Marvel casts game-changing character for upcoming MCU project

Vision Quest could be the last MCU show of its kind, but it will also feature a major player from Marvel Comics who could have a huge role in the show.
In this photo illustration a Marvel Studios logo is seen on...
In this photo illustration a Marvel Studios logo is seen on... | SOPA Images/GettyImages

Vision Quest is the second spinoff series of WandaVision after Agatha All Along and it's going to be a tall task to try and match those critically-acclaimed standards, but the Marvel Television series is going to try. With a 2026 release, the new Disney Plus series will feature Emmy nominee Paul Bettany reprising his role as as Vision/White Vision and 3x Emmy winner James Spader will also reprise his Avengers: Age of Ultron role as Ultron.

Written and illustrated by John Byrne, the "Vision Quest" storyline in Marvel Comics took place in issues No. 42-45 of West Coast Avengers. This 1989 comic focused on the government dismantling of Vision because of concerns of his ability to control global computer systems. When Vision was rebuilt, he returned as White Vision, but he was stripped of emotions and his former personality. Additionally, Wanda (Scarlet Witch) was devastated by White Vision, and she was also in emotional turmoil over the revelation that her twins Billy and Tommy (Wiccan and Speed) where manifested from magic.

That much of this Marvel Comics storyline has already been covered in both WandaVision and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, so it will be interesting to see if Vision Quest's creative team will explore West Coast Avengers characters in the storyline, or if it will simply remain an original standalone entry focused on Vision himself.

That being said, there is one new Marvel Comics character who is set to make her MCU debut in the project, and it's an exciting one!

Vision Quest casts Marvel Comics' Jocasta

Deadline has reported the casting of British actress T’Nia Miller as Jocasta in the upcoming Vision Quest series. In Marvel comics, Jocasta Pym was created by Ultron to be his robot bride by engineering her artificial intelligence to integrate the human consciousness of the Wasp (Janet van Dyne) into her. It didn't work out and Jacosta became sentient in and of herself, eventually teaming with The Avengers to defeat him.

It's unlikely that this will be the character's story in the MCU as the franchise already dealt with Ultron's reign of terror 10 years prior in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Although James Spader is expected to return as a human version of Ultron, there were never any signs that Marvel planned on adapting the Jacosta story during his initial run in 2015. There are also currently two Wasps in the MCU (Hope and Janet van Dyne) and both are closely tied to Ant-Man's story in a completely separate part of the MCU. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how the show's creators will handle who or what will be integrated into Jocasta’s consciousness - or not!

T'Nia Miller
Sky's BAFTA TV Nominees Party | Dave Benett/GettyImages

Star Trek: Picard's Terry Matalas certainly has some big shoes to fill as Vision Quest's showrunner after Jac Schaeffer's success with both WandaVision and Agatha All Along, but he's up for the challenge.

In a recent podcast interview with actress Katee Sackhoff, Matalas discussed how much of the Vision storyline he had to adhere to versus his input to the storyline (without giving anything away), describing the whole thing as "a really wonderful creative experience". He added that he thinks they are all "making something really kind of special".

Regardless of what direction Vision will take, the Jocasta role will be quite complex and interesting to explore for T’Nia Miller as she certainly has a varied range to fall back on. The Golden Globe nominee is no stranger to roles in sci-fi/fantasy projects with appearances in the likes of Foundation, Lost, and Doctor Who.

Vision Quest
Paul Bettany as The Vision in Marvel Studios’ WandaVision. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021 All Rights Reserved.

Miller trained at the Guildford School of Acting and has gone on to enjoy an extremely successful career, shining in everything from serious roles in Netflix's The Diplomat and The Fall of the House of Usher, to comedic roles in the British series Generation Z. Miller’s most recent role in the Sky / AMC+ series Gangs of London, as a determined mayor in modern-day London on a mission to clean up the city is another testament to her acting prowess.

Vision Quest could mark the end of an era for the MCU as it is expected to be the last Disney Plus series to feature major Marvel movie characters in leading roles. The studio is continuing to expand its small screen reach with series projects like Daredevil: Born Again, Ironheart and Wonder Man, but these series don't include any MCU movie characters (whereas Vision Quest features both Bettany's Vision and Spader's Ultron in major roles).

Vision Quest is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing properties from the MCU on the horizon. The acting talent hired for it is stellar and, with that, it will unquestionably be up to the same standard as WandaVision and Agatha All Along. The recent casting of Jocasta just solidifies that further.