The Ship Of Theseus is no longer The Ship Of Theseus if it doesn’t retain The Ship Of Theseus’ memories,
frames the philosophical core of VisionQuest as it launches its two-episode premiere.
Following the events of WandaVision, White Vision has relocated to Edinburgh and works at a pub that he and Wanda previously frequented. While trying to develop emotional connections to humans by revisiting the original Vision’s life experiences, Vision spends his time turning down dinner invitations from his Irish bartender boss, sitting in a walk-in freezer, and inhabiting a virtual reality house inside his head alongside copies of Tony Stark’s former AI characters: D.U.M.-E, U, J.A.R.V.I.S., F.R.I.D.A.Y., and E.D.I.T.H. Up in the virtual house’s attic, he has also imprisoned the AI mind of Ultron.
The Paradox of Identity
The premiere explores whether White Vision can be considered the true Vision given that he retains all the physical pieces but lacks memories of Wanda and his Avengers friends. The second episode, titled Theseus,
revisits the famous thought experiment from the perspective of Ultron, who lives in Vision’s attic. Critics note that while the big AI house serves as a nod to the artificiality seen in WandaVision, Ultron is the only AI besides Vision that actually feels like a fully realized character rather than just a set of character traits.
Action Replaces Sitcom AI
Although the virtual reality house offers a fun conceit, reviewers point out that the series is not funny enough to sustain a robot sitcom format. The narrative quickly pivots into an action show when mysterious soldiers attack the bar to capture Vision, resulting in the murder of his human coworker by a sniper.
