The second episode of VisionQuest, titled "Theseus," pulls back the curtain on Tommy Shepard and what happened when Billy Maximoff transferred his twin brother's soul into this young man's body at the end of Agatha All Along.
Tommy, who was brought up in the care system, drowned when bullies held him under the water for too long. When he was revived, it felt like someone had moved into his head with him, leading to a psychotic break that eventually saw Tommy sent to a sanitarium, St. Mabyn's.
He meets Lisa Molinari, and they escape after his superspeed is activated by a run-in with a guard who uses a stun baton on him. This is what brought him to Paladin's attention in the previous episode, of course, as he kidnapped Tommy in a bid to force Vision to rescue the teenager who claims to be his son.
In an intriguing twist, Paladin is revealed to be part of a secret society of Paladins who are bounty hunters that never break their contracts. It's an intriguing approach to the character, and one that makes him immediately more interesting.
After we learn that "J.I.M.," aka the original Human Torch, is considered a cautionary tale by other AI because his emotions consumed him, Vision heads to St. Mabyn's and brutally kills Paladin's goons. Paladin himself, however, is armed with Adamantium bullets, a nice nod to Captain America: Brave New World and how the indestructible metal is now finding its way into the world.
Vision is gravely injured, but manages to save Tommy. The consequence is that Ultron is no longer locked in the Mindscape's proverbial attic and, while still a captive in Vision's mind, is finally free to communicate with his "son" in the real world. To save Vision, J.A.R.V.I.S. sacrifices himself and is permanently deleted to buy Vision the time he needs to recover.
It's a tragic farewell to an AI who has been part of the MCU since 2008, but Vision and Tommy escape with Paladin in hot pursuit, and Ultron is able to offer the Synthezoid some fatherly advice. That won't end well, right?
In our 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.
The first two episodes of VisionQuest are now streaming on Disney+.