Ruaridh Mollica, one of the stars in Marvel Studios' upcoming streaming series VisionQuest, has addressed whether Tommy Maximoff's bisexuality will be incorporated into the MCU. The sons of Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany), Tommy and Billy, were first introduced in WandaVision, where they rapidly grew as children from the magic of Wanda's Hex. The pair have since been reintroduced into the MCU as teenagers, with the twins' souls borne into new bodies, one of which Mollica will portray in VisionQuest.
In the comics, both Tommy and Billy are LGBTQIA+, a fact the MCU incorporated directly into Joe Locke's portrayal of Billy Kaplan in Agatha All Along. As for Tommy, Mollica told SFX Magazine that his character's sexuality may not be explicitly referenced, but added that as a bisexual actor himself, he hoped "that comes through in his personality and self." Mollica also expressed his desire to see Tommy's sexuality "explored in the future".
"I don't know if it's explicitly referenced, but I feel like myself as a bisexual actor embodying Tommy, hopefully that comes through in just personality and self, and is something that can be explored in the future."
In the comics, Tommy Shepherd (aka Tommy Maximoff) has relationships with both men and women, including David Alleyne, the mutant known as Prodigy, and Lisa Molinari, aka Coat of Arms, who will be played by Lauren Morais in VisionQuest. Lisa's inclusion suggests that Tommy's early relationship with her might be explored, but will likely leave room for his other relationships in future projects should they happen.
VisionQuest will be Mollica's debut in the MCU, starring as the teenage Maximoff who may have a grand future if plans to adapt the Young Avengers play out. Mollica shared in the interview that MCU veteran Paul Bettany was his mentor in the franchise, sharing that he "couldn't have had a better person at my side:"
"Stepping into this world, my screen test was with Paul before I even got the job. Even just trying to understand what was going on, because before my screen test I still didn't really know who my character was properly. Having someone like Paul, who has been part of the MCU for 18 years, anything that I didn't know or was unsure of... Even the first days of filming or rehearsal, I was so anxious and scared and it was all so new and big and exciting, and having Paul by my side, who's able to guide me and tell me about what this actually means and how important this is and these characters are to people... I couldn't have had a better person by my side."
When it came to filming VisionQuest, Mollica likened the show to WandaVision and Agatha All Along for its creativity and production value, noting that "almost everything was practically built."
"Some of the moments that were most incredible were the fact that, like with 'Agatha All Along' and with 'WandaVision', they really have tried to get so creative in how they do things that almost everything was practically built. I have never been in anything where they've had the ability to do that. So you're stepping into these sets, or you're having to portray these crazy emotions, but it's all doable because the wild room that you're meant to be in has been actually built and you're sitting in it. That is amazing."
Mollica also commented on his preparation for playing Tommy, sharing that he wasn't pressured into an intense Marvel superhero fitness regime, adding that showrunner Terry Matalas wanted the characters to be "as human as possible." In the comics, Tommy Maximoff is known for his super-speed powers, often going by the alter ego Speed. Mollica said he "definitely went to the gym a little bit," but "didn't dive into anything too crazy," in terms of fitness:
"Terry's so cool because he just wanted everything to be as human as possible. At the start, if people started working out more, he was like, "Guys, I want everyone to watch this show and just be like, 'These are just real people.'" I can understand that element of you want everyone to be relatable, and if everyone's got six packs or something, that's not as true to reality. There was no pushing or pressure for that. I definitely went to the gym a little bit because I wanted to feel in good shape and, you know, it's Marvel. It's notorious for high-stakes action and stuff. So I wanted to be ready to do that kind of thing. But I didn't actually dive into anything too crazy."
VisionQuest begins streaming on Disney+ starting October 14, 2026. Mollica stars in the series alongside Bettany, James Spader, Emily Hampshire, Todd Stashwick, and James D'Arcy. The series is a culmination of the WandaVision trilogy, following Bettany's Vision on a journey of self-discovery.
Tommy Maximoff's Sexuality Could Be Explored in His MCU Future
While Mollica's comments make it seem that Tommy's bisexuality won't be too explicit in the MCU in VisionQuest. However, the MCU has already incorporated other real-life elements of Mollica into his character, including his ethnicity, so the actor's bisexuality also seems like something the studio may align with his character's, particularly as Tommy is also LGBTQIA+ in the comics.
Mollica's role in VisionQuest is expected to be only the start of his MCU journey, as both Tommy and Billy Maximoff play major roles in the Young Avengers team, with characters from the team popping up across the MCU, suggesting a proper team-up is likely in the future. Now that both Tommy and Billy will have been reintroduced in their teenage forms in Agatha All Along and VisionQuest, they're poised to join the young superhero team that Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) hinted that she was building in The Marvels.
If Marvel does move ahead with its rumored Young Avengers or Champions project, this would be the most likely place that Tommy's relationships could be explored more fully. In particular, this would be the perfect place to introduce Prodigy, who in the comics is a mutant from Xavier's Academy of Gifted Youngsters, and also joins the Young Avengers roster from time to time, and has a notable relationship with Tommy Maximoff, which would canonically set up both characters to be queer in the MCU.
