VisionQuest's Major Daredevil Connection Revealed
It has been a big week for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only has Marvel Studios finally announced the cast of its upcoming X-Men MCU reboot, but the first trailer for WandaVision and Agatha All Along sequel VisionQuest has also arrived. Marvel has kept much of the story surrounding Paul Bettany's return as Vision under wraps, and the trailer finally offers the clearest look yet at the next chapter in the celebrated Disney+ show trilogy.
Arriving on October 14, VisionQuest will focus on Paul Bettany's Vision attempting to understand his identity after being rebuilt. The trailer is packed with twists and turns, including the return of James Spader's Ultron and Vision learning that his son, Tommy, may yet live. However, one briefly glimpsed character who initially seems like a relatively minor addition creates an unexpected connection between VisionQuest and one of the MCU's most popular heroes: Daredevil.
Among the characters revealed in the VisionQuest trailer is Todd Stashwick's Paladin. In the comics, Paladin is a highly skilled mercenary and bounty hunter who frequently takes jobs that put him in conflict with Marvel’s superheroes. His MCU debut in VisionQuest is notable because Paladin did not originate in any of Vision's comic-book stories. Instead, his origins can be traced back almost 50 years to 1978’s Daredevil #150.
VisionQuest Will Feature A Classic Daredevil Villain
Among the various AI characters shown in the VisionQuest trailer is a glimpse of one of the show's human antagonists. Paladin, played by Todd Stashwick, is only seen briefly in the trailer, but Marvel has revealed that he’ll be a bounty hunter pursuing Vision, which is a perfect utilization of the character's comic-book identity as a mercenary who takes jobs against superhuman targets.
Still, while his place in the narrative fits, it’s still surprising to see Paladin in VisionQuest, because his comic-book history is closely associated with Marvel's street-level heroes. Created by Jim Shooter and Carmine Infantino, Paladin first appeared in Daredevil #150 in 1978. He is not a conventional supervillain, but a professional mercenary with exceptional combat skills, advanced equipment, and a willingness to work for the highest bidder. That has repeatedly brought him into conflict with street-level heroes like Daredevil and the Punisher, as well as some surprising characters like Iron Man and Doctor Doom.
On paper, the story of VisionQuest seems worlds away from the grounded, violent tone associated with Daredevil in which Paladin originated. However, the Daredevil villain actually makes considerable sense as a VisionQuest antagonist. If unknown forces have placed a bounty on Vision and want the former Avenger captured, a bounty hunter experienced in bringing in superhumans is the perfect choice for the job. Plus, the on-page Paladin quickly evolved from his street-level roots, so there’s plenty of precedent for the MCU to bring him face to face with a hero as powerful as Vision.
Paladin Is The Third Daredevil Villain The MCU Has Repurposed
Paladin being an antagonist in VisionQuest and going up against Vision rather than Daredevil is an interesting turn for both the character and Daredevil's wider rogues gallery. However, it is not the first time the MCU has repurposed a Daredevil villain for another hero.
Paladin is actually the third time a Daredevil antagonist has appeared in the MCU but not to fight Matt Murdock. The Purple Man was retooled as David Tennant’s Kilgrave for Jessica Jones, becoming Jessica's primary nemesis. Typhoid Mary received similar treatment when Alice Eve played Mary Walker in Iron Fist season 2, where the character became an adversary of Danny Rand.
There is an important difference with Paladin, though. Kilgrave and Typhoid Mary did not go up against Matt Murdock in the MCU, but both were still used within the then-Netflix corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Their respective heroes remained incredibly close to Daredevil's street-level world. VisionQuest is entirely different. Nothing about the series' central conflict with Vision, Ultron, or its collection of artificial intelligences suggests a direct connection to Matt Murdock.
Marvel and Disney using a Daredevil character for such a tonally different story as VisionQuest opens up intriguing possibilities for the future. Daredevil's comic-book rogues gallery contains plenty of grounded antagonists who rely on firearms, combat training, criminal connections, and other practical skills rather than cosmic powers. That gives the MCU a valuable catalog of characters who can bring heroes accustomed to fighting gods, aliens, and other superhumans down to a more intimate level.