Why VisionQuest Didn’t Feature Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark Officially Clarified By Showrunner

Published Nov 13, 2026, 11:38 AM EST

Andy Behbakht has worked as an entertainment journalist since 2010, covering all the latest in Hollywood on both the big and small screens, from staying on top of the biggest breaking news, analyzing movies and television shows in Hollywood, to in-depth interviews with actors and storytellers.

Andy's career includes having worked for publications such as FanSided, KSiteTV, TV Fanatic, It's Just Movies, Heroic Hollywood, TV Overmind, and more. Outside of his career as an established reporter, Andy is the host and producer of The Showrunner Whisperer, The Flash Podcast, the editor-in-chief of Multiverse of Color, and the network director of DC TV Podcasts.

WARNING: This article includes spoilers from VisionQuest season 1, episode 8, "Forever."The Marvel Cinematic Universe has brought another trilogy to an end.

The MCU timeline has come a long way since the Multiverse Saga kicked off in 2021, as numerous films and TV shows have continued to expand the beloved superhero franchise. But with Phase 6 nearing its conclusion, Disney+ has just finished the latest Marvel adventure with the completion of another spinoff series.

In an interview with The Brandon Davis Show, Terry Matalas, who is the VisionQuest showrunner, addressed why, despite the ties to Tony Stark that the show explored throughout the season, Robert Downey Jr. didn't end up having a cameo as his beloved MCU character. The executive producer began by saying, "You know, things cost money. We're on a television show budget."

However, he had ideas for how they would have worked in a Tony appearance, explaining that "there was a moment where I wanted to hear Stark call in and talk to Mary McDonnell['s character Katerina Wells] and say, 'Your time's up on this code.' And it was the old Tony, it was the Tony before the Jericho missiles. And he's like, 'Sell me the code, so I can turn it into my things.'" However, in the end, getting the Oscar-winning star to appear would have been tricky, as Matalas concluded his response with, "But, you know, it would have been a big ask to get Downey to come in and do it. In retrospect, I actually would have tried having met him now; he's wonderful. But actually it might have taken away from what that story was."

When Matalas spoke with ScreenRant's Andy Behbakht for the VisionQuest finale, budget constraints were also a reason why someone like Kathryn Hahn's Agatha Harkness didn't make a cameo. While Joe Locke's Billy Maximoff made his return, following the events of Agatha All Along, the fan-favorite witch was not seen with him, as the creative shared the following:

Terry Matalas: We can't afford Kathryn Hahn! First of all, the second you bring Kathryn Hahn into a scene, it's a Kathryn Hahn scene. It's really about Agatha, and in that moment of the reunion, it needed to be about Billy. [It] needed to be about Tommy. So you can't detract from the story you're trying to tell just because it would be neat to see Agatha, and so that's really the core of it. Down the line, of course, you'd want to see what's going on with Billy in his head and his imaginary friend with Agatha. It's a fun idea that we leaned into with him talking to her in that moment. But it's got to be the story of these three characters: Vision, Tommy, and Billy.

While Tony may not have appeared in the VisionQuest TV show, the franchise is getting ready to see Downey Jr. back on the big screen, but with a catch. Instead of playing Iron Man, the superhero veteran will be portraying the villainous Doctor Doom, as Victor von Doom finally takes on Earth's Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: Doomsday.

In fact, the Marvel foe did appear in the Phase 6 drama in the post-credits scene, without Downey Jr. being fully seen, as it was revealed that he had gone after the Scarlet Witch in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. He is also set to reprise the role in Avengers: Secret Wars after the 2026 feature, meaning audience members will be seeing plenty of the actor in the immediate future.

VisionQuest is streaming on Disney+.

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