Terry Matalas Tells Us Paladin's VisionQuest Client Is Not Billy or Doom

Terry Matalas has ruled out two guesses about who hired Paladin in VisionQuest: it's not Billy, and it's not Doom. We sat down with the showrunner and put a run of fan theories to him, asking him to call each one "something," "nothing" or "no comment."

VisionQuest is the new Marvel series on Disney Plus, and it has perplexed us with mystery and delighted us with its humor and commentary on AI, and on how the history of AI has shaped the MCU we've been living with for roughly 16 to 18 years.

Matalas says Paladin's client is not Billy

We started with Paladin's mystery employer. In our after show, I threw out one theory involving Billy, though I'll admit I don't know. The obvious question came up in our conversation: Billy seems pretty capable, so why would he hire a ruthless bounty hunter? One clue raised in our conversation is that whoever hired Paladin wanted the body kept intact. It also seems like someone is paying him a lot of money, which raised the question of where Billy would get it. One joking answer that came up was that he's making some Polymarket bets, because these Gen Z kids are making money.

Then Matalas offered what he called an exclusive. "So here here's my the this the exclusive I'll give you. It's not Billy." He added that he doesn't want everyone heading down the same path of asking whether it will be someone like Tony Stark, because "It's not that kind of story." He was clear the answer is important, but said there's some time before fans need to obsess over it.

The Billy sighting in Borough Market was an extra

Matalas brought up another theory he'd seen that morning. Someone had freeze framed a scene of two characters walking through Borough Market and argued the figure in the background was Billy.

According to Matalas, it was a background actor who happened to have a very similar haircut and hoodie. He said he wished they'd noticed it on the day, because they might have flagged it, but Billy is not walking around Borough Market. That one was on my list too.

Ultron is capable of lying, but Matalas won't say if he is

Ultron has repeatedly insisted that the voice in the sky is not his. I didn't ask whether he's involved, only whether Ultron is capable of lying on this show. Matalas said Ultron is "definitely capable of lying," but whether he actually is lying is a question for the audience, and how far they trust him.

We talked about Ultron's character more broadly too. Even in Age of Ultron, he's very clever, and the conversation landed on the idea that there's a truth to him, an authenticity that can feel too authentic. My point was that you don't call a liar a jerk; you call them a snake. A jerk is someone who's annoyingly honest and won't stop talking. Matalas also said he was glad people liked the card gag, because the team didn't know how it would go over. It was my favorite joke from episode one.

Countdown to Doom is a real game, and Doom is not the client

Fans spotted a tape or file tucked between two of the TVs in Ultron's attic labeled Countdown to Doom. Matalas explained that it's apparently a real game. One of the set decorators put it in, and he remembers seeing it and thinking they hadn't made it, before being told it was a real thing.

When the question turned to whether Doom is the client, Matalas offered another spoiler: "it's not Doom."

Matalas felt the pressure of sitting before Avengers: Doomsday

The show was made about a year and a half ago, written even earlier, and now arrives as the title right before Avengers: Doomsday. Matalas said there's pressure on every side as a showrunner. The two productions were shooting at the same time, all at Pinewood. He said the Avengers set had better air conditioning and way better catering, and that producer Jonathan Schwartz would send him an amazing Greek salad. He stressed his own show's catering was very good, just not as good.

He said you definitely feel that pressure, especially coming off of Spider-Man, which was so well received, and you wonder if you'll be the nothing thing sandwiched between titans. I said I wasn't so sure about that. Matalas said you always worry, but it's also really fun to be part of the conversation around a gigantic movie, adding that even he can't wait to see it and has been texting Marvel about premiere tickets.

The Sanford and Son opening doesn't mean what one theory suggested

We always hold onto a show's opening shot as important, and VisionQuest opens on an episode of Sanford and Son. Our co-host Jessica Clemens had a fun theory: the show's famous line, "Elizabeth, I'm coming," might point to something like Wanda, I'm coming. Matalas had seen it. "It's not that," he said, adding that he'll talk more about it once the show has entirely aired.

He did note that Sanford and Son is about a father and son, a real cranky father and his relationship with his son, and that it will become a little clearer. It was a clever touch his editor Drew Nichols threw in early on, and the team referenced it a lot when making the show. He also mentioned All in the Family, and said Ultron consumes television, which you'll hear more about in other episodes.

I asked about the Disneyland reference, where one character says he wants to see the world and go to deserts and jungles, and the Sanford and Son clip answers that he can go to Disneyland. Matalas called that a coincidence, and said it probably helped, maybe, in getting Disney to approve the license.

Paladin's crest points to a pact he can't break

I asked for clarification on Paladin's crest: is it palta or pacta? Palta isn't a Latin word, but pacta would mean something like a pact or contract. Matalas explained the idea, which Friday raises in the second episode: if Paladin enters a contract with you, that's it. It's his blood pact, and you can't cancel it. He said we'll learn a little more about that soon.

The whiskey is a 12 Monkeys callback with a personal story

With Todd Stashwick and Emily Hampshire in the cast, Paladin feels like a bit of a 12 Monkeys reunion. I'd spotted some Star Trek references, including the whiskey and the Earl Grey offer, but Matalas said the whiskey actually goes back to 12 Monkeys.

He explained that he used to make war movies in his backyard with an old camcorder, and his best friend Brian named his spy army character Brian Swafford. Matalas always puts Swafford whiskey into his projects and sends Brian a bottle once he's wrapped. Brian has all of them in his basement.

Asked whether there are more 12 Monkeys Easter eggs, Matalas said yes, with a couple already in, including in episode three, and that he'll let 12 Monkeys fans dissect them.

Which VisionQuest theory do you still want answered?