VisionQuest will finally bring Ultron back to the MCU, along with several familiar AI "characters" from movies like Spider-Man: Far From Home, the Iron Man franchise, and Avengers: Endgame.
Tony Stark had several AI sidekicks over the years, starting with J.A.R.V.I.S. and ending with F.R.I.D.A.Y. The latter was there when Iron Man unleashed the power of the Infinity Stones and wiped Thanos from existence to save the universe. Moments later, the hero died from the strain of wielding the Stones.
Kerry Condon voiced F.R.I.D.A.Y., but actress Orla Brady steps in to play "her" physical manifestation in this follow-up to WandaVision and Agatha All Along. According to VisionQuest showrunner Terry Matalas, the series will offer a fresh perspective on Tony's death.
"F.R.I.D.A.Y. was there when Tony Stark died. What's that like for an AI, to not be able to protect the one they’re programmed to protect?" Matalas mused in an interview with SFX Magazine. "That's a question that the pilot will very quickly answer."
So, it seems likely that she's been left traumatised by the experience. Elsewhere in the magazine, Paul Bettany teased Vision's story arc and how it sets up his future beyond the Disney+ series.
"We start the show where we left him as White Vision, who has been repurposed as a weapon," the actor said. "I think that where we get to at the end of this, he's clearly escaped the confines of whoever repurposed him, and he is looking for agency. By the end of our show, I think you'll see that it's a really exciting springboard for what Vision might do in the future."
James Spader was also on hand to explain where we find Ultron after his defeat in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron. "He's had access to the internet, television, history, and he's just been consuming... and he's been painting," Spader revealed. "[Ultron and Vision] have a sort of father-son-therapist-psychopath relationship."
Taking AI characters who have largely existed only for exposition or to lend a hero a helping hand and exploring what makes them tick promises to be a lot of fun. It will also be fascinating to learn how they function within the virtual world Vision has created.
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 series is directed by Christopher J. Byrne, Gandja Monteiro, Vincenzo Natali, Terry Matalas, and written by Terry Matalas, Cindy Appel, Christopher Monfette, Nicole Falsetti, and Matthew Okumura.
VisionQuest is created for television by Terry Matalas, based on the Marvel Comics. The executive producers are Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Mary Livanos, Terry Matalas, Jac Schaeffer, and Christopher J. Byrne, and the producer is Roopesh Parekh.
The series premieres on Disney+ on October 14.