In just seven episodes (with an eighth coming on Tuesday, November 10), Marvel Television has elevated Paul Bettany's Vision to new heights in VisionQuest. The series has delivered a powerful character arc for the leading Avenger and has also brought together characters and storylines from MCU history, from Iron Man's many A.I. helpers to Vision's son, Tommy Maximoff, to another Synthezoid who debuted back in Phase 1. Those may sound like all the pieces for a mini-Avengers-level crossover event, and yet VisionQuest remains personal and accessible for even casual MCU viewers. So, how did Marvel Television pull it off?
Marvel Television boss Brad Winderbaum recently sat down with Brandon Davis and was asked how VisionQuest manages to achieve a cohesive storyline in its own right while still connecting so closely to MCU history. In turn, Winderbaum described the "homework problem" of when a franchise reaches a scale that audiences feel they must "watch everything to understand anything:"
"There’s a thing we call the ‘homework problem.’ Maybe you’ve heard that before. It’s this thing when your mythology reaches a certain tipping point. All of a sudden, you feel like you need to watch everything to understand anything. But it really is about that filmmaking, and the lens, and the way the story is constructed."
Winderbaum explained that the so-called "homework problem" is no issue for VisionQuest because you can watch it "not knowing anything" and still understand "what's driving these characters" and the narrative:
"Because you can watch a show like 'VisionQuest' not knowing anything and really understand what’s driving these characters, what the world of the story is, how everybody functions, and what’s driving them and what obstacles are in their way to getting what they want and letting the characters lead the story."
Despite that, the MCU exec noted that VisionQuest is still delivering "incredible payoffs" for longtime fans (and it may be hiding a major finale surprise):
"But if you’re a fan of the lore, it’s also delivering all these incredible payoffs. Some things you’ve been living with since Phase 1."
The MCU veteran had VisionQuest showrunner Terry Matalas to thank for dodging that issue, revealing that it was his work on Star Trek: Picard Season 3 that got him his AI-fueled superhero gig, as it delivered on "the promise of a [Star Trek: The Next Generation] fan," to which it is something of a legacy sequel:
“Yeah, that’s [showrunner Terry Matalas]. That’s why we hired Terry. Terry made a show called 'Picard' Season 3. I’m a 'Star Trek' guy, and he took over that show in the third season and made it his own in the third season and delivered on the promise of a 'Next Generation' fan, which is what I was primarily growing up. And Kevin [Feige] and I would come into the office every day and be like, ‘Dude, did you see that?’ Every week, ‘Did you see that episode?’ Just fanboying out."
After fanboying over Matalas' work on Picard with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, the trio went for dinner, and it was "immediately apparent how much he loved the MCU," making him the perfect fit for the WandaVision trilogy's climax:
"We went, we called Terry, and went to dinner with him, and it was immediately apparent how much he loved the MCU, and how much he knew about the MCU, and the fact that we were going to be able to get that mind on such a pinnacle show as the third installment of the 'WandaVision' trilogy was really great, and he delivered. He delivered. It’s like a celebration of the MCU."
Winderbaum declared Matalas a "big fan of Jac Schaeffer," the head writer of WandaVision and Agatha All Along, who exited VisionQuest due to overlap and development conflicts, and stated that he "understands the characters," including Paul Bettany's Synthezoid and those around him:
"He understands the characters. He understands what made 'WandaVision' and ['Agatha All Along'] work and was a big fan of Jac Schaeffer and what Jac accomplished in the first two installments. He loves ['Avengers: Age of Ultron']. He loves Iron Man. He understands the lore."
Does Marvel Studios Actually Have a 'Homework Problem'?
The MCU has always come with "homework" to some degree, as is the nature of such a massive franchise with overlapping characters and narratives. That concern has only become more prevalent in the Multiverse Saga; increased output, the addition of long-form Disney+ series, and the renewed relevance of movies from decades ago have left some finding MCU fandom a rather daunting undertaking.
The Multiverse Saga has undoubtedly had something of a "homework problem," and box-office disappointments like The Marvels, Captain America: Brave New World, and Thunderbolts* are proof of that. All of the above connect directly to Disney+ series and feature characters from streaming in major roles, creating a new level of "homework" that casual audiences may not have been prepared for.
Avengers: Doomsday seems to be working around that problem by clarifying the Marvel projects that are essential viewing, including only one Disney+ show. Still, there's no doubt the studio will remain eager to keep Avengers 5 an enjoyable and understandable experience for those going in blind.
Marvel Studios has previously described Avengers: Secret Wars and what comes next as a new "beginning" for the MCU, and that doesn't mean a full-on reboot. Instead, Marvel Studios may want the next wave of projects to distance themselves from the Infinity and Multiverse Sagas, even if they are in the same franchise, instead offering a fresh jumping-on point to keep things simple.
