Marvel Studios is finally about to introduce a villain for Paul Bettany's Vision in Disney+'s WandaVision sequel, Vision Quest. The synthezoid has been a recurring hero in the MCU for over 10 years since Avengers: Age of Ultron. But, as Bettany's hero has usually been relegated to supporting roles, he has never received a supervillain of his own. Even in WandaVision, in which he was the co-lead, most of the conflict was between Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff and Kathryn Hahn's Agatha Harkness, as well as SWORD.
Bettany will finally take Vision solo in 2026 with Disney+'s Vision Quest, which is bringing back several familiar faces (and voices) from MCU history. Most notably, Vision Quest will see James Spader reprise Ultron, who was arguably the closest thing Vision ever got to a nemesis but is, ultimately, more of an Avengers villain.
According to a post on Patreon from Daniel Richtman, Star Trek: Picard actor Todd Stashwick will play Paladin, a mercenary from Marvel Comics who debuted as a foe to Daredevil. This is the first instance of an adversary joining the MCU as a villain, introduced explicitly for Paul Bettany's Vision and not the Avengers as a whole.
Stashwick joined the WandaVision sequel in September 2024, at which point he was described as having a "key role" as a mystery assassin (now known as Paladin) who will pursue Vision and his advanced technology.
Paladin's true identity and origins were never revealed, although he has gone by the alias of Paul Denning through his days as a mercenary and private investigator who often comes into conflict with superheroes. He carries the usual Super Soldier-esque abilities of enhanced strength, speed, stamina, reflexes, durability, etc, while being a skilled marksman and combatant who uses an arsenal of advanced weaponry and technology.
Despite Paladin being Vision's first true solo villain in the MCU, the character doesn't typically come face-to-face with the synthezoid in the comics. Street-level heroes like Daredevil and The Punisher are usually the types that Paladin squares up against. Paladin has even joined a few notable super-teams over the years, including the Thunderbolts and Defenders.
Stashwick and Bettany are joined in Vision Quest by James Spader, T'Nia Miller, Faran Tahir, Ruaridh Mollica, and, reportedly, Emily Hampshire and Kerry Condon as the human forms of their respective Stark AIs. All these returning faces and plot details point to a rather confusing puzzle in Vision Quest that will unravel on Disney+ in 2026, hopefully serving as a fitting follow-up to WandaVision and Agatha All Along.
How Vision Quest's Multiple Confirmed Villains Fit Together
Vision Quest has already added several villains, most notably with James Spader reprising his role as Ultron after a decade-long absence from the MCU. He will be joined by actress T'Nia Miller as the bride of Ultron, Jocasta, who, in Marvel Comics, ultimately turns against her robotic husband.
Furthermore, Iron Man actor Faran Tahir will make history in Vision Quest by bringing back Ten Rings leader Raza in the Disney+ series. This casting certainly confused many, as Raza hasn't appeared in 17 years and was presumed dead, but one theory could explain how all these confusing pieces fit together.
Fans are well aware that Vision Quest will send the Avenger on a mission to regain his memories and humanity after he was resurrected by SWORD. That process may be heading for a digital struggle where Vision combats Ultron and perhaps gets help from some friendly Iron Man interfaces, who will be returning too.
Meanwhile, while Vision deals with these internal struggles, he will be hunted in the real world by Todd Stashwick's Paladin. As a mercenary, Paladin must have been hired by somebody to capture Vision's technology, and the obvious answer to that is Raza and his sect of the Ten Rings from Iron Man.
This would bring Bettany's character full circle, starting his tenure in the MCU as JARVIS in the first Iron Man, only to have to fight a foe from that movie in his own solo show.
Vision battling digital demons while facing external threats in the real world could, in many ways, make Vision Quest the perfect sequel to WandaVision. In that series, Wanda Maximoff was constantly facing threats from SWORD from outside the Hex while Agatha Harkness attacked from within.
