UPDATE: Brian "Q" Quinn has now weighed in on his MCU debut in VisionQuest, and it sounds like a moment that means a lot to him...
In the sixth episode of VisionQuest, titled "Deadlock," Vision and Lisa Molinari arrive in Madripoor on a quest to retrieve Tommy from Paladin. Following their arrival, Lisa bumps into someone many of you will have likely recognised: Impractical Jokers star Brian "Q" Quinn.
As cameos go, it was a surprise and one that's left many fans wondering the same thing: "Why?" Is Q a big MCU fan? Did the comedian once have a bigger part than the few lines we hear in the episode?
Well, for fans of VisionQuest showrunner Terry Matalas' work, Q's appearance won't have come as too much of a shocker.
Q plays a recurring character called Uncle Dale (or just Dale) in Matalas' work as part of a connected crossover continuity known as the "DaleVerse."
So far, he's appeared in 12 Monkeys, speed-dating the character Jennifer Goines (played by Emily Hampshire) and showed up in MacGyver ordering food at a restaurant. In Star Trek: Picard, Dale appeared in Season 2, episode "Watcher," taking custody of Guinan's dog Luna in Los Angeles. Q has even taken on the role in an episode of Impractical Jokers.
It's a fun Easter Egg, and one that keeps the "DaleVerse" tradition going. Matalas and Q have yet to comment on the cameo, but you can see a screenshot of Dale's appearance in the X post below.
In our full season review, we concluded, "Paul Bettany and James Spader are masterful in VisionQuest, a staggering achievement by Marvel Studios and Terry Matalas that understands its characters, does right by them, and delivers one of the best MCU stories ever told."
In VisionQuest, Vision, rebooted and having escaped from those who sought to weaponise him, has been in hiding. Searching for new meaning, he consults the AI personas embedded in his programming, including F.R.I.D.A.Y., E.D.I.T.H., J.A.R.V.I.S., and the infamous Ultron.
His discreet existence ends when a bounty placed on his head thrusts him on the run with Thomas Shepard, a mysterious boy who may be Vision's son, reincarnated. As Vision evades capture, he must confront his nature, resist Ultron's influence, and unravel the enigma that is his young companion if he’s to survive.
VisionQuest stars Paul Bettany, James Spader, Ruaridh Mollica, Todd Stashwick, T'Nia Miller, Lauren Morais, Orla Brady, Diane Morgan, Polly Frame, Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, with Emily Hampshire and James D'Arcy.
Four episodes of VisionQuest are now streaming on Disney+.