Who is The Client in VisionQuest? The answer is staring us in the face after episode 6

*Warning: Spoilers ahead for VisionQuest episodes 5-6*

After six episodes of VisionQuest, the mysterious Client has finally made an appearance. Well, sort of. We still haven’t seen their face, but we have heard their voice. And there’s a leading theory as to who they really are. 

It’s been a question we’ve had since the very start of the Marvel series, when Paladin (Todd Stashwick) revealed he’d been hired by a benefactor known only as “The Client” to track down Vision (Paul Bettany). 

Some fans speculated that the Client may be Raza (Faran Tahir). Remember the Ten Rings terrorist from the original Iron Man film? Yes, that guy. And it turns out they were very close, as VisionQuest episode 6 sees Raza return. Only he’s not the Client, he’s just working for them. 

His return comes amid a chaotic couple of episodes. In the fifth one, Ultron (James Spader) briefly takes control of Vision’s body before finally breaking free from his mind. Meanwhile, Paladin kidnaps Tommy Maximoff (Ruaridh Mollica) again and takes him to Madripoor.

Vision heads to the notorious criminal haven to rescue Tommy, only to discover that Paladin isn’t the only person after him. The Client has terminated Paladin’s contract and hired Raza to finish the job.

And that’s not the only problem. Jocasta (T’Nia Miller) reveals that she’s an AI connected to neuroscientist Dr Josephine Carrington, whose nanobot technology was originally designed to help humanity. Jocasta has other ideas though. She wants to use the microscopic robots to control the human race through a hive mind. *Gulp*

She puts one in Tommy’s girlfriend Lisa (Lauren Morais), leaving her critically injured when Tommy uses his powers to stop her. Oh, and Jocasta and Ultron have also started getting rather cosy. Because apparently things weren’t complicated enough.

But it’s during the showdown in Madripoor that we finally get our biggest clue about the Client’s identity. Speaking to Vision through a screen, the mysterious figure uses a distorted voice to offer him a “heart and soul” if he surrenders. Otherwise, they’ll take him by force.

So, who is the Client in VisionQuest?

We still don’t know for sure who is the mastermind behind all of this. But the leading theory points towards an android who’s already been mentioned several times in the series: Jim Hammond, aka the Human Torch. 

And no, we’re not talking about Johnny Storm from the Fantastic Four. This is the original Human Torch, a synthetic human created by scientist Phineas Horton. And he made his Marvel Comics debut all the way back in 1939.

VisionQuest has been dropping clues about him for weeks. In episode 2, a painting of a man engulfed in flames appears inside Vision’s mind. Then, in episode 4, we learn about J.I.M., the first synthetic man. 

He had a rather unfortunate design flaw: he couldn’t process complex human emotions. This caused his systems to overload and his body to burst into flames. As Tommy puts it, he basically “felt to death”.

In other words, he’s the MCU’s version of Jim Hammond. Vision avoided the same fate thanks to the Mind Stone and his AI personalities. But Tommy suggests the first ever AI was missing something else: a family. 

Given he’s been repeatedly referenced in the Marvel show so far, what if after bursting into flames and being shut down, he wasn’t completely eradicated? 

The theory becomes even more interesting thanks to episode 6. The Client’s voice calls Vision a tin man without a heart. “You died for love. But rebuilt, reborn without that love,” they say. They offer to give him a “heart and soul” if he surrenders. 

What if he wants Vision’s body for himself, so he can finally be able to process human emotions?

There’s another connection too. In VisionQuest episode 6, it’s revealed that Dr Carrington built on Horton’s original AI technology. And, as said, Horton just so happens to be the scientist who created Hammond.

Of course, none of this confirms Hammond is the Client. But with the repeated references to J.I.M. and the Client’s sus interest in Vision’s humanity, it’s easy to see where the theory is coming from. As one viewer wrote on X, “So we all agree that the client is Jim Hammond.” 

Another said, “Jim Hammond, I think, by the way the episode laid out the information it makes sense that it is an AI and one that wants the Vision’s body, so Jim Hammond or maybe the prototype 1 of Jo’s experiments (she added her mind to Jim’s original code, so it can be him).”

But it’s not the only theory doing the rounds. 

What are the other theories about the Client?

Marvel fans have thrown a few other possibilities into the mix too, including Sharon Carter, Xu Xialing and Arnim Zola.

One of the biggest theories after Hammond is that the Client could be Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), aka the Power Broker. If you recall, she was revealed to be running a criminal operation in Madripoor during The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. And where does Vision end up in episode 6? Madripoor.

Sharon also has a history of dealing with stolen technology and hiring mercenaries. Plus, Paladin’s access to adamantium bullets has raised questions about whether the Client has connections to the black market.

Another potential is Shang-Chi’s sister, Xu Xialing (Meng’er Zhang). She took control of the Ten Rings at the end of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. With Raza now working for the Client, it’s possible that Xialing is the person giving the orders.

And then there’s Arnim Zola (Toby Jones), the HYDRA scientist who transferred his consciousness into a computer system in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Given the Client communicates with Vision through a screen using a distorted voice, could this be Zola? Some fans even think it sounds like him. 

For me personally, all of the pieces are falling into place, and Hammond seems like the strongest choice. But Marvel is keeping the Client’s true identity firmly under wraps for now.

Why it’s definitely NOT Billy Maximoff

Another theory has been Billy Maximoff (Joe Locke), Tommy’s brother and Vision and Wanda’s (Elizabeth Olsen) son who we last saw in Agatha All Along. But VisionQuest showrunner Terry Matalas has already shut this one down.

Speaking to New Rockstars, Matalas responded to the theory that Billy could be the Client. “Why would Billy hire a ruthless bounty hunter?” he asked, before pointing out: where the heck would Billy get all that money from?

And if that wasn’t clear enough, the showrunner said, “So here’s the exclusive I’ll give you: it’s not Billy.”

He continued, “But I don’t want everybody to go down the Mephisto thing, [where] it’s like ‘Who is it? Who is it? Is it going to be Tony Stark?’ It’s not that kind of story. It is important. It’s important, but…that’s all I will say there.”

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Featured image credit: Disney+