas Shepherd vaguely remembers having a loving but troubled mother and a synthetic robot for a father who he has spent his entire life looking for. 

VisionQuest follows some of the production standards already set in WandaVision, with a psychedelic, dream-like quality to Vision’s mindscape and the scenes that happen in it. In the scenes taking place in the real world, they initially resemble what we saw from Wanda and Vision in Infinity War. The vintage footage style is also used throughout to symbolize connections between Vision’s mind and the real world; for instance, when we see Tommy in the screens shown by Ultron and when we get glimpses of Vision’s old life.  

While Bettany’s Vision is as spectacularly written as expected, Spader’s Ultron fell short of expectations, which were built by his remarkable performance in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Some of the character’s satirical tone seems to get lost due to the amount of things going on all at once — I surely had higher hopes for the chemistry and exchanges between Bettany and Spader. However, the series still has six episodes to deliver scenes that will adhere to the standard set by Ultron and Vision’s ending scene in Age of Ultron, with ironic remarks and writing that depicts their complicated relationship. 

The main positive surprise brought by the first two episodes is Ruaridh Mollica’s Thomas Shepherd/Tommy Maximoff. Mollica flawlessly portrays Tommy’s search for his family, adding more layers of emotional depth than what was previously presented by his on-screen brother, Billy Maximoff, in Agatha All Along (2024). His monologue, where he inquires about his family to an officer, was the acting highlight of the first two episodes.