‘VisionQuest’ showrunner clears up which Marvel shows you need to watch before the Disney+ series
‘WandaVision’ concluded in March 2021 with White Vision, the android S.W.O.R.D. rebuilt, uploading the memories of Wanda’s Hex-based Vision and vanishing into the unknown. ‘Agatha All Along’ began in September 2024 and picked up three years after the events of Westview, following Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) down the Witches’ Road with a teen revealed to be Billy (Joe Locke), the son of Wanda and Vision. Two years later, Vision (Paul Bettany) returns to the small screen in ‘VisionQuest,’ set to debut on Disney+ this Wednesday, October 14, as Marvel promises it to be the series’ trilogy-closing chapter.
In an interview with SFX magazine, showrunner Terry Matalas was asked whether he had been told to craft a story that closed out that trilogy, and he replied that it was not the case. He described ‘VisionQuest’ as “definitely more of a sequel to WandaVision in a lot of ways.” He further added that it worked as a self-contained chapter telling Vision’s story in different ways that the movies and ‘WandaVision’ could not, including elements of his origin that may stretch further than previously realized. “It really exists on its own. It’s more the Vision story, just because we’re going to dig into so much of who he is in ways that the films and WandaVision couldn’t, including some deeper parts of his origin that may go back even further than what we believed. So it’s very much its own entity, but it does obviously touch upon what has come before for this guy,” he added, as reported by SoapCentral.
Speaking exclusively to Polygon about the viewing order, Matalas noted, “We definitely catch the audience up very simply. So it’s not a hard and fast rule that they need to watch. If anything, WandaVision, for sure, because it’s definitely a sequel to WandaVision. There are definitely elements of Agatha that are touched upon, but you can easily grasp what’s going on if you don't have time.” Years have passed since the events of ‘WandaVision,’ which Matalas placed in the same vicinity of ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day.’
‘Agatha All Along’ is significant mainly because of Tommy. Billy, Wanda and Vision’s son, returned as a teenager named William Kaplan after a fatal car accident. In the penultimate episode, Billy and Agatha transferred his twin brother Tommy’s soul into a boy who was about to drown. At the end of the series, Billy and Agatha, now a ghost, started their journey to find him. In ‘VisionQuest,’ Ruaridh Mollica plays teenage Tommy, taking over from Jett Klyne, who played him as a child in ‘WandaVision.’ A bounty on Vision puts both Vision and Tommy on the run, with Paladin (Todd Stashwick) hot on their trail.
The wider Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) also plays a role in ‘VisionQuest,’ with Vision first appearing in the 2015 film ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron.’ Created from Ultron’s synthetic body, J.A.R.V.I.S., and the Mind Stone, ‘VisionQuest’ sees James Spader reprise his role as Ultron, while J.A.R.V.I.S., F.R.I.D.A.Y., and E.D.I.T.H. all appear as personas that Vision converses with in his mind. Meanwhile, the title is a reference to a 1989 Marvel Comics story written by John Byrne, in which Vision is disassembled and reassembled as a colorless version without his memories. Streaming on Disney+ with two episodes on October 14, ‘VisionQuest’ will conclude on November 11.
