'VisionQuest's Most Surprising Cameo Reignites A Classic MCU Debate
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is finally giving us the details on what happened to Vision after the events of WandaVision (2021) with VisionQuest (2026). After the first VisionQuest trailer was revealed, we got a good idea of how this new iteration of the character was parsing through memories that weren't his.
He also has to communicate with the various other AI influences in his mind, such as Jarvis, once again played by James D'Arcy. Jarvis was also a main character in both seasons of Agent Carter (2015-2016) and adds more fuel to the fire about whether that show, or even Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013-2020), is truly canon.
Who Is Jarvis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
In Marvel Comics, Edwin Jarvis is a flesh-and-blood human and the butler to Tony Stark and later the Avengers when they live in Avengers Mansion. He's a kind character who has even aided the team on more than one occasion.
In the MCU, Jarvis is first introduced as Tony Stark's virtual assistant until his code was uploaded into Vision, hence why they have the same voice. But before that, he was a human assistant to Howard Stark during and after World War II. He also aided Agent Carter on her missions, and she worked closely with Stark as well. Jarvis was the only character to make the leap from TV to film, appearing in Avengers: Endgame (2019) as a cameo when Steve Rogers and Tony Stark go to the past. Yet with all this information, it's still hard to know where Jarvis stands in terms of canon.
Fans Have Wanted 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' and 'Agent Carter' Canon For Years
When Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter were introduced, they were intrinsically tied to the MCU. Whenever a new film came out, you could bet there would be a TV tie-in to better make sense of the situation. For example, the helicarrier Nick Fury used in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) was obtained thanks ot the help of Phil Coulson and his team.
Agent Carter often crossed over from her show into Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the MCU and still appears. Even Howard Stark appeared more than once. As a result, audiences have always debated whether these shows remained in canon. In the case of Agents of S.H.I.E.L..D., it ended with the agents living in a totally different reality.
For Agent Carter, her story may still be canon, but it hasn't been mentioned in any capacity in the movies or Disney+ shows. Now audiences are both used to and tired of seeing these good shows forgotten just enough but still talked about or teased in the larger universe. The only proof we have that these worlds were connected is Jarvis. For many, it's more than enough, but for others, his appearance in VisionQuest is another chance to make a wish real.
Could 'VisionQuest' Make a Fan Dream a Reality?
VisionQuest has already surprised viewers by seeing Ultron come back, at least in the mind of the Vision, even though he was destroyed in the outside world. This not only proved that he was never truly dead but also that some forgotten things aren't truly gone. With Jarvis' actor also returning, this feels more true than ever.
We don't know in what way this Jarvis will act, but there's always hope that we will see whether his brainwaves are connected to the real Jarvis. If so, we could understand his story and whether the events of shows like Agent Carter ever really happened. Should something like that occur and the show were recanonized, it would mean Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. would have a better shot as well.
But realistically, VisionQuest is about Vision, and when the focus isn't on side characters, story takes precedence as it should. To try and cram in another show's lore for the sake of it doesn't always work. In this case, that could be enough of a reason for it not to happen. But the love for Agent Carter and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is strong, and if Jarvis' presence proves anything, it's that the fans still champion those shows with a passion.
