VisionQuest Episodes 3 and 4: Jocasta, Paladin and the Simulation Theory

Episodes 3 and 4 of VisionQuest pick up with Vision and Tommy reunited and on the run from Paladin, while Tommy discovers his powers and Vision finds there is more going on inside him than wires and circuit boards. We also get big reveals around the mysterious Butcher Bird and Ultron's schemes. The episodes are loaded with Easter eggs, and several of them keep feeding the theory I've floated that this could all be a simulation Vision is running.

Ultron's Butcher Bird Painting Suggests He Knows More About Jocasta

Episode 3 opens with Ultron continuing his true crime binge, watching a news broadcast about another Butcher Bird killing. This time the victim is a tech mogul named Rebecca Edwards, left with a calling card of wings etched around her body. Ultron followed this case closely in the first two episodes, and here he isn't only keeping up with it but being inspired by it. He's working on a painting of a blackbird in homage to his new obsession.

That painting also foreshadows how the Butcher Bird will later attack Vision's mindscape with a swarm of black birds. The way Ultron paints the eyes red, they look like Jocasta's. To me, it seems to imply that Ultron knows a lot more about this new villain than he's letting on. Of course he does. It's Ultron.

One Easter egg I missed in the first two episodes: Ultron saying Jarvis "was a good guy" calls back to his own line from Age of Ultron, "Had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."

Jocasta's Disguise Hints She Was Designed to Be More Like Vision

In London, the Butcher Bird's next victim loads a shotgun as his elevator doors open. The show tries to hide the killer under a hood, but we can clearly see it's Jocasta. We've seen the trailers. If they wanted it to be a reveal, they shouldn't have shown it. Beyond her red Ultron eyes, she has a little chip on her forehead like Vision's, and her cape has a similar design to his.

I feel like this is meant to hint that while Jocasta's body looks like Ultron, she was designed to be more like Vision. I did wonder if this makes her the version of Ultron he was trying to build in Age of Ultron, and this is probably why he's so interested in her. In the comics, Ultron built Jocasta to be his bride, giving her a titanium alloy body and brainwashing Hank Pym to transfer Janet van Dyne's consciousness into it. She came to life in Avengers #162.

Janet escaped with the Avengers' help, but a piece of her consciousness stayed in Jocasta, which Ultron used to reactivate her. That leftover personality gave Jocasta independent thought, and she rebelled in Avengers #171, eventually joining the Avengers. Her look in the show seems inspired by Ultron's time as the Crimson Cowl, when he formed the second Masters of Evil in Avengers #55. Justin Hammer's daughter Justine later took on that mantle. With the nod to Justin Hammer being out of prison in episode 1, the show could be playing off that connection and hinting he has something to do with whatever Jocasta is planning.

FRIDAY's Freakout Shows How Different the Stark AIs Are

Inside Vision's mindscape, the other AIs desperately try to keep him alive. FRIDAY spirals, saying she can't handle any more chaos, until EDITH snaps her back and comes up with a plan to cauterize his wound with sulfuric acid from the leftover car battery, MacGyver style. Then Dummy uses a fire extinguisher on EDITH instead of the fire, a call back to how Tony kept getting sprayed in Iron Man.

I thought the freakout was an interesting glimpse into how different the AIs are from one another. FRIDAY was the AI Tony built to replace Vision, there with him from Age of Ultron until his death in Endgame. She ran a quintillion strategic calculations and still couldn't save him. They're all Stark AIs, but each had a very different relationship with their creator.

I think that could come into play for the new Vision. Episode 1 said Vision was created by Ultron but shaped by Stark and Banner, yet we rarely saw Vision and Tony together on screen. I'm sure Tony had more to do with Vision's transition into humanity than the films showed, and he possibly left crucial advice hidden somewhere in those memory banks.

Paladin's Gear Ties Him to the Ten Rings and Far From Home

Paladin is licking his wounds in a dog grooming truck called the Retriever. Kung mentions the adamantium bullets came from the Ten Rings, now led by Shang-Chi's sister, Xialing. At this point I started to wonder if Kung may be an AI construct herself, and if her whole room could be a simulation. Paladin also calls the Punisher an old friend, got a concussion from Daredevil and was bitten by a half man, half wolf, the wider MCU acknowledging Jack Russell from Werewolf by Night.

He's also repurposed the drones from Far From Home as spies named Bing, Bang and Boom. I don't think it's much of a stretch to imagine he got them in London, since Peter left loads of them on Tower Bridge. Because those drones were originally connected to EDITH, I feel like they could come back to bite Vision, possibly used to reconnect with her and wreck the Mind Mansion. Paladin's coffee cup carries a Swanson Primary School logo, a school in Auckland, New Zealand. That could hint at a globe-trotting past, or it could be something Todd Stashwick brought to set himself, since he attended Auckland's Armageddon Expo in 2023.

Blip Truther Signs and Orange and Blue Keep Pointing to a Simulation

As Vision recovers, their car is parked beside a big orange tree with a blue parking sign, more of the blue and orange that appears constantly in his mindscape and represents the Ultron and Jarvis AIs. In the car, Ultron is framed over Vision's right shoulder. From our view he's on Vision's left, the devil's spot, but from Vision's perspective it's his right, the angel's. I think that symbolizes Ultron's shifting motives and the difference between how we see him and how Vision does.

A sticker in the car reads "This is not our Earth" in orange and blue, next to a yellow "#bliptruther" sign, and Tommy later wears a shirt reading "Get a grip. Don't believe the blip." The blip has become a conspiracy theory for some people in the MCU, and the sign could be putting it right in our faces that this isn't the real world.

The hotel they hole up in is the Emerson Express, which I think is an homage to Ralph Waldo Emerson, the 19th century philosopher who led transcendentalism and believed people could uncover spiritual truths by looking inside themselves. Vision needs to find his answers within, realizing he already has the family Jarvis wanted for him. Naming a hotel after a 19th century philosopher also seems like exactly the kind of thing Vision would create in his mindscape.

Jarvis's Code May Be Why the AIs Are Feeling More

Now that Jarvis's code has been added to theirs, the AIs are starting to feel things far more. That's why Friday had her existential crisis and why Edith has a new fascination with her human counterpart. I feel this is also why Dummy has learned to talk: Jarvis's code might have given him a sentience he didn't have before. Vision and Ultron already had part of that within them, so it only applies to the new AIs. Ultron calls Vision a reprint of a work of art, but Vision tells him he's wise enough to know love is real.

Then the power cuts out. Jocasta linked their networks when Vision was rebooted, letting her infiltrate his mindscape and possess Dummy and U. Episode 4 opens in full exorcist mode, with Edith in a priest outfit and Ultron shouting, "The power of code compels you." It feels like it was meant to be the Halloween episode. There's a nod to The Ring, with a looping bird image resembling a Rorschach test, the red floor resembles the Overlook carpet from The Shining, and the wallpaper looks inspired by the real Stanley Hotel.

Jocasta's Red Chip Hints at Chaos Magic

Inside Vision's mind, the window resembling the Mind Stone is now completely red. That shows Jocasta is fully in control and possibly hints further at chaos magic. When Vision looks into her mind, he sees what looks like a red button and a processing chip, later revealed as the chip in her forehead. From this we can gather that this is what brought her to life, and its red color builds on our theory that she could be powered by a form of chaos magic.

She plays coverage of her killings, including an interview with tech CEO Katrina Wells, who was involved in creating the AI Ultron was based on. Vision realizes the killing spree is personal. Friday's leading theory is that SWORD built Jocasta. I also wondered about the timeline: Age of Ultron happened in 2015 and Brand New Day is 2028, so a 10 year Sokovia anniversary would mean this is set much earlier, though I might be wrong on that.

Ultron Wants to Raise a Banner for Synthetics

Ultron doesn't want to destroy Jocasta; he's intrigued by a fellow synthetic willing to raise a banner for their kind. I feel this adds another layer: he's not only out to kill humanity but to liberate other synthetics from human control, giving him a Magneto type arc. If the original Human Torch's backstory matches the comics, he was locked in an airtight tube buried in cement, and I wouldn't be surprised if freeing him is part of Ultron's plan.

Ultron calls his old self the child of Stark and Banner, showing this isn't the Ultron that attacked Sokovia, which fits his Ultron 5 designation in episode 1. In the comics, Ultron 5 attacked the Avengers in Avengers #66, then invaded Vision's mind and forced him to build an adamantium body, becoming Ultron 6. With numerous adamantium mentions, I feel the show could adapt this. Ultron's newspaper also reads "Wanda Maximoff from powerhouse to pariah."

The Interpol Heist and Markbridge Biotech

Vision and Ultron go undercover in the Interpol database, which is basically a police station with bot officers. During a CAPTCHA, Ultron insists there are five fire hydrants while Vision sees three. My best guesses are the top of one in the middle picture and a yellow smudge near the parking meters, but this could also hint that Ultron is influencing the breach. The database also has the same wallpaper and Mind Stone windows as Vision's mindscape. I could be overthinking it, but I wondered if this hints that none of this is real.

Meanwhile, the first two victims were on the board of Markbridge Biotech, started by five scientists who created the first stable synthetic consciousness. Stark Industries acquired it and Tony used its systems as the basis for Jarvis. One founder, Dr. Joe Carrington, died in 2008. The trailers spoiled that Jocasta is her. That leaves Katrina Wells, now CEO. Jocasta has taken blood, a fingerprint and eyes, which Vision realizes are biological keys to unlock something hidden, possibly the Human Torch.

The Gala Reveals Ultron's Origins

Tommy's partner Lisa uses a jacket with fake arms to pickpocket invitations, nodding to her comic identity, Coat of Arms. Her phone shows a green goblin, echoing her comics obsession with Norman Osborn. Edith's nails show three dots and a dash, Morse code for V. Katrina's presentation suggests Ultron's original code came from Markbridge, so Ultron is much more than a dream of Stark and Banner. She also credits Phineas Horton's synthetic man, Jim, a reference to Jim Hammond.

Vision says Jim was born without a mind and short circuited; his link to the Mind Stone kept him balanced. I feel that points to the new Vision being powered by Wanda's chaos magic, a byproduct of the stone, and that he could realize the stone already lives within him through her. I also wondered if Tommy has Mind Stone energy, which might put him in the line of fire. Katrina's line "May we live in interesting times" was popularized by Robert F. Kennedy in his 1966 Ripple of Hope speech.

Ultron Takes the Wheel

Jocasta's line "Peace in our time" perks up Ultron, since it was his mission statement, further showing that she originally designed his code. Tommy's super speed unlocks, depicted like Quicksilver's. Jocasta reveals she isn't based on Jo Carrington but is her, and Ultron takes the wheel: "I had strings but now I'm free." I think Paul Bettany nails the performance, with Spader's movements down. Ultron then tricks Jocasta into making Katrina, played by Mary McDonnell, disappear, which was brutal but one of his best bits yet.

Who Is Paladin's Client

I think the client and whoever activated Jocasta are probably the same person. I think SWORD is unlikely, because Kung keeps hacking their systems. I still like Sharon Carter as the Power Broker, and I don't think Arnim Zola is still out there in cyberspace, but it's worth throwing out. My new suspect is the original Human Torch, who may want Vision's body because his own bursts into flames. All the AIs are based on Horton's code, so their networks are most likely connected to his; if Jim gained consciousness, he could have activated Jocasta. I wouldn't be surprised if Ultron has his hands in this too.

I also think Jocasta could be after the solar gem from 2002's Avengers Icons: The Vision #1, which gave the torch consciousness and worked like a Mind Stone. I think Vision and Jim could end up friends who realize they don't need stones, and Jim and Jocasta might join Vision's mind mansion after defeating Ultron. That's how I think it's going to go. I enjoyed these episodes, and I like how they lay out the mystery while keeping the big things under wraps.