Disney+ is set to make Marvel Cinematic Universe history with the sheer number of villains assembled for the next sequel, WandaVision. In the upcoming Disney+ series, Paul Bettany returns as White Vision, the synthetic Avenger struggling to regain his memories and humanity after his bizarre resurrection in WandaVision and the events of Agatha All Along. Marvel has filled the series with both old and new antagonists, and this combination sets a franchise record unmatched by any Disney+ series before.
Premiering October 14th, VisionQuest features a roster of villains spanning a wider span of the Marvel Cinematic Universe than any other Disney+ series to date. Faran Tahir returns as Raza, the Ten Rings commander who captured Tony Stark in the 2008 film Iron Man, which launched the franchise. This single casting turn makes Raza the earliest Marvel Cinematic Universe villain to debut on Disney+. The series then pairs him with several brand-new villains appearing in Phase 6, the franchise's current era. This means VisionQuest is the first Disney+ series to feature villains from both Phases 1 and 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
VisionQuest's roster of villains has made history in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Tahir last played the character nearly twenty years ago, when Obadiah Stane incapacitated him and left him for dead at the Ten Rings compound. His return immediately raises questions, as fans long assumed the warlord was dead. Marvel announced Tahir's return in early 2025 and kept his exact role under wraps for several months, hinting that the studio wanted his involvement in Vision's story to be a surprise. Given that Vision is Tony Stark's creation, and Raza plays such a crucial role in Stark's early life as a hero, he will likely influence Vision's memories to some degree.
Raza's return, while intriguing, isn't the main villain in VisionQuest. James Spader leads the roster of returning threats as Ultron, the genocidal artificial intelligence he voiced in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron. Matalas hinted that Ultron will return in a unique way, appearing in both his classic robotic form and the human form Spader plays onscreen.
New faces in VisionQuest also add a touch of modernity. T'Nia Miller plays Jocasta, the android Ultron creates in the comics to become his bride, before she betrays him—a story that hints at who she might switch to in the eight episodes.
Todd Stashwick also joins the cast as Paladin, a mercenary hunting Vision for his advanced technology, with Matalas describing the character as a Boba Fett-esque tracker. Diane Morgan has also been cast as Paladin's unnamed ally, likely assisting him in his villainous endeavors.
Lauren Morais introduces another antagonist to the story: Lisa Molinari, a Marvel Comics character known as Herb. She belongs to the Young Masters, a team designed to rival the Young Avengers, and her connection to Tommy Maximoff, played by Ruaridh Mollica, could lead to a clash with Vision's super-speed-enhanced son. Each of these newcomers makes their first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Phase 6, the newest corner of the timeline, while Raza returns to its roots.
Until now, the record for the earliest return of a villain belonged to Helmut Zemo. Daniel Brühl introduced the character in 2016's Captain America: Civil War, part of the franchise's third phase, and brought him back as the main antagonist in 2021's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. This roughly five-year gap seemed long at the time, but Raza has since surpassed it significantly, as Iron Man arrived in 2008 and kicked off the entire franchise.
Some fans will be quick to point to Abomination as an earlier example. Tim Roth first played Emil Blonsky in the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk and then reappeared on Disney+ in She-Hulk: Attorney. However, in She-Hulk, Blonsky played a minor role as Jennifer Walters' client. He is depicted as a reformed health guru and not a villain, so his return doesn't exactly represent the return of the main threat from Phase I.
This honor goes unconditionally to Raza. His appearances in several Phase 6 films give VisionQuest arguably the most extensive roster of villains in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and this comes as the Multiverse saga approaches with Avengers: Doomsday in December. This diverse roster of villains rewards viewers who stuck around from the first film and brings familiar comic book names like Jocasta and Coat of Arms to the big screen.
How interesting will VisionQuest be?
The main draw of VisionQuest is the clash between Vision and Ultron. Vision owes his existence in part to the same artificial intelligence that once tried to destroy the world, and fans have been craving a real showdown between the two since Age of Ultron. Their appearance in the same room, where Ultron now wears a human face, promises a fierce intellectual battle. Furthermore, since Bettany first voiced J.A.R.V.I.S. in Iron Man, Raza's return adds another interesting element for longtime fans, as the plot involves two characters from the film that started it all.
Beyond the battle between Vision and Ultron and Raza's role in the series, other villains will also make the show intriguing. Jocasta and Molinari will be making their live-action debuts, keeping fans guessing as to what kind of villains they'll be. While the comics provide some clues, Marvel is known for heavily changing its antagonists in the comics, so it's difficult to predict how they'll act in the series. Meanwhile, White Vision looked incredibly menacing and threatening at the end of WandaVision, and it will be exciting to see this powerful version back in action.