Credit: Marvel StudiosAre we saying both goodbye and hello, again?
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Following Robert Downey Jr.’s significant sacrifice as Iron Man/Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame and Chris Evans’ passing of the Captain America mantle and retiring of Steve Rogers, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is poised to face even greater and more formidable challenges. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are now on the edge of the unknown as they enter the Multiverse Saga.
The MCU boldly expanded into streaming television, integrating mainline movie actors into its new Marvel TV series. Phase Four officially launched in 2021 with the highly anticipated debut of WandaVision on Disney+.
The series WandaVision featured Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) from the Marvel movies, exploring the lives of the seemingly blissful newlywed couple—even though Vision was deceased in the MCU canon. The mystery of the idyllic, fourth-wall-breaking sitcom captivated viewers with the (seemingly) charming town of Westview, New Jersey.
Owing to the immense popularity of WandaVision, two sequel/spinoff projects have been confirmed: (what would have been) Vision Quest and Agatha All Along (formerly known as Agatha: House of Harkness, Agatha: Coven of Chaos, and Agatha: Darkhold Diaries), focusing on Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness/Agnes from WandaVision.
It’s been confirmed that the fan-favorite character, Paul Bettany’s Vision, will be given second lease at life and be “rebooted” afresh — following the “Ship of Theseus”-ed, almost “photocopied” version of the original Vision, himself built from a mix of Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, JARVIS (Stark’s former butler AI), and Ultron — and a little smidgen of the Infinity Stones’ Mind Stone.
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Last year, fans got up in arms when it appeared that Marvel Studios and Disney were moving forward with an “incestuous teen relationship” for the upcoming Vision show surrounding this White Vision in lieu of a WandaVision Season 2.
Now, the previous report from Marvel and industry insiders Daniel Richtman and Alex Perez on the MCU’s upcoming WandaVision spinoff, formerly (tentatively) titled Vision Quest and now retitled simply Vision, has been proven true — with The Walt Disney Company’s Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige going on record to confirm the new series.
The new Vision TV series will ostensibly follow the Marvel Comics run, which explored the storyline in which Vision starts his very own “Vision Family”.
Kevin Feige has been determined to bring in Terry Matalas, the mind behind the final season of Picard, as the latest Marvel addition to helm Vision. Matalas has been confirmed to lead the upcoming Vision Quest (or simply Vision, as stated in the interview) for the MCU.
Continuing their new approach of hiring dedicated writer-producers as showrunners for Marvel TV projects in a more traditional approach to television-making, Matalas will introduce a resurrected and rebooted Vision with a fresh storyline and new tone for the MCU.
Matalas will take on the role of showrunner after Jac Schaeffer of WandaVision fame departed the project to focus on Agatha All Along, which is set to premiere this Halloween period.
The (Likely) Plot and Characters of Vision
The upcoming Vision series has been the subject of much debate and speculation — but reports from insider sources have given us a fair idea of what the new Vision-focused series will be like. When these details are pieced together with what is known from the existing Marvel Comics, the Vision is more or less clear.
Using Tom King’s “Vision” series (2015-2016) as a starting point, we know that the tale is about the android superhero’s quest for normalcy.
Vision (Victor Shade)
The obvious protagonist of the series, Vision is a synthetic android who, in an effort to lead a normal life, creates a family for himself and moves into a suburban neighborhood.
Does this sound familiar? Well, King’s “Vision” was a big inspiration for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s WandaVision, after all.
This time, though, it seems like Vision is striking it out on his own. In the Marvel comic book iteration, Vision creates a family of synthetics, including his wife Virginia and children Viv and Vin, in an attempt to live a normal suburban life in Washington, D.C. They move into a residential neighborhood, hoping to blend in with human society.
Virginia Vision
Vision’s synthetic wife — designed to be a perfect partner for him.
Like Vision, Virginia is an android with advanced capabilities, but she struggles with her own sense of identity and the pressures of domestic life.
All of this is explored as the series focuses on the family’s attempt to adapt to normal life, with Vision navigating the complexities of suburban existence while dealing with the difficulties of being an artificial being among humans.
Viv Vision
Vision and Virginia’s teenage daughter.
Viv is a young, intelligent android who, despite her synthetic nature, strives for normal teenage experiences and grapples with her place in the world.
Vin Vision
Vision and Virginia’s younger son.
Vin is the more emotionally fragile member of the family, reflecting the challenges of being part of a synthetic family.
She is also the subject of the aforementioned “incest” discussion — allegedly being linked romantically to her half-brother-of-sorts Tommy Maximoff, in what would be a rather “Luke and Leia” sort of twist.
Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch)
Vision’s former lover and the mother of his children Billy Maximoff and Tommy Maximoff in previous storylines. Her presence is felt through flashbacks and her influence on Vision’s choices.
The original Vision series explores the impact of Vision’s actions and decisions, including violent confrontations and personal tragedies. The family’s attempts to maintain their facade of normalcy lead to devastating consequences, unraveling their seemingly perfect life.
As tensions rise, Vision’s family faces catastrophic events that test their togetherness and resolve. These culminate in an emotional conclusion that reflects on the true cost of Vision’s pursuit of a normal life.
The question remains: will this shift to the new Marvel Television “showrunner first” strategy in Vision and Agatha All Along repair the damage done by less successful Marvel Television offerings in recent years? How much will Matalas need to address the issues left by shows like She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022) and Secret Invasion (2023), despite the earlier success of WandaVision (2021) and Loki (2021)?
Are you excited to watch Vision? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!