VisionQuest Showrunner: No GenAI Used in MCU Series Production

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Posted in: Disney+, Movies, TV | Tagged: VisionQuest

VisionQuest Showrunner Matalas: No GenAI Used in MCU Series Production

VisionQuest Showrunner Terry Matalas and production designer Will Hughes-Jones discuss GenAI not being used - and why it wasn't needed.

Published Sat, 19 Sep 2026 09:37:09 -0500
by Ray Flook
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Article Summary

  • VisionQuest showrunner Terry Matalas says no GenAI was used on the Marvel series because the creative team simply didn’t need it.
  • Production design in VisionQuest mimics AI glitches by hand, using human-made choices to comment on today’s tech anxieties.
  • Matalas places VisionQuest years after WandaVision, roughly alongside Spider-Man: Brand New Day in the MCU timeline.
  • Asked about Scarlet Witch, Matalas stops short of teasing Wanda’s return but hints her presence still shapes VisionQuest.

With Marvel Television and Showrunner Terry Matalas' Paul Bettany-starring VisionQuest hitting screens on October 14th, viewers can expect a number of deep dives into how the line between humanity and technology continues to erode. But Matalas and production designer Will Hughes-Jones make one thing clear: no GenAI was used in crafting the third and final chapter of the "WandaVision" trilogy. "No, not at all. There hasn't really been a need," Matalas shared with ScreenRant."All the designs nod to how our current form of AI processes things… That felt like a fun way for us to comment on it." Citing an example from Disney+'s MCU series to make his case, Hughes-Jones noted that the team took the human approach to crafting designs that emulated the errors found in AI creations.

A scene from VisionQuest exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel. © 2026 Marvel. All Rights Reserved.

Previously, we looked at what Matalas had to share about one of the show's main themes connecting to Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) death in Avengers: Endgame. For this go-around, Matalas tackles two key questions that fans have been asking:

Where Does "Vision Quest"  Fit on MCU's Timeline? "Years have passed since 'WandaVision.' I would say we're about current with 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day" (which should put the series around 2028, if our math is correct).

Will Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch Appear? "There's a moment late in the season that we were running towards, but we didn't know exactly how we would get there. Paul [Bettany] had an amazing idea for the kind of scene it should be. Who he is within that particular scene is kind of amazing, and that we were able to pull that off. I want to make sure that people don't think I'm teasing Wanda, because I'm not teasing Wanda." If we can believe Matalas (nothing personal, but Andrew Garfield ruined it for everybody), it sounds like Wanda will be a factor and a presence, but an actual guest star.

VISIONQUEST (Image: Marvel Television)

Vision, rebooted and having escaped from those who sought to weaponize him, has been in hiding. Searching for new meaning, he consults the AI personas embedded in his programming, including F.R.I.D.A.Y., E.D.I.T.H., J.A.R.V.I.S., and the infamous Ultron. His discreet existence ends when a bounty placed on his head thrusts him on the run with Thomas Shepard, a mysterious boy who may be Vision's son, reincarnate. As Vision evades capture, he must confront his nature, resist Ultron's influence, and unravel the enigma that is his young companion if he's to survive.

Checking in with Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast, Bettany called VisionQuest "funny," "moving," and "super exciting." Though it will vibe like the thematic sequel to WandaVision and Agatha All Along, the series will stand as its own work. "It manages to feel very much like it's somehow a part of that world, an end to a trilogy of sorts, whilst also being very much its own thing, and it is just really good," Bettany added. "I'm really proud of it." Bettany also had high praise for Matalas, who he said did "a grand job" with the project, as well as co-star Spader. "He is delicious. He's so funny in this; it's so delicious to watch him, and we loved working together," Bettany said. Though questions remain about what form Spader's Ultron will take (possibly more than one), Bettany teased that the Vision/Ultron dynamic would be a strong focus. "The story is largely revolved around that relationship, and it's real fun," he teased. "It's fun stuff."

Along with Bettany, Disney+'s VisionQuest also stars Henry Lewis as D.U.M.-E, Jonathan Sayer as U, James D'Arcy as J.A.R.V.I.S., Orla Brady as F.R.I.D.A.Y., Emily Hampshire as E.D.I.T.H., James Spader as Ultron, and Ruaridh Mollica as Thomas Shepherd. Todd Stashwick (Star Trek: Picard) is set to play an assassin out to capture Vision and his technology, with Matalas confirming that Stashwick is portraying Paladin (Paul Denning/Paul Dennis), a top-level mercenary on the comics side of the Marvel Universe (created by Jim Shooter and Carmine Infantino and first appearing in 1978's Daredevil #150).

In addition, Faran Tahir is reportedly reprising his role as terrorist leader Raza, head of the 10 Rings, who tried to kill Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) in 2008's Iron Man. Ruaridh Mollica (HBO's The Franchise) has been tapped for the series regular role of Tucker, and T'Nia Miller (Netflix's The Fall of the House of Usher) has been cast in the key role of Jocasta. Lauren Morais (The Red King) and Diane Morgan (Crunk on Earth) have also joined the cast. Morais's Lisa Molinari reportedly has a close connection with Mollica's Thomas Shepherd, while Morgan is expected to play an associate of Todd Stashwick's Paladin.

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