Terry Matalas and the Stars of ‘VisionQuest’ Break Down its Full-Circle Ending

Marvel’s WandaVision chapter has officially concluded with the emotional VisionQuest finale. After finishing the series, I spoke with writer/director Terry Matalas, as well as cast members Paul Bettany, Ruaridh Mollica, and James Spader, to discuss some of the ending’s most significant moments, continuing to incorporate the trilogy’s core themes, and more. Please note: these interviews will include major spoilers for episode 8, “Forever.”

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 Shepherd, 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.

“We were always wondering, on some level, on a really simple level, the problem the show has is: how do we get White Vision back to Red Vision? That was the task set [for] us by Kevin Feige, and the answer seemed to be, after much discussion between Terry and I, a sort of moment of acceptance of the true tragedy that has occurred to this creature, and that’s when he starts to turn red,” Bettany shared. “His acceptance of himself and what has happened to him, and the truth of it, is the reason that he is powerful enough to move into the final battle with his family. So that was the whole idea. How it was to shoot was really, really hard because it’s three of me, and it took three days to shoot, and it was slightly mind-bending to do it, but it was great fun.”

One of the finale’s standout moments is when Vision stays by Ultron’s side so that he doesn’t have to process his grief over losing Jocasta alone. This ultimately changes Ultron’s perspective of what a second chance can mean. “We’ve been trying to bring these two together for the whole series and really trying to bring them together in a truly empathetic, compassionate, sensitive [way]. But [also] truly an understanding for one another and for them to touch. For them to really touch each other,” Spader expressed. “That’s what the whole show is about, and it’s what both of them need. They both need it, and they get it, and it took all that to get to there.”

This comes after the Ultra Vision sequence, which is the perfect nod to WandaVision.

“With endings, for me, it’s always important to touch upon the beginning, and I’ve done it a few times. I did it with Star Trek and certainly on my other show. It’s an important closing of a chapter. But the Ultra Vision was — well, one, we knew Ultron was consuming everything, including television, so we knew we had an in there, and it came up in the writers’ room,” Matalas explained. “We knew that’s what we were going to do. How Ultra Vision played out changed a few times as we were writing it. There was a version where it was just him and Jocasta, and that didn’t feel like the right thing. It was like, it really needed to be about Vision and Ultron, but Ultra Vision ends. Then, what it does is force, because it fails, a conversation between father and son, both widowers, and I think that was the right moment for them to connect. I always knew that it needed to end with Ultron in pain, this guy who is nothing but in control of his emotions, at least in this incarnation, and always five steps ahead of everybody else, and hopefully, by then you would care about Ultron.”

When Tommy is finally told about WandaVision, he says that he thinks he understands Wanda based on his own love for Lisa. Considering we don’t ever get to see him reconcile with his mother, it’s a very important sentiment.

“I think Tommy’s character, growing up as Thomas Shepherd, as an orphan kid in London and then having this life that he feels like he understands but also has no lived experience in that body as [Thomas Maximoff], he just wants to be loved and understand love,” Mollica commented. “I think with Lisa Molinari, as he falls in love, he understands the sacrifice, and he understands what grief can push you to do, and what Wanda did and [why she] made that hex to deal with her grief. I think it’s the first time he’s like, ‘Oh my God, I get it. I see you. I understand.’ Love is powerful, and when it’s gone, and you lose someone like that, it can drive you to do big things.”

Watch my full interviews below: