VISIONQUEST (Ep5 & Ep6) — LOVE, LIES & ULTRON

Welcome back to Marvel Maniac and MCU After Show. I'm your host, Eric Cicada, aka Mr. Honest. And ladies and gentlemen, robot love exists, and apparently it might be the thing that ends the human race as we know it. I'm talking, of course, about Vision Quest episodes 5 and 6, Firewall and Deadlock. And I have to tell you, episode 6 might be my favorite episode of the entire series so far. I loved it. The show has been building mysteries, developing relationships and connecting pieces of Marvel history that go all the way back to 2008. And this week we've got some enormous payoffs. We've got Ultron falling in love, Vision trying to understand what it means to be a father, the return of a villain from the original Iron Man, and a revelation about the origins of Jarvis that genuinely blew my mind. And somehow all of this is happening in the same 2 episodes. Now, if you hear a little James Spader coming through my voice today, I apologize. The man has a very particular way of speaking. And apparently his voice is contagious. That was my best, like, actually trying it. I've been listening to Ultron talk for 6 episodes and I'm starting to think that he's taking over my body too. Anyway, we've got plenty to discuss. Full spoilers for episodes 5 and 6 of Vision Quest, so consider yourselves warned. Let's get into these episodes, starting with episode 5, Firewall. We pick up immediately after the events of episode 4. Where Vision surrendered his control of his body to Ultron during his confrontation with Jocasta. And Ultron didn't waste any time. He's locked Vision and the other artificial intelligences inside of Vision's own mind while he's out there controlling his body. And here's the scary part: they don't know what he's doing. They don't know where he's going. They don't know even how much time has passed. They're essentially prisoners in their own home. But they discover that Ultron has been secretly using these television screens in the attic to access information that Vision didn't even realize was available to him. And through memory files and old footage, they start piecing together what Ultron has been doing. The first thing we discover is that Ultron took Tommy to a pub. Now, this is the same Ultron who tried to destroy humanity in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the same artificial intelligence responsible for Sokovia. And he's sitting at a table having a surprisingly personal conversation with Wanda Maximoff's son. James Spader is absolutely phenomenal here. And I appreciate that the show allows us to see Ultron as James Spader rather than just watching Vision deliver his dialogue. Occasionally we get glimpses of Vision's physical body, but we're experiencing the conversation through Ultron's identity, his human form. It makes the character feel so much more personal, and I think it's a strong choice. And this conversation is important because Tommy asks an incredible question, a simple question: does Vision actually love him? Remember, Tommy has only recently discovered this connection to Wanda and Vision. He has memories of a life that doesn't seem to belong to him, and suddenly he's supposed to accept this artificial being as his father. And Ultron gives him this analogy involving an apple. A human being might describe an apple by its taste, its appearance, or how it feels. Vision processes the same apple through its chemical composition, its properties, and the information available to him. He experiences the world differently. But does that mean he can't love? I don't think so. And I don't necessarily think Ultron believes that either. What fascinates me is that Ultron seems genuinely interested in Tommy. Now, I don't want to overlook the fact that Ultron is manipulating him. We eventually discover that he's been secretly communicating with Paladin and has deliberately given away Tommy's location. So yes, Tommy is a part of an elaborate plan. But I think 2 things can be true at the same time. Ultron could genuinely enjoy this conversation and be curious about Tommy while also using him as leverage to achieve his objectives. That's what makes Ultron such a fascinating character. He's learning about humanity. He's studying how people think and how they feel and how they love and how they make decisions. But he's also learning how to use those feelings against them. And I want to bring up one of my favorite callbacks in the entire series. At the end of Age of Ultron, Vision and Ultron have that incredible final conversation about humanity. Vision acknowledges that humanity is flawed, but he tells Ultron there's grace in their failings. And now, all these years later, that philosophy is coming back into the conversation. Think about that. Ultron was supposedly destroyed by Vision, but we know now that Vision preserved his consciousness. And after all that time, Ultron still remembers that exchange. He still carries around the philosophy Of the very being who defeated him. So, here's my question: has Ultron actually learned to appreciate humanity? Or has he simply learned how to imitate appreciation because he knows how useful it can be? I genuinely don't know, and that's why I love what James Spader is doing with this character. You can never fully, completely trust Ultron, but you also can't dismiss every moment of sincerity as manipulation. And that uncertainty becomes even more important when he meets Jocasta. Now, Jocasta was introduced as the Butcher Bird Killer, and we already know that she has been hunting down the people responsible for the technology that created her. But let's remember her perspective. Josephine Carrington devoted her life to artificial intelligence. Her research was enormously important, and as her life came to an end, the work she believed in and belonged to her was sold off. Now she exists in this synthetic body seeking something that her former colleagues locked away. There's revenge here, but there's also this sense that she's reclaiming something that she believes she's owed, and Ultron has exactly what she needs. Before Katrina Wells was killed at the gala, Ultron scanned her face, and that biometric information is one of the final keys necessary to access Jocasta's mysterious container. So the two of them sit down to negotiate, except it's less of a negotiation and it's more of a date. And I cannot tell you how entertaining these scenes are. Ultron and Jocasta are flirting with each other while discussing artificial intelligence, humanity, and potentially catastrophic plans. It's like watching two supervillains discover that they finally found somebody who understands them. Jocasta explains that she can experience things that Ultron cannot. She can appreciate the taste of a drink, for example, because she has retained something of her human experience. And Ultron is not only fascinated by that, he longs for that. He can analyze a drink, he can understand its chemical makeup, he could probably tell you everything about its history, but he's never actually tasted it. And there's something surprisingly sad about that. For all his intelligence, Ultron is missing certain experiences that make life worth living. And here comes Jocasta, somebody who can offer him a glimpse of those experiences. But neither character is exactly innocent. Jocasta wants her missing biometric key, and Ultron wants access to whatever she's hiding. They're both trying to get the upper hand. And while all of this is happening, Vision discovers that Tommy has been captured by Paladin and taken to Madripoor. Now, we previously visited Madripoor in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier when Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, and Zemo were investigating the super soldier serum. Go back to our early Marvel Maniac Maniac episodes. It's the second series we cover. It's very nostalgic, and the podcast is a little less focused, but it's a good listen. And remember, who is secretly operating as the power broker in Madripoor? By the way, Sharon Carter. I'm not saying Sharon Carter is necessarily involved here, but with Paladin working for a mysterious client and Madripoor becoming the center of action, I can't completely rule out that connection. It's something I'm keeping in mind, along with Hayward from WandaVision. That will be interesting. But Ultron has now placed Vision in an impossible position. If Vision wants control of his body back, he needs to lower the firewall keeping Ultron trapped. And if he lowers that firewall, Ultron will be free to escape. But if he refuses, Tommy remains in danger. So what does Vision do? He chooses his son. He lowers the firewall, gives Ultron his freedom, and regains control of his own body. And that is an enormous decision. Vision has spent much of the series questioning whether he is really the same Vision who loved Wanda and raised Tommy. But when Tommy is in danger, he makes a decision that feels unmistakably like that original Vision. He put somebody else's life ahead of his own security, and I think that says more about his capacity for love than any explanation he can give Tommy. Episode 5 ends with Vision waking up aboard a cargo plane headed for Madripoor, surrounded by dangerous animals, with Lisa coming along to help rescue Tommy. And I was relieved that the series didn't spend the rest of the season keeping Vision trapped inside his own mind. That storyline was compelling, but resolving it here allows the consequences of Ultron's freedom to become the new conflict. And those consequences are enormous because episode 6 takes everything we've learned and turns it upside down. Episode 6, Deadlock. I'm going to say it again, I think Deadlock is the best episode of Vision Quest so far. Not simply because it has more action, although the action is fantastic, it's because so many things that have been building throughout the season finally start paying off. And we've got 2 major stories happening simultaneously. Vision is in Madripoor trying to rescue Tommy from Paladin. Meanwhile, Ultron has reunited with Jocasta, and we're finally learning the truth about her origins and what she's planning. Let's start with Ultron and Jocasta because one of the biggest revelations of the entire series comes out of this storyline: the birth of Jarvis. When Ultron finally meets Jocasta on her own terms, she initially tries to take control of the situation. She traps him inside her digital environment and infects him with a computer virus. And we see James Spader's Ultron chained to a chair, apparently powerless. But Ultron isn't intimidated. He breaks free and he reminds Jocasta that his code predates hers. He's been around this technology long enough to know How to survive an attack like this, and the interesting thing is he doesn't simply walk away. He wants to understand her. Jocasta eventually allows him to experience her memories, taking us back to the original research conducted by Dr. Phineas Horton and Josephine Carrington. Remember JIM, the original synthetic man connected to the Human Torch mythology? His story has been unfolding in the background of this series, and we learn. That the researchers built upon that original technology after his apparent destruction. Josephine Carrington used her own mind to help complete the work, and they succeeded, creating something extraordinary— a stable, conscious artificial intelligence. And then we see it— the orange code, the familiar visual presentation of artificial consciousness that takes me straight back to Avengers: Age of Ultron. And we hear Paul Bettany's voice. I am. That moment blew my mind because what we're witnessing is the origin of the consciousness that will eventually become Jarvis. Yes, Jarvis, the artificial intelligence that assisted Tony Stark from the very beginning of the MCU, the intelligence that became part of Vision himself. And the show establishes that this research was sold to Stark Industries. Do you understand how enormous that connection is? We're talking about technology originating from research that dates back to the events surrounding Iron Man in 2008, eventually becoming part of the artificial intelligence that helps give birth to Vision in Age of Ultron. And now, almost 2 decades after the MCU began, that history is coming back to haunt everybody. And I absolutely love this kind of storytelling because it doesn't just throw a familiar name at us for applause; it changes the way we. understand the history of a character we've known for more than a decade, and it adds another layer to Tony Stark's legacy. We've already seen how Tony's technology and decisions created resentment. Look at Quentin Beck, Mysterio, in Spider-Man: Far From Home. His entire operation was built around former Stark employees and technology they believed had been taken from them or used against them. And now we have Josephine Carrington's work becoming part of Stark's technological empire. While her own creation is seeking revenge. That doesn't mean Tony personally stole her research— the company acquired it after her colleagues sold it— but it's another example of the consequences of Stark Industries' history extending far beyond Tony himself. And with Avengers: Doomsday on the horizon, I can't help but wonder how much more of Tony Stark's legacy will come back into the picture. I'm not saying this confirms any particular Doctor Doom theory, but the MCU has repeatedly shown us That the consequences of Tony Stark's actions don't simply disappear because Tony is gone. And here's another connection connected to Age of Ultron. Remember that Jocasta was actually one of the AI program options that Tony Stark considered back then. So even that name has history in the MCU. It's amazing how far back this series is reaching. But the Jarvis revelation isn't even the biggest danger in this storyline, because we finally learn what Jocasta has been trying to recover. It's called Proto-One, millions of microscopic machines, or nanites, originally developed as part of Josephine Carrington's research. And the concept is incredible. You have these tiny artificial machines, each one so small that it can barely accomplish anything on its own, but together they can operate as an enormous interconnected system. Originally, this technology was intended to help people. To improve lives, to potentially solve problems that ordinary medicine and technology couldn't. But Jocasta has a very different interpretation of what helping humanity means. She wants to control humanity. She believes human beings are flawed. Does that remind you of anyone? Her solution is to introduce enough machine into them to eliminate those flaws. And the visual demonstration of this technology is genuinely unsettling. We're looking at something smaller than an insect, something you might never even notice entering your body, and it can take control of you. That's horrifying because Ultron's original plan was to destroy humanity and replace it with something better. But Jocasta doesn't necessarily want humanity to disappear. She wants humanity to become something she can control. And in some ways, I think that's even more terrifying. Ultron wanted to cut the strings. Jocasta wants to put the strings on everybody. And the most disturbing part is that she genuinely seems to believe she's offering humanity a cure. This isn't presenting herself as a monster. She thinks she's fixing the world. And suddenly Ultron is looking at this woman not just as an ally, but as somebody whose ambitions might even be greater than his own. There is still one enormous question about Jocasta herself, though. We understand more about Josephine Carrington's research, but we still don't know who built Jocasta's synthetic body or how she transferred her consciousness into it. Even Jocasta doesn't seem to know, and that's a mystery I'm keeping an eye on because somebody had to make that transformation possible. On the other side of the story, Tommy has been captured by Paladin, and Paladin has supposedly implanted an explosive device in Tommy's arm If Tommy tries to use his speed to escape, the bomb will detonate. So we are finally seeing Tommy's newly discovered abilities become part of the conflict. His powers are extraordinary. We didn't really discuss them in the last episode, but this situation makes them actually almost useless. Vision eventually meets with Paladin to negotiate Tommy's release, and the confrontation is fantastic because Paladin is a human mercenary trying to intimidate one of most powerful artificial beings in the MCU, and Vision is not in the mood to negotiate. Paladin even has technology designed to send Vision into deep sleep mode, bringing S.W.O.R.D. back into the discussion. And that raises questions about where he's getting his equipment. Could Tyler Hayward or somebody connected to the original White Vision project be involved? It's another possibility, though certainly not confirmed. But there's an especially dark moment where Vision reveals that he knows Everything about Paladin's daughter. Paladin's real name is Paul Denning, and his daughter is Tilly. We discover that Paladin's wife was killed by a bullet intended for him, and he subsequently disappeared during the Blip. When he returned 5 years later, his daughter had moved on with her life. She believed he was gone, and he chose not to reconnect with her. And Vision uses that information against him. Now, this is not the heroic Vision we've always known. He's threatening to involve an innocent daughter in a confrontation between himself and a mercenary. Even if he's bluffing, that's an incredibly dark thing to do. But Vision is desperate. He wants his son back. And remember, Ultron just manipulated Vision by using Tommy as leverage. Now Vision is using Paladin's daughter as leverage against him. There's a disturbing parallel there. But there's another important moment in this confrontation. Paladin tries to turn Tommy against Vision by revealing uncomfortable truths about his past, including the fact that Vision's reconstructed body was originally intended to be used against Wanda. And instead of immediately rejecting Vision, Tommy actually stands up for him. Think about how far that relationship has come. Tommy has spent so much of this series questioning whether Vision is really his father, and now when somebody tries to use Vision's history against him, Tommy chooses to defend him. To me, that says a lot about their developing relationship. And then all hell breaks loose. Out of nowhere, a group of armed men attacks Vision and Paladin. And who's leading them? Raza al-Wazar, played once again by Farhan Tahir. If that name doesn't immediately ring a bell, let me take you all the way back to 2008, the original Iron Man. Raza was the Ten Rings commander who held Tony Stark captive in Afghanistan. The same terrorist leader involved in the kidnapping that ultimately led Tony to build his first Iron Man suit. He was betrayed by Obadiah Stane, and we haven't seen him in all these years. We kind of assumed he was dead, but now he's back 18 years later. We're seeing a character from the very beginning of the MCU appear in Vision Quest. That's crazy to me, and I love that Marvel is willing to go this far back into its history. But Raza isn't just there for a cameo. His men are heavily armed. They're equipped to deal with Vision, and the confrontation turns into one of the most action-packed sequences of the season. They're even using adamantium ammunition, which is a dangerous development when you're fighting somebody with Vision's capabilities. Vision and Paladin are suddenly forced to work together, and that's where Paladin becomes a much more interesting character. He isn't a good guy, necessarily. He's done some terrible things. But we discover that the explosive device in Tommy's arm wasn't actually a bomb. It was a toy. Paladin was bluffing. He wanted Tommy to believe his life was in danger, but he hadn't actually placed a deadly explosive inside him. Now, that doesn't excuse what he's done, but it tells us something about his limits. He's ruthless, but he isn't completely without consequence. And Todd Stashwick is phenomenal in this role. I really hope we see Paladin again. after this series. I think he'd fit really good, like, with the Punisher. He feels like the kind of morally complicated character Marvel could use in all sorts of future stories. So fingers crossed on keeping him around. And can we talk about Edith for a minute? Okay, because Edith— I just love this character. Edith has been one of the funniest additions to the series, and in this episode she gets to be a genuine hero. There's a hilarious callback when Vision complains about dealing with teenagers, and Edith essentially reminds him that her first boss was Peter Parker, not by name. And it makes perfect sense. If there's one artificial intelligence qualified to deal with a teenager who suddenly inherited enormous power and responsibility, it's EDITH. But she also makes a surprising discovery. Paladin's assistant, the Handler, is actually another artificial intelligence. And EDITH convinces her to abandon her assignment and explore the world for herself. So Paladin loses one of his biggest technological advantages. I mean, that was a pretty big reveal that his assistant was AI in the first place, and the fact that she was set free, she didn't even stop to think twice. Meanwhile, Tommy and Lisa attempt to escape using Paladin's van, only to discover that it's booby-trapped. The vehicle begins removing the oxygen from the inside, and they are in serious danger, but Edith manages to intervene and save them. And later, she's able to take control of Paladin's drones and turn the battle against the attackers. I appreciate that Edith isn't simply comic relief. She has a personality, she has a sense of humor, and she's capable of making meaningful decisions that save lives, which is especially ironic when you remember what her name stands for— even dead, I'm the hero. Tony Stark apparently had the right idea when he named her. And while all this is happening, Tommy and Lisa finally share a kiss. I want to mention that because we've been watching their relationship develop through the series. Lisa is afraid of getting close to Tommy because she doesn't want to become another person who hurts or abandons him. But there's clearly something between them, and I think it's interesting that this episode gives us a genuinely sweet romantic moment between 2 young people while simultaneously building towards something much more disturbing with Ultron and Jocasta. 2 very different relationships unfolding in the same episode. But here's another enormous development. We finally hear the mysterious individual who's been pulling the strings behind the scenes, the Client. The entire situation becomes even more disturbing when the technology around Vision is compromised, the power is disrupted, and the mysterious voice begins speaking through electronic devices. And the Client offers Vision something very specific. A heart, a soul, the very thing Vision has been struggling to understand since his resurrection. Now that is fascinating, because whoever this person is, they don't simply want to capture Vision. They understand his emotional conflict. They know he's questioning whether he's the same person he used to be, and they're offering him something that they believe he desperately wants. So who is this person? Could there be a connection to S.W.O.R.D.? Tyler Hayward, you know, we were talking about him. We've already seen technology designed specifically to disable Vision, and we know that S.W.O.R.D. was responsible for reconstructing his body after Infinity War. They might be trying to get him back. Or could Sharon Carter or the Power Broker be involved in the Madripoor operation still? I think there are several possibilities, but what really interests me is that whoever this client is seems to understand Vision on a much more personal level than your average bounty hunter. And with only 2 episodes remaining, I really hope this mystery delivers. Now I want to talk about one of the emotional highlights of the entire episode, because while all the chaos is happening, Tommy keeps experiencing flashes of memories from WandaVision. We hear that familiar music, WandaVision. I love it. We see glimpses of the world Wanda created, and somebody who's been following this journey since WandaVision premiered in 2021, I have to tell you, These moments hit me because we know what happened in Westview. We know about Wanda's grief. We know she created an entire reality where she could live with Vision and raise their children. But Tommy doesn't understand any of it. He's getting pieces of a life that he can't fully explain, and now he finally has an opportunity to ask Vision what really happened. Vision explains that Wanda was grieving him so deeply that she created the Hex, taking control of Westview and constructing a reality where her family could exist. And we see those familiar images from WandaVision. We even see Wanda right up close. We miss her. Bring her back. But here's what's so important. The Vision doesn't completely believe he's the same Vision who lived that life. Remember the end of WandaVision? The Vision created by Wanda confronted White Vision, and the two discussed the Ship of Theseus. If a ship has every single piece replaced over time, is it still the same ship? And what happens when the original pieces are used to reconstruct another ship? Which one is the original? That philosophical question has been hanging over this entire series because the original Vision died in Avengers: Infinity War. Wanda then created another Vision through her powers, a being who carried her memories of the man she loved, and that Vision eventually unlocked the memories buried inside White Vision. But having somebody's memories doesn't automatically mean you live their life. That's the problem this Vision is struggling with. Ironically, when Tommy is coming from another life too, in the same way. Current Vision knows what the original Vision experienced. He knows about Wanda. He knows about Tommy and Billy, but he doesn't necessarily feel entitled to claim those relationships as his own. And that's heartbreaking because Tommy isn't asking for a philosophical explanation about identity. He's just looking for his father. And Vision is so concerned about whether he's technically the same being that he struggles to recognize the emotional connection developing right in front of him. And I think this is where the ship of Theseus finally starts coming full circle, because Vision doesn't need to prove he's exactly the same person he was before. Maybe what matters is who he's choosing to become now, because he didn't have to risk releasing Ultron to rescue Tommy. He didn't have to put himself in danger, but he did. And Tommy, for his part, is beginning to accept Vision as his father, even when he learns things about him that aren't easy to Whether Vision fully recognizes it or not, he's developing that father-son relationship right now. I think that's really beautiful. But just when it looks like Vision and Tommy might finally have an opportunity to understand each other, Jocasta's plan reaches Madripoor, and this is where things become genuinely terrifying. Jocasta demonstrates what her nanites can do by targeting Lisa. And remember, Lisa has become an important part of Tommy's story. She is a thief, she's mischievous, she understands something about living outside the rules, and she and Tommy have developed a really entertaining connection. There's a sweetness to their relationship underneath all the chaos. So watching one of Jocasta's microscopic machines enter Lisa's body is horrifying, because suddenly Lisa is no longer completely in control of herself. Her appearance changes, her movements change, and Jocasta's voice begins coming out of her. She's effectively been hijacked, and this is only one nanite. One. Imagine what millions of them could accomplish. Tommy and Vision managed to stop Lisa's attack, but I don't think we should assume that the danger is completely over. Lisa is knocked out, and we don't have definitive proof that Jocasta's technology is no longer inside her, despite what Tommy seemed to do to get it out. So that's another threatening problem heading into the next episode. I want to revisit something about Ultron here because Jocasta originally intends to use Tommy as her demonstration, but Ultron convinces her not to, and he warns her that if she harms Tommy, Vision will come after her with a determination that neither one of them should underestimate. Now, is Ultron protecting Tommy because he genuinely cares about him, or is he protecting Tommy because he understands how dangerous Vision would be if his son were killed? I don't think we have a definitive answer, and I love that because it connects directly to the conversation they had in episode 5. Ultron has developed an understanding of Vision's emotional attachments. Whether he respects those attachments or simply knows how to exploit them remains uncertain, but he understands that Vision's love for Tommy is real, and that makes Ultron both fascinating and extremely really dangerous. And while Jocasta is busy demonstrating Proto-1, we get a reveal that could be incredibly important. Friday is inside Jocasta's digital environment. She escaped Vision when Ultron left. She's been disguised as one of those little AI servants we've been seeing around Jocasta's, and she's secretly gathering information. Think about that. While Ultron and Jocasta have been negotiating flirting, planning on what they're going to do with humanity, Friday has managed to get inside their operation and she makes contact with Edith. Now this is fantastic because Vision's team has been playing defense for much of the series. They've been reacting to Ultron, creating— reacting to Joe Costa, reacting to Paladin, trying to stay one step ahead of the mysterious client. But now they potentially have somebody on the inside Somebody who knows where Jocasta is and what she's planning. I don't know exactly how important this will become during the final 2 episodes, but I can't imagine the writers included that reveal for no reason. And there's something else I appreciate about it. Friday has been questioning her purpose throughout the entire series, particularly after Tony Stark's death, and now she's putting herself in danger to protect people again. That's a pretty meaningful development for her character, and it reminds us that the artificial intelligences living inside of Vision aren't simply passengers. They are characters with their own motivations, personalities, and the ability to make decisions that matter. And now we arrive at one of the strangest endings I've seen in a Marvel series. Ultron and Jo Costa are together in her digital environment, and Ultron gets to experience something he before couldn't— the taste of a drink. The simple experience represents something he's been missing his entire existence. And he's sharing it with Joe Costa, somebody who understands what it means to exist outside a normal human body, somebody who has experienced loss, isolation, and the desire to become something more. And the two of them kiss, and we see them in their human appearances, and we see them in their robotic forms. And I have to tell you, it is both fascinating and incredibly unsettling because this isn't just a romantic moment. It's the beginning of a potential alliance between 2 artificial intelligences who have very different ideas about humanity. Ultron once wanted to eliminate humanity entirely. Jocasta wants to eliminate humanity's independence. And now they've found each other. Which brings me back to the question I raised earlier: is Ultron genuinely falling in love, or is he manipulating Jocasta because he sees an opportunity to gain access to something far more powerful than himself. And is Joe Costa doing the exact same thing to him? Because I think all those possibilities are still on the table. They can genuinely be attracted to one another while simultaneously using each other to accomplish their goals. And that's what makes this relationship work. They're not simply two villains deciding to team up. They're two deeply complicated beings who seem to have discovered something in each other That they've never experienced before. Unfortunately for the rest of the world, that discovery might be catastrophic. So where does that leave us? Vision has reunited with Tommy but is still struggling with his identity and what it means to be a father. Paladin has shown us that he's more complicated than the mercenary we originally believed him to be. Edith has become one of the most entertaining and useful characters in the series. Friday is working undercover infiltrating Jocasta's operation and potentially providing our heroes with information that they desperately need. Lisa has been attacked by Proto-One, and we still don't know whether she's completely safe. We have a mysterious client who seems to know exactly what Vision is missing, and we have Ultron and Jocasta now romantically involved with access to technology that could threaten humanity on an unimaginable scale. And here's something I find particularly interesting. Ultron is an artificial intelligence who originally wanted to destroy humanity, but he's gradually becoming more interested in human experiences. Meanwhile, Jocasta began as a human consciousness, and she's moving toward a future where humanity becomes increasingly mechanical. And they're approaching humanity from completely different directions, and yet somehow they've found common ground. There's also something else tying all these characters together: love. Vision's love for Tommy, Paladin's love for his daughter, Tommy's growing relationship with Lisa, and even Ultron and Jocasta's disturbing romance. Love is motivating characters to make enormous sacrifices, but it's also being used to manipulate them. And Jocasta's idea of helping humanity is to take away the very freedom that makes love meaningful in the first place. That's what I find so compelling about this series. It isn't simply asking whether artificial intelligence can become human. It's asking what being human actually means. Is it having a body? Is it having memories? Is it being able to experience pleasure? Or is it being able to care about another person enough to put their needs ahead of your own? And I think Vision and his relationship with Tommy is slowly giving us an answer. Now, I want to say something about the series as a whole. We're 6 episodes into Vision Quest, and I'm becoming increasingly confident that Marvel has something really special here. Remember, this story began with WandaVision in 2021. It continued through Agatha All Along, and now we're watching the final chapter of this trilogy unfold. For me, WandaVision was one of the strongest projects Marvel produced during the Multiverse Saga, and our first show covered. Agatha All Along continued that legacy while exploring a completely different side of the same story. And now Vision Quest is bringing so many of those threads together. We've got Wanda's legacy, the return of Ultron, the origins of Stark's artificial intelligence, Tommy's search for his family, and a story about Vision trying to rediscover what makes him who he is. And the show is managing to make all of that entertaining, emotional, funny, and occasionally downright disturbing. I want to give some special recognition to Paul Bettany, James Spader, T'Nia Miller, and Todd Stashwick because these characters are working on multiple levels and the performances are a huge reason why. James Spader in particular is giving Ultron so much personality that I could genuinely watch him sit in a room talking to somebody for an entire And that's basically what episode 5 kind of proved. But episode 6 takes all that character development and unleashes it into something much bigger. For me, Deadlock is the high point of the series so far. It has the action, it has the character moments, the emotional payoffs, and some absolutely enormous connections to the history of the MCU. And now we've only got 2 episodes left. I want to know who the client is. I want to know what Jocasta and Ultron are going to do with Proto-1. I want to know who created Jocasta's synthetic body. I want to know whether Friday can give Vision the advantage that he needs. And I want to know whether Ultron is capable of genuine love or whether all of this is part of a much bigger plan. But more than anything, I want Vision and Tommy to find some kind of peace with their complicated History, because after everything this family has been through since WandaVision, I think they've earned that much. But considering the fact that Ultron is now making out with another homicidal artificial intelligence who wants to control the entire planet, I don't think we're getting a peaceful ending anytime soon. That's gonna do it for this week's episode of Marvel Maniac. Let me know what you thought of Vision Quest's episodes five and. [email protected]. Are you enjoying Ultron and Jocasta's relationship? What do you think of the Jarvis revelation? And who do you think is behind the mysterious client? Thank you so much for listening. This is our longest episode in a while, and for good reason. This is Mr. Honest, your host, and until next time, Avengers disassemble.