VisionQuest Trailer Introduces Marvel's Most Mysterious Mercenary To The MCU

It's the beginning of the end for Paul Bettany as Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it seems. Marvel's new show "VisionQuest" is both a "WandaVision" and "Avengers: Age of Ultron" sequel, as confirmed by the new trailer. Beyond that, it's also going to introduce a brand new antagonist to the MCU in the form of Paladin. A mercenary for hire not altogether unlike Deadpool, Paladin is a character with a long history in the comics. Unlike Deadpool though, Paladin remains largely mysterious nearly 50 years after his introduction.

This series will show us what happened to Bettany's White Vision after "WandaVision." having rebooted and escaped from those who sought to weaponize him. Searching for new meaning while in hiding, he consults the AI personas embedded in his programming, including the infamous Ultron. His discreet existence ends when a bounty placed on his head forces him to go on the run with Thomas Shepherd, a mysterious boy who may be Vision's reincarnated son.

It's the bounty placed upon Vision's head that brings us to Paladin. The character made his debut in the pages of Marvel Comics in 1970, first appearing in "Daredevil" #150. In that issue, he was after the villainous Purple Man. But as with all guns for hire, it's more about the price than what side of good and evil they fall on. Hence, the price on Vision's head in this show makes it worth the squeeze for Paladin.

Previously actor Todd Stashwick confirmed on Instagram that he is playing Paladin in the series. In the latest trailer, around the 1:37 mark, we see a masked vigilante figure bust through some double doors with a big gun, putting Vision in his crosshairs. That's the merc in question.

In most cases, there would be a rich history with lots of details for us to dive into when a character like this is being introduced. When Taskmaster was the main villain in "Black Widow," that was an assassin about whom we knew a lot thanks to the source material. Paladin is the flip side of that coin.

Paladin was created by two comic book legends, writer Jim Shooter and artist Carmine Infantino. Usually when Marvel Comics characters make recurring appearances over a substantial period of time, more tends to be revealed about who they are, where they came from, and how they mastered whatever powers they wield. What this mercenary represents is something relatively unique in the realm of mainstream superhero storytelling: a true blue enigma.

Per Marvel.com, "Virtually nothing is known about the background of the mercenary who calls himself Paladin. It is not known why he decided to become an adventurer (beyond his obvious swashbuckling bravado) or where he got the special weaponry he uses." You read that right — nothing.

What we can say for sure is that Paladin has a rich history in Marvel Comics as an occasional guest star, appearing in titles such as "Heroes for Hire," "Thunderbolts," "X-Men," and "The Defenders," among many others. Even though he's not technically a villain, as a mercenary he's often hired by seedy sorts who would put him on the wrong side of a superhero.

"VisionQuest" is also going to introduce one of "The Avengers" freakiest characters: Ultron's "bride," Jocasta. Between the internal heady stuff we're seeing, Vision's estranged son, and the introduction of Marvel's most mysterious mercenary, it's clear this show is going to have an awful lot going on. Whether or not it's too much remains to be seen, but there's a lot of spinning plates, to be certain.

It shouldn't be lost on any fan of the MCU that James Spader is making his return as Ultron in the MCU for the first time in live-action in more than a decade. That alone is a huge deal and would seemingly be enough to sustain a series. The fact that we're also introducing a notoriously mysterious mercenary who is hunting down our protagonist is a lot. It means Ultron isn't the only villain that Vision needs to worry about in his first solo project in the MCU.

Ultron will surely be the harder enemy to defeat, given that the robotic menace is living inside of Vision's mind. How that connects to Paladin and why there is a price on Vision's head big enough to get his attention is one of the biggest questions we're left with for the time being.

The cast for the series also includes Ruaridh Mollica, T'Nia Miller, Lauren Morais, Orla Brady, Diane Morgan, Polly Frame, Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, Emily Hampshire, and James D'Arcy. Christopher J. Byrne, Gandja Monteiro, Vincenzo Natali, and Terry Matalas serve as directors. Matalas also served as writer and creator of the show.

"VisionQuest" premieres October 14 on Disney+.