VisionQuest finale trailer: how is Paladin still alive?

Marvel has released a final trailer for the VisionQuest finale, and the biggest talking point when Jess and I discussed it was simple: Paladin and Friday appear to still be alive. The promo also points toward trouble for Jocasta, hints at Billy Maximoff, and suggests nanobots spreading across London.

The trailer lands days before the VisionQuest finale. It includes lines such as "I want to know you," "You took something of mine," and "She's a threat to peace." Our first reaction was "That was a little too much," followed by the complaint that "There's a lot of things you could have kept secret."

How is Paladin still alive in the VisionQuest finale trailer?

The shot that caused the most confusion shows Paladin, apparently still alive. Tommy is in that same shot. Friday's survival drew less surprise, since that had been assumed, but Paladin's return left both Jess and me unsure what was going on. One reaction was that the shot would have to be explained away as a fever dream.

The problem is the scene where Paladin drives away from the house of James Spader's character. I rewatched that shot over and over. He is in the car. There is a shot of him behind the wheel, and a quick glimpse of him checking a side view mirror. But an RPG moves fast, and there would be no reaction time. I don't know how he got out of that car, and I expect we'll find out in the finale.

There was even doubt that the figure is Paladin at all. Maybe it is a fake Paladin, or some robot using his face. Another question raised was whether the characters are inside Vision's mind.

Theories for Paladin's survival: dust, decoys and Edith

Several theories came up. One was that when Thanos dusted Paladin, he gained the power to dust at will, letting him reform from the dust once the smoke settles and walk out of the fire. Another was that Paladin was a decoy used to bring in Ultron, and that the person or thing in the car was what died.

Edith also came up, since Edith went into the car earlier. If Paladin had never been seen behind the wheel, it could have been Edith driving the whole time while he hid behind the fountain. But he is in the car. Other ideas included a duck and roll out of the vehicle, or a force field power like Sue Storm's. An ejector seat seemed unlikely, because the explosion was seen from a distance.

The bigger question raised was why the guard fired an RPG in the first place. One joke was that props on the day could not find a gun or a sniper rifle and only had the giant launcher. There was also a half remembered line from an episode about not using a bazooka to kill an ant, though it might have come from another show.

Jocasta restrained and the two Ultrons

The trailer shows Jocasta restrained, and together with the return of Paladin and Friday, that felt like a sign Ultron did the bad thing. One theory offered is that one Ultron is actually a good guy, while the grandson is the real problem. In that reading, the good Ultron is encouraging the grandson, because he says Jocasta needs to be restrained.

The discussion settled on calling the two figures Ultron and grandson, after briefly trying out bearded Ultron. A counterpoint was that maybe Jocasta does need restraining, because she may have programming she cannot control. Another concern was that Ultron seems fine with the grandson probably destroying her in other ways. "I hope Jocasta doesn't get destroyed. I like her too much. I want her as a forever presence in the MCU."

Billy Maximoff clues in the VisionQuest trailer

Two shots, both seen in earlier trailers, were read as Billy clues. In one, Tommy walks through a door into a spooky room with runes on the walls. The theory is that this is Billy reaching out to Tommy through a telepathic message.

In the other, Vision is being revived, and two sets of hands are visible. One hand has black nail polish, and the read in the discussion was that it belongs to Billy Maximoff.

Still, how Billy enters the story after the way episode 7 ended remained unclear. Vision has said he lost both his sons, starting with Billy, which suggests Billy is coming. The open question was what about Billy's powers Vision needs to save the day. One suggestion was that Billy could bring Vision back, perhaps by breaking into some part of him, since Billy has probably grown stronger with his powers, especially if Agatha has been helping him while they wander the world.

Jennifer Kale and the nanobots in London

There was talk of Billy having a coven of his own, but the point was made that Agatha is all the coven he needs, having absorbed so many witches' abilities. Jennifer Kale is the one who got away. She was described as flying off to something like a pink moon, and the reaction was a wish to see her again and learn where she went.

From the trailer imagery I've seen for episode 8, I vaguely understand that a nest will unleash nanobots around London, with shots of them passing Tower Bridge and St. Paul's. But I don't know why Paladin is there. I like every episode of this show, and every week of it has completely defied my expectations of what the show even is. I could not have predicted everything that happened in episode 7 at all, even scrutinizing the trailer imagery the way we have.