Marvel did not become one of the most successful studios in the world by accident. The studio has long known how to make the end of one project the start of the next, so that by the time the credits roll, audiences are already scrambling to book tickets for whatever comes after. VisionQuest has now pulled off that same trick.

With a major Avenger making a return, the series has turned itself from a standalone watch into something fans may not want to skip ahead of Avengers: Doomsday.

VisionQuest bows out with an Avenger’s return

When VisionQuest first arrived, it was not being sold as homework before Avengers: Doomsday. The series was pitched as a continuation of the story that began with WandaVision, picking up Vision’s thread and the questions left behind, so most fans treated it as a character-driven side journey. Marvel, as usual, was playing the long game. By the time the finale rolled around, the series had changed its standing entirely.

The turn came in the post-credits scene of the finale, which shows Doctor Doom himself awakening Scarlet Witch.

Wanda Maximoff, believed to be gone after the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, opens her eyes with Doom standing over her, and Elizabeth Olsen’s return is confirmed in a matter of moments. 

While Scarlet Witch is now sure to return in Avengers: Doomsday, she is not the only Avenger on the other side of the battle.

Who has joined Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday?

Doctor Doom is quickly proving to be a collector. The villain who has been sold as the gravest threat in the universe appears to be building a roster of his own, only with Earth’s mightiest heroes. First came Scarlet Witch. Hulk looks like the next addition. The post-credits scenes added to Avengers: Endgame Encore show Doom tracking Bruce Banner to an underground bunker and collecting him, with Banner having locked himself away after the events of Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Hulk was missing from the Doomsday cast announcement, so the scene turns an apparent absence into a recruitment, or possibly a kidnapping, with the exact nature of it left open. With a tyrant who is gathering Avengers one at a time, the real question is no longer who will stand against Doom, but who will already be standing beside him.

What do you think about Scarlet Witch’s return? Let us know in the comments.