‘VisionQuest’ Makes Major Strides With a Game-Changing Cliffhanger | Review
Taylor Gates is an Indiana native who earned her BFA in Creative Writing from the University of Evansville. She fell in love with entertainment by watching shows about chaotic families like Full House, The Nanny, Gilmore Girls, and The Fosters.
After college, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a writer, editor, and filmmaker. Today, she’s a sucker for dramedies — especially coming-of-age stories centering around complex female and LGBTQ+ characters. She has been with Collider since May 2022.
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Editor's note: The below recap contains spoilers for VisionQuest Episode 3.
Though the end of Episode 2 saw Tommy (Ruaridh Mollica) and Vision (Paul Bettany) narrowly escape Paladin’s (Todd Stashwick) clutches, Episode 3 proves that their challenges are just getting started. Danger seems to be lurking around every corner — even if those corners are in dingy hotels. Luckily, they discover they have the greatest weapons of all in each other. The love and acceptance between father and son might just be the key to getting out of this mess.
‘VisionQuest’ Episode 3 Shows the Brutal Aftermath of Saint Mabyn’s
Tommy tries to help Vision after the attack at Saint Mabyn’s, but things aren’t looking too good. Vision tells him that his injuries are “mildly fatal” and that, since neither Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) nor Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) are around to save him, his chances of survival are slim. Tommy, however, isn’t ready to give up so easily, nor are the other AIs. They frantically try to stop the power leak so Jarvis’ (James D’Arcy) sacrifice isn’t in vain. Paladin is also badly banged up. His handler (Diane Morgan) encourages him to think about retiring, as he’s slowing down and getting hurt more and more, but he ignores her advice. He knows that Vision is leaking something and orders her to search for the signature he’s leaving behind with their drones.
Eventually, Vision tells Tommy to pull the car over so he can use part of the vehicle to cauterize his wound. Tommy wants to take the opportunity to have a real conversation with Vision, but Vision isn’t too keen on having a heart-to-heart. If he is Tommy’s father somehow, that’s all to do with Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and nothing to do with him. Tommy’s frustration grows when Vision begins talking to the other AIs in the car, who are invisible to him. Thus, he comes to the conclusion that Vision is both trying to ignore him and keeping secrets. Though Vision knows Tommy is upset with him, he tells him it’s imperative that they keep moving — Paladin is still on their tail, and they need to outrun him and get to safety.
‘VisionQuest’ Episode 3 Exposes a Complex Dynamic Between Father and Son
Vision and Tommy finally make it to a rundown hotel, where they prepare to hide away and get their bearings. Vision is still leaking a bit when they enter, which messes with the electricity. Despite Vision’s disapproval, Tommy steals some cash from the ATM — something Ultron (James Spader) points out is highly hypocritical, considering his own history of shifting and contradictory morals with the Avengers. Before they make it to their room, Tommy sees an advertisement from the hotel’s swimming pool and gets triggered.
When they make it to their room, Tommy turns on the TV and begins watching old shows, saying that they soothe him. Like mother, like son, right? It seems like the perfect segue for Vision to tell him the truth about Westview, but he’s hesitant to come clean, not wanting Tommy to mourn a life he never really had.
Tommy reveals that he knows a little bit about who Vision and Wanda are, as he read about them in a book. What he doesn’t know is how he could possibly be their son. Vision tells him that his so-called “memories” aren’t real — he was simply craving family so badly that his brain made it all up based on the book he read. Tommy gets angry and storms out, and we realize that, for the last few minutes, we’ve actually been watching a scenario that Vision has been running to figure out what he can say to make this tough conversation go well. Ulton tells him to provide Tommy comfort, but no matter what Vision does in any of his roleplays, he can’t crack the code on how to do that.
After storming into the hall for real, Tommy tries to get something from the vending machine. Of course, in typical vending machine fashion, his food gets stuck. Frustrated, he pounds on the glass, and his hand miraculously goes through the screen without breaking the glass at first — his powers spontaneously activating.
After his powers deactivate, he’s left with a pretty bloody hand, which Vision patches up. He tries to make small talk about boxing, which Tommy sees through immediately. Vision finally gets more vulnerable, telling Tommy that he’s not afraid of dying but that he is afraid of never finding his purpose again. This encourages Tommy to open up, too, and he tells Vision about his memory at the pool. It felt like every atom in his body was moving rapidly while he was simultaneously floating away from anything real. It just happened again on a smaller scale with the vending machine. They realize he’s been phasing — something Vision used to be able to do. The tender moment is interrupted by the drones that Paladin sent for Vision flying over the hotel. Vision and Tommy narrowly manage to escape, but in the process, Vision starts malfunctioning.
‘VisionQuest’ Episode 3 Reveals More About Paladin and the Stark AIs
Paladin’s client is getting increasingly frustrated with him. It doesn’t help that Paladin, not unlike Tommy, is racked by memories from his past. Paladin’s hunt for Vision leads him to a luxury apartment building housing a mysterious AI killer by the name of Butcherbird (T’Nia Miller). Butcherbird is not too pleased by Paladin showing up unannounced, to put it lightly, vowing to “claw out” who sent him from his brain.
When digging into his mind, Butcherbird sees a memory from Paladin’s childhood where his father accused him of being weak like his mother. Shortly after, his father is killed by a paladin, who then raises him. Therefore, Paladin is not a true paladin because he didn’t come from the bloodline — he was just brought up by one — and all he’s ever wanted was to feel real. Paladin manages to use his drones to attack and distract Butcherbird, narrowly escaping her clutches, but Paladin’s client fires him for yet another botched mission. This sends Paladin spiraling because his oath is his blood and his life. He doesn’t know what will happen if he can’t keep it.
Collider Exclusive · Marvel Personality Quiz Which MCU Hero Are You? Spider-Man · Daredevil · Iron Man · Punisher · Thor · Cap
Six heroes. One destiny. Answer 10 questions to discover which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero shares your personality, values, and fighting spirit. Will you swing, fly, or thunder your way to glory?
🕷️Spider-Man
😈Daredevil
🤖Iron Man
💀Punisher
⚡Thor
🛡️Cap
01
What drives you to do what's right? Choose the answer that feels most like you.
02
It's 2 AM. Where are you? Your answer says more about you than you'd think.
03
How do you handle a villain who keeps escaping justice? Every hero has a method. What's yours?
04
How do you feel about keeping a secret identity? The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.
05
You've lost someone important because of your heroism. How do you carry that? Every hero pays a price. The question is how they pay it.
06
What's your role when working with a team? Who you are under pressure is who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge? The answer defines what kind of hero you really are.
08
When you're not saving the world, what does life look like? The person behind the mask is always the more interesting story.
09
What keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you're honest about what you're actually afraid of.
10
The battle is lost. You're outnumbered, outgunned, and exhausted. What do you do? This is your tiebreaker — choose carefully.
Your Hero Has Been Identified Your MCU Hero Is…
Based on your answers, the Marvel hero who matches your spirit, values, and instincts has been revealed.
🕷️ Spider-Man
You carry the weight of the world on shoulders that are younger than they should have to be — funny, loyal, and endlessly self-sacrificing.
- You do the right thing not because it's easy, but because no one else will.
- You understand that responsibility isn't a burden you choose — it's one that finds you.
- Whether it's a neighbourhood mugging or a multiverse crisis, you show up.
- Peter Parker's lesson — that great power demands great responsibility — isn't a slogan to you. It's the code you live by, even when it costs you everything.
😈 Daredevil
You fight in the shadows between law and chaos, guided by a fierce moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk free.
- You use every tool available — your mind, your body, your faith — to protect those the system overlooks.
- You've looked into the darkness and chosen not to become it, though the line has never been easy.
- Matt Murdock's duality — champion in the courtroom, devil in the alley — mirrors your own.
- Relentless, conflicted, and unwilling to stop. That is exactly you.
🤖 Iron Man
Brilliant, driven, and occasionally insufferable — but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem.
- You lead with your mind and back it up with resources, innovation, and a stubbornness that borders on heroic.
- You started out looking out for yourself, but somewhere along the way the world became your responsibility.
- Tony Stark's arc — from ego to sacrifice — is your arc too.
- You build, you plan, and when the moment comes, you're willing to give everything. Because in the end, you're Iron Man.
💀 The Punisher
You've been through fire that would break most people — and it did change you, completely. What's left is unyielding, relentless, and operating by a code forged in grief.
- You don't ask for forgiveness, and you don't expect gratitude.
- You see a corrupt, broken world and you've decided to do something about it, consequences be damned.
- Frank Castle's war is born from love twisted by loss — and so is yours.
- Uncompromising and unflinching — the world may not agree with your methods, but your conviction is absolute.
⚡ Thor
Powerful, proud, and on a lifelong journey to become worthy of the legend you carry.
- You lead with strength but have learned — sometimes painfully — that true greatness comes from humility and growth.
- You're larger than life, yet more vulnerable than you let on.
- Thor's story is one of transformation: from arrogant prince to worthy king, from isolated warrior to beloved protector.
- You bring the storm when it's needed — and the warmth when it matters just as much.
🛡️ Captain America
You believe in something bigger than yourself — and you fight for it even when the world has moved on and nobody else will.
- You don't bully the small guy, and you never stop when it gets hard.
- Steve Rogers didn't become a hero when he got the serum — he was always one. So were you.
- Your strength isn't in your fists; it's in your refusal to compromise what's right, no matter the cost.
- In a world full of people taking the easy road, you're the one who picks up the shield and stands up — every single time.
Meanwhile, in the Mindspace, Edith (Emily Hampshire) is musing on how she doesn’t fear death, and Ultron tells her it’s because she never truly faces it. Friday (Orla Brady) chimes in to inform her that most of Stark’s AIs are based on actual people, with their avatars modeled after humans he knew and embedded into their code. Friday then attempts to stabilize Vision by rewriting his code — something she’s done before. She was good at it, too, but then Thanos (Josh Brolin) came, and the war happened. Friday is still haunted by seeing Tony die in front of her, guilty that she couldn’t save him. “Half the world came back that day,” she says, “and I lost half of mine.” The AIs hold a beautiful funeral for Jarvis to honor his sacrifice. During the ceremony, Edith bids her brother goodbye, Dum-E (Henry Lewis) shares a Keats quote, and U (Jonathan Sayers) sings a surprisingly gorgeous rendition of “Danny Boy.”
‘VisionQuest’ Episode 3 Sees Vision Die (Again)
Weakening by the minute, Vision comes up with a risky plan: he has to die, and Tommy has to bring him back, rebooting his systems with his powers. Though Tommy is doubtful that he can control his powers well enough to make that work, Vision has faith in him. He says that every simulation he ran had one major flaw: it didn’t account for Vision ever considering that Tommy Shepherd truly is Tommy Maximoff, too.
This acceptance gives Tommy enough confidence to go to the hotel pool, where Vision can cool off his systems and Tommy can conduct electricity with the water, his superspeed making friction with the molecules to restart Vision’s systems. Vision sees snippets of the events of WandaVision when he dies. He assumes he’s seeing his life flash before his eyes, but Ulton tells him that he’s showing him his future: what he could have if he holds on and comes out of this alive. Though the power goes out in London, it eventually works, and Vision is resurrected.
The experience brings Vision and Tommy closer than ever. Vision tells Tommy that he saw hope when he died and even tucks him into bed that night. He muses that he knows love is real, though he has never experienced it himself. Ultron gives Vision a reality check, saying that just because Tommy knows a bit about him now doesn’t mean he understands love. To make matters worse, the power outage alerts Butcherbird to Vision’s whereabouts, allowing her to breach the Mindspace. During the reboot, Butcherbird connects to the neural network and hijacks Vision’s body.
‘VisionQuest’ Episode 3 Has Major Character Development, but Rushes Some Plotlines
Episode 3 finally sees Vision and Tommy’s relationship take big, satisfying strides, with the entire hotel sequence among the best in the series. Mollica further cements how excellent he is in his performance as we see Tommy struggle with PTSD and anxiety from what happened in the pool, making his determination to overcome it to save Vision all the more touching and rewarding. Vision’s dedication to finding the right thing to say to his son is equally moving, with the bonus of all the simulations being a bit comedic, too.
Speaking of humor, the opening scenes with Vision talking to the AIs — who Tommy, of course, can’t see — are a hilarious, perfectly executed gag. This show does a masterful job of balancing all of its tones, toggling between grounded emotional drama, classic comedic bits, and high-concept sci-fi with ease. The depiction of Tommy’s powers continues to be visually interesting as well, particularly during the vending machine and pool scenes.
There are intriguing seeds being planted with the Paladin and Stark AI subplots, but they both feel slightly underbaked and rushed as it stands. Friday’s grief and guilt at losing Tony is compelling, but it isn’t given enough screen time or depth to be as emotionally impactful as it could. Similarly, Jarvis’ funeral is lovely, but he was gone so quickly from the show that it isn’t as effective as it would have been later down the line. The twist about Paladin is unexpected, but the flashback to his childhood is relatively vague, as is the weight and idea of what a paladin is, which makes it difficult to become too invested yet.
New episodes of VisionQuest premiere Wednesdays on Disney+.
- Release Date
- 2026 - 2026-00-00
- Network
- Disney+
- Showrunner
- Terry Matalas
- Directors
- Vincenzo Natali, Christopher J. Byrne, Gandja Monteiro, Terry Matalas
- Writers
- Terry Matalas, Cindy Appel, Nicole Falsetti, Christopher Monfette, Matthew Okumura, Michael Taylor
-
The Vision
-
Ultron
Rebooted after the events that restored his body, Vision has gone into hiding from the people who want to weaponize him. Now searching for purpose, he consults the artificial intelligence personalities embedded in his programming, but a bounty on his head forces him to go on the run with Thomas Shepherd, a mysterious boy who may be the reincarnation of his son.
Pros & Cons
- Ruaridh Mollica?s performance continues to impress, and this episode allows him to show off his comedic and dramatic chops alike.
- The progress between Vision and Tommy is truly moving.
- The cliffhanger sets up an exciting, game-changing new obstacle.
- The Stark AIs have interesting plotlines, but the lack of screen time makes them frustratingly underdeveloped.
- Paladin?s backstory doesn?t hit as hard without more lore and context.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.