Spoilers ahead for VisionQuest episode 4.
Episode four of VisionQuest, “Malware”, identifies the Butcherbird Killer introduced through a news report in episode two, “Theseus”. The murderer has been targeting former board members of Markridge Biotech, an artificial-intelligence company later sold to Stark Industries in 2008.
Markridge’s technology helped Tony Stark develop J.A.R.V.I.S. and later contributed to the creation of Ultron. In the fourth episode, Vision, Tommy and Lisa Molinari work out that Katerina Wells—the final surviving Markridge board member, played by Mary McDonnell—is next. They enter a gala where Wells is due to speak, but their attempt to protect her quickly unravels.
Jocasta’s new Marvel identity
The killer is revealed as Jocasta, an artificial intelligence based on Josephine Carrington, a Markridge board member who died from illness in 2008. Before her death, Carrington uploaded her consciousness into the Jocasta system.
Jocasta blames her fellow board members for selling Markridge to Stark and appears to be pursuing revenge. She is also taking biokeys from her victims, although the broader purpose of those keys has not yet been revealed.
This version of Jocasta differs substantially from her comic-book counterpart. In Marvel Comics, Jocasta Pym began as a robotic partner created by Ultron for Janet Van Dyne. Ultron himself was created by Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man, rather than by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner as he was in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Because comic-book Ultron was made using Pym’s brainwaves, he retained Pym’s love for Janet. Ultron eventually transferred Janet’s mind into a robotic body and named her Jocasta, referencing the wife and mother of King Oedipus. Janet had helped create Ultron and would also become his wife in the story.
Why the motion capture felt freeing
VisionQuest changes both Jocasta’s history and the origin of her name. Here, “Jocasta” combines parts of Josephine Carrington’s name—“Jo” and “ca”—with “Stark”. Despite the rewritten backstory, the character’s robotic appearance remains recognisable to comic readers.
T’Nia Miller plays Josephine Carrington in human form and also performs Jocasta’s robot through motion capture. It was Miller’s first experience with the technique. She described initially feeling nervous when the production team fitted her with a head-mounted device and tracking markers.
“I was a bit nervous to begin with,” Miller said. “They put this thing on your head and all these dots on you.”
That uncertainty soon gave way to a sense of freedom. Miller compared the process with theatre or drama school: performers can work in casual clothes, move around a large open space and concentrate on discovering how a character behaves physically.
“Because I’m playing a robot, I got to explore what that physicality looks like,” Miller explained. “Where does she lead from?”
Motion capture also allowed her to make the performance larger while still preserving small details. Miller noted that the technology registers subtle movements as well as broad gestures.
Those experiments are visible during the episode’s confrontation between Jocasta and Vision. Her punches and kicks overwhelm Vision until he lets Ultron take control of his body. Ultron then deceives Jocasta into firing at Wells, disintegrating her and destroying the face key she needed for her plan.
What comes next for Jocasta and Ultron?
The incident leaves Jocasta and Ultron in conflict, but the episode also hints at a possible romantic storyline between them. Ultron remains emotionally distant, yet he appears smitten with Jocasta. Whether that tension develops into a relationship is one of the questions left open as VisionQuest continues.
For more coverage of gaming, technology and screen culture, browse the RETROCADE Arcade Blog or explore our arcade videos. Readers interested in bringing science-fiction themes into a games room can also compare arcade machines, bartop arcades and virtual pinball machines.
Leave a Reply