Nearly five years after his last appearance in WandaVision, Paul Bettany returns as the synthezoid Vision in the new Disney+ series VisionQuest. The show features Vision alongside AI characters like Ultron, JARVIS, FRIDAY, and EDITH. Notably absent are Wanda Maximoff and the Avengers. Bettany explained that this absence contributes to Vision's feelings of isolation.
"There isn’t an enemy, an acquaintance… or even an Avenger trying to find the Vision," Vision muses in the premiere, a line Bettany delivers with a sense of melancholy. "Well, I think so," Bettany confirmed when asked if Vision feels abandoned. He related the moment to a child feeling like an outsider, saying, "It's sitting on a chair at a dance, a school dance, you know what I mean? And having the courage to go and talk to a girl."
Wanda Maximoff's presumed death following the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness further contributes to Vision's detachment. In VisionQuest, Vision, formerly the White Vision who had lost his memories and emotions, now appears detached from deep feelings, particularly regarding Wanda.
James Spader, reprising his role as Ultron, described his character's perspective on Wanda as dismissive. "He's pretty rude about Wanda," Spader said. "Ultron lives in the present. He really lives in the present. And he's ready to step forward. And he's not going to step forward until he shoves [Vision] ahead of him."
Despite their adversarial history, Vision and Ultron share a complex bond in VisionQuest. Bettany described Ultron as a "quasi-therapist, psychotic father figure." Spader sees Vision as a "son-like figure" to Ultron, noting that the villain cares deeply about how Vision perceives him, despite outward appearances.
This dynamic echoes a pivotal scene from Avengers: Age of Ultron, where Vision and Ultron discussed humanity. Spader recalled that the scene, filmed in a parking lot, was the origin of their relationship in the series. "It's this little seed of the last scene with them in Age of Ultron," Spader said. "[We] grew it and watered it and fed it and raised it and gave it light and it blossomed into this amazing show and story."
In their Age of Ultron conversation, Vision told Ultron, "Humans are odd. They think order and chaos are somehow opposites, and try to control what won't be. But there is grace in their failings. I think you missed that." Spader stated that Ultron has spent the intervening years embracing that idea, becoming chaos personified, while Vision seeks order. "What they then learn from one another is fabulous and funny and exciting and challenging for both of them. And they both get as much from each other as the other."
The actors also noted a shift in Vision's perspective since Age of Ultron. The android, having experienced more of the world, now harbors "very real doubts" and confusion about humanity's chaos. While Ultron embraces chaos, Vision grapples with its consequences. This dichotomy between their reactions and how they eventually reconcile them forms a core element of their relationship in VisionQuest.