Showrunner Announces Key Casting News for Marvel’s ‘VisionQuest’

This weekend at the Star Trek Las Vegas convention, VisionQuest showrunner Terry Matalas dropped major news about the upcoming Marvel miniseries, confirming the casting of two Star Trek: Picard alumni—Todd Stashwick and Orla Brady—in pivotal roles for the 2026 Disney+ series.

Stashwick, known for his role as Captain Liam Shaw in Picard, will portray Paladin, a morally ambiguous mercenary from Marvel Comics. First introduced in Daredevil #150 (1978), Paladin is a skilled operative whose allegiance often hinges on the highest bidder. In VisionQuest, he’s described as an assassin tracking down White Vision—Paul Bettany’s reawakened android who gained sentience at the end of WandaVision. Matalas confirmed that Paladin will be a central antagonist, bringing a grounded, tactical threat to the otherwise AI-heavy narrative.

Brady, who played Laris and Tallinn in Picard, will take over the role of F.R.I.D.A.Y., Tony Stark’s AI assistant previously voiced by Kerry Condon in the MCU films. Unlike her purely digital predecessor, Brady’s version of F.R.I.D.A.Y. is rumored to appear in humanoid form—possibly as a Life Model Decoy or holographic avatar. This recasting marks a shift in how Marvel is portraying its artificial intelligences, with several—including Emily Hampshire’s E.D.I.T.H. and T’Nia Miller’s Jocasta—expected to have physical embodiments. Matalas emphasized Brady’s emotional range and intelligence as key reasons for her casting, calling the collaboration with Marvel “wonderfully collaborative”.

Paul Bettany returns as Vision, navigating a post-Wanda existence with fragmented memories and existential questions. Matalas likened Vision’s arc to Spock’s journey in Star Trek IV, suggesting a cerebral and emotional quest for identity. James Spader is also confirmed to reprise his role as Ultron, with Matalas teasing a “unique” use of the character—possibly involving a human avatar or holographic projection.

The series will also feature Faran Tahir reprising Raza from Iron Man and Ruaridh Mollica in a mystery role, speculated to be Tommy Maximoff. Filming wrapped in July 2025, and VisionQuest is slated to premiere on Disney+ in 2026.

via Collider