Vision and the AI personalities sharing his mind race to uncover how Tommy escaped the Hex. At the same time, Paladin sets a trap designed to capture Vision and deliver him to his mysterious employer. As the two storylines collide, one of Vision’s digital companions makes a heartbreaking decision that could change everything.

Warning: Spoilers Below

Tommy’s Backstory

The episode opens a year earlier, when Tommy Maximoff takes over the body of Thomas Shepherd. This development was first explored in Agatha All Along (an excellent series that everyone should watch if they haven’t already!). Tommy retains memories from both lives, remembering his difficult childhood in London while also recalling the loving family he had in the Hex. He is eventually sent to a sanitarium, which struck me as an unusual choice of terminology for an American show set in the UK. I rarely hear the word used in either country these days. While riding the bus, Tommy meets his future partner in crime, and the two manage to escape together.

Back in the present, Vision, Ultron, J.A.R.V.I.S., F.R.I.D.A.Y., and E.D.I.T.H. discuss Tommy and his mysterious connection to the Hex. Since this isn't the same Vision who lived in the Hex, he has no emotional attachment to Tommy. However, a video of Tommy reveals that he knows something Vision previously told Wanda when the two were alone. The AI avatars realize that Tommy could only know that detail if he really is the Tommy who lived in the Hex. Meanwhile, Paladin plans to use Tommy as bait to lure Vision into a trap and deliver the android to his employer.

Springing the Trap

Vision meets Paladin at the pub where the barkeep was just murdered. Vision reveals that he has run through every possible scenario and anticipated Paladin’s movements, even predicting the speeches he planned to deliver. This is a very different Vision from the one Paladin expected to encounter. His plan relies on Vision having an emotional connection to Tommy, but that connection simply doesn’t exist. Vision heads to the sanitarium to rescue Tommy, believing he has triggered Paladin’s trap when he fights his way through the patients and staff in the lobby. However, the real trap is waiting in the room where Tommy is being held, and Vision finds himself unable to fight back.

With Vision immobilized, Tommy draws on his powers as Speed to help open the door. Working together, the two use their strength to break through, only for Paladin to arrive and cut off their escape. Vision initially assumes the bullets will pass through him or bounce off his body, but he soon discovers that Paladin is using adamantium ammunition capable of injuring him. The use of adamantium is a nice connection to the wider Marvel universe, including X-Men, Eternals, and Captain America: Brave New World. With Vision unable to maintain the sanctuary housing the artificial intelligences inside his mind, J.A.R.V.I.S. reroutes some of the available power. That decision gives Ultron the opportunity to escape his attic cell.

Escape and Sacrifice

With Ultron no longer confined, he approaches the other AIs to discuss how they can save themselves. He hints that one of them might have to sacrifice themselves to save the others. However, Ultron isn't exactly altruistic, and it's clear he has an ulterior motive. After assessing the situation, J.A.R.V.I.S. decides to make the ultimate sacrifice. He knows Ultron won't volunteer, while DUM-E and U don't have enough power to make a meaningful difference in saving Vision and the others. He also recognizes that Vision will need F.R.I.D.A.Y. and E.D.I.T.H. more than him. Rather than leave their survival to chance, J.A.R.V.I.S. deletes his own code, sacrificing himself to give the others a chance to survive.

Meanwhile, in the real world, Vision has been trying to send Tommy away to protect him from Paladin. It's worth noting that Ultron appears to be accompanying Vision in the real world, although Vision seems to be the only one who can see him. When Vision realizes Paladin is about to capture him, Tommy returns with a car and helps load the android inside so they can escape the bounty hunter. Despite Vision's attempts to push him away, Tommy chooses to help him, suggesting their connection may be stronger than Vision initially realizes.

Final Thoughts

The first two episodes serve as a strong opening to what could become an epic trilogy. I’m curious to see where Ultron goes from here. He’s escaped his prison in the digital home Vision created for the AI avatars, but it’s unclear whether he has truly escaped since only Vision seems able to see him in the real world. Then there’s the mystery of Paladin’s employer. My first thought was that the carrier pigeon Ultron sent in the first episode (is that a tweet?) was his way of hiring Paladin. I’m not convinced that’s the answer, though. The only other possibilities that come to mind are Billy and Agatha from Agatha All Along. Whoever is behind this, I’m looking forward to finding out.

Paladin is also an interesting character because the only two people we’ve seen him kill are the man responsible for the barkeep’s death and the sanitarium worker who seemed to enjoy torturing patients with his shock stick. He appears to have a moral code, even if his profession puts him at odds with our heroes. That makes me wonder whether he’s truly a villain or simply someone whose methods put him on the wrong side of Vision's story.

There are also two great Easter eggs during Vision’s conversation with Ultron before he heads off to rescue Tommy. The first is a painting of an android engulfed in flames, described as the “First of Us.” It appears to depict Jim Hammond, Marvel’s original Human Torch, who was also an android. It’s a fun nod to a character who predates Johnny Storm and connects Vision to Marvel’s long history of artificial life.

The second Easter egg comes when Vision and Ultron discuss the Ship of Theseus, a philosophical question that previously came up in WandaVision. Ultron advises Vision not to be the ship but to be the “God Damn King.” It’s good advice, even if Ultron has his own reasons for giving it, and a clever callback to Vision’s ongoing struggle with his identity. These references add another layer to an episode that’s already setting up some intriguing mysteries.

Check out VisionQuest streaming exclusively on Disney Plus.