Commentary: ‘VisionQuest’ Honors A Timeless Marvel Tradition Started In ‘Thor’

From the very early days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, critics had been pondering how this interconnected network of movies could exist. They couldn’t possibly fathom how Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), who is a distinctly science fiction character, could share a tone and plotline with someone like Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), someone firmly rooted in the fantastical and magic. Of course, Marvel fans never questioned it as they were accustomed to a crazy universe of science fiction and magic. However, Thor offered a very direct and logical explanation by echoing the sentiment that magic is merely science that isn’t understood yet. This mindset has tied all of the MCU together, and VisionQuest continues this trend in a very direct way.

One of the main villains of the series is Jocasta (T’Nia Miller), who is a digital copy of Josephine Carrington (also Miller). In her life, she developed a swarm of nanobots that could infiltrate humans and “heal” them. Working alongside Ultron (James Spader), she seeks to unleash them upon the populace for a purpose other than healing. Unfortunately for her, they were locked away in a vault by her former colleagues. The only way to access them is by collecting a series of biomarkers from those colleagues so she can use as keys to open it.

The scene of Jocasta attempting to open the vault is much more magical than it is scientific. It takes place in a crypt where her real body is buried. The container itself resembles a witch’s cauldron. As Jocasta seeks to unlock it, she moves around the vault while placing the various keys she collected, which are nothing more than body parts. Given that Vision (Paul Bettany) is connected to Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen), it’s no surprise that this scene would have imagery very reminiscent of witchcraft. Jocasta is even wearing what appears to be a witch’s robe. The MCU has always enjoyed blurring the lines between magic and science, so it’s great to see this ambiguity played up so much in a series about artificial intelligence.

VisionQuest is now streaming on Disney+.