T’Nia Miller, who portrays the AI antagonist Jocasta in Marvel's VisionQuest, described the motion capture process for the character as "freeing." Miller shared her experience with Polygon, detailing her initial nerves about the technology and her eventual embrace of the physicality it allowed.
Jocasta, revealed as the Butcherbird Killer in the fourth episode of VisionQuest, is an AI based on Josephine Carrington, a former board member of Markridge Biotech. Driven by a desire for revenge against those who sold the company to Stark Industries, Jocasta targets former board members. The AI's name itself is a portmanteau derived from Carrington's name and Stark's.
Miller found that the motion capture suit, despite its initial intimidation factor with its headgear and markers, allowed for a liberating performance, akin to acting in theater or drama school. This freedom enabled her to explore Jocasta's robotic physicality, experimenting with movement and how the AI would lead with different parts of her body. "I think you can be bigger with it," Miller noted, adding that the technology effectively captures even minute movements.
The on-screen results of Miller's performance were evident in the fight sequence between Vision and Jocasta in episode four. Jocasta demonstrated impressive combat prowess, quickly overpowering Vision. The conflict shifted when Ultron, possessing Vision's body, tricked Jocasta into disintegrating Katerina Wells, thereby thwarting Jocasta's immediate plan to collect a "face key."
While Jocasta's origins in VisionQuest differ significantly from her comic book counterparts—where she was created by Hank Pym as a robotic bride for Ultron—the visual design of the character in the series bears a strong resemblance to the comics. Miller's portrayal brings the AI villain to life, exploring a unique physicality that she found to be a rewarding experience despite the initial apprehension.