A month out from Marvel Television’s VisionQuest, showrunner Terry Matalas wanted to make it loud and clear: the show’s production was free of generative AI.
During a set visit, Matalas told ScreenRant there “wasn’t really a need” to use the controversial technology. It’s a fair question to ask, and not just because Vision’s whole deal is technology: both Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Marvel’s Wolverine were accused of using it, with some debate over how true those accusations were. Not to mention 2022’s Secret Invasion specifically used genAI for its opening titles, something its showrunner probably regrets gushing about nowadays.
While the show doesn’t use it, Matalas told the outlet the show will comment on genAI in a “really fun way” via its designs. Production designer Will Hughes-Jones and his team copied how AI used to render things: the Mindspace of Vision’s brain has stair bannisters that don’t fully connect, and furniture and picture frames are full of (or made by) sunflowers and fruits.
That type of thinking goes beyond genAI, as the visuals of VisionQuest also reportedly incorporate the Mind Stone, everyday tech symbols (like Wi-Fi and batteries), and a Windows XP background. Costume designer Sarah Young mentioned embedding robotic code into the stitch lines of Vision’s pinstripe suit and silhouette lines of Ultron’s robotic form are embedded into the coat of his human avatar.
More insight into VisionQuest’s production can be read here, which also digs into Vision’s son Tommy and the show’s place alongside WandaVision and Agatha All Along. The series itself premieres October 14 on Disney+.
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