The fifth episode of Disney’s VisionQuest takes place right where the previous episode left off, producing an intricate and interwoven plot that provides a much enjoyed insight into Ultron’s convoluted character.
Keeping up with the plot of episode four, “Malware,” Ultron still retains control of Vision’s body, seemingly using this opportunity to have a conversation with Thomas. This is initially occurring unbeknownst to Vision and the other AIs who have been locked within Vision’s mind space’s “mental attic,” wherein Ultron has been effectively “imprisoned” the last few years.
Hacking into CCTV footage surrounding the gala, Vision and the other AIs are able to follow Thomas and Ultron’s path – albeit with a 20 hour delay. Ultron takes Thomas for a pint, where Thomas expresses his visceral dislike for the AI, accusing him of the murder of thousands in Sokovia. Ultron is unthreatened by the rebuttal, and responds by saying that “the human race is a disease,” and that he would not hesitate to kill everybody, except for the artists, whom he respects for their honesty. When Thomas asks if Vision actually loves him, Ultron scoffs, and tells him it will never work as Vision will never comprehend human connection.
Back in the mindspace, Vision and the other AIs discover that Ultron has been frequently messaging Paladin, for no reason other than to cure his boredom. Ultron tells Paladin that he knows other bounty hunters have been hired – that Paladin has been fired – but that Ultron can get him to Vision first, if not just to see if he could do it. It does not even seem as if Ultron has malicious intent, merely that he is bored and in need of some form of mental stimulation.
Frightened at what this could mean for Thomas, Vision continues reviewing the CCTV footage, and discovers that Thomas was taken into Paladin’s van an unknown time ago. Desperate, Vision urges his team to drop the firewall which protects his data, but they remind him that that would allow Ultron to escape into the mainstream data line.
Confused as to what Ultron’s goal even is, the team analyzes the CCTV footage within the bar closer and, to their surprise, finds Ultron talking to Butcherbird, who accuses Ultron of stealing from her. It is revealed that Ultron scanned the face of the last surviving member of the AI board before she was killed, and Butcherbird needs the scan for an unknown facial recognition key. Surprisingly, the pair hits it off, and begin to speak in a metaphorical sense that it seems only they understand. It is clear they are beings that exist above the plane of knowledge, and their understanding of each other seems refreshing to them both. Butcherbird admits that she does not know how she got into her synthetic body, but does not seem to be tormented by the lack of memory. Ultron agrees to escape Vision’s system in order to be with her, on the condition she tells him what the facial recognition key unlocks.
Following all of these events and with Vision still in a panic, Ultron returns to where he has kept him and the other AIs captive, assuring them that Thomas is in no physical duress. Ultron urges Vision to drop the firewalls so he can find his place, as he feels stifled, but Vision refuses, seeing the harm that releasing Ultron could unleash. Ultron tells him that he, in turn, will keep Vision locked up long enough to see Thomas’s fate.
Unable to cope with the idea of the loss, Vision drops the firewall, allowing Ultron to escape. Before doing so, he urges Ultron to see the light, telling him that the only person who can save him is himself. Vision wakes up in his body on a storage plane to Madripoor, finding Lisa – Thomas’s friend – hiding out there as well, desperate to find Thomas.
This episode is a stark contrast to the last. While the supernatural elements that are inherent to all Marvel stories are certainly present, the story is incredibly character driven and, shockingly, emotional. VisionQuest manages to introduce an increasingly more nuanced view of Ultron. He is not evil, he is merely technology. The relationship he is beginning to form with Butcherbird (or rather, Dr. Josephine Carrington) is tribute to that. He is deeply present in their conversations, and they find companionship with each other due to their isolation from others. Ultron does not believe the human race apt – with their faults and stupidity – but praises the artists and surrounds himself with their works, revelling in their ability to “tell the truth.” Ultron does not seek to betray, but is desperate for all the experiences he can consume, desperate for stimulation and mental growth.
The choice to have an episode so focused on Ultron is only a good one, and provides a layer of complexity well suited to the story while shedding a new light on the newly introduced villain who, previously, may have appeared shallow and one-sided.
Rating: 9/10