As we gradually inch closer to Avengers: Secret Wars, the question of which stories get told in the next few years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe remains. One dangling plot thread from all the way in the beginning of Phase 4 of the franchise has been what is going on with Vision (Paul Bettany), the android who was reborn Ship of Theseus-style into White Vision at the end of WandaVision‘s Disney+ run. In the time since, Vision has not been seen or even referenced in the MCU — but a new rumor on Thursday appeared to change that. According to reporter Jeff Sneider, Marvel is imminently assembling a writers room for a planned Vision Quest television show.
The name definitely intrigued Marvel fans, especially those who are familiar with the “Vision Quest” storyline in the comics. While Vision Quest has yet to be officially announced by Marvel Studios, the very idea of it being in development raises one question — could the show finally help introduce, or showcase, the MCU’s version of the West Coast Avengers?
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Who are the West Coast Avengers?
Created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall in 1984’s The West Coast Avengers #1, the group is a geographical spinoff of the New York-based Avengers, and handles a wide array of weirder threats from California. The group is originally led by newlyweds Hawkeye and Mockingbird, with the main roster consisting of Wonder Man, Tigra, and James “Rhodey” Rhodes’ version of Iron Man. Over time, a number of other heroes and villains joined the ensemble, including Moon Knight, Scarlet Witch, U.S. Agent, and Vision. A later version of the team was run by Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye, with her teammates including America Chavez, Marvel Boy, and Gwenpool.
Even just that small smattering of West Coast Avengers team members has roots in Phase 4 and beyond of the MCU — in terms of the main team, Hawkeye and a new version of Mockingbird are still going strong, Rhodey is set to get his own movie in the form of Armor Wars, and Wonder Man is expected to get his own Disney+ series. Moon Knight, U.S. Agent, Kate Bishop, and America Chavez have also made their MCU debuts in the past two years, while Scarlet Witch has continued to stand out even after her apparent death in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Fans have been speculating for a while that a live-action West Coast Avengers could be inevitable — and those recent character introductions definitely help that case.
What is Vision Quest in Marvel Comics?
Created by writer-artist John Byrne, “Vision Quest” was an eleven-issue Avengers West Coast arc kickstarted by the traumatic changes that had occurred to White Vision. As the storyline revealed, Immortus (a variant of Kang the Conqueror) had caused Vision to be dismantled and remade at the hands of rogue government agents, without the soul of Wonder Man that made his previous form “human.” This was all an attempt from Immortus to manipulate Scarlet Witch to get closer to him. The arc ultimately led to the West Coast Avengers fighting and trying to rehabilitate Vision, to no avail.
While there would obviously need to be some tweaks made to bring this story to the MCU (as is the case for most of the franchise’s stories, at this point), the idea of Vision Quest potentially uniting so many disparate elements of the MCU — WandaVision, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Wonder Man, Armor Wars, and possibly more — in the fight against a new Kang variant could be must-see, especially in the lead-up to Secret Wars.
Do you want Marvel’s rumored Vision Quest series to introduce the West Coast Avengers? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
