As with any good Marvel production these days, “VisionQuest” is loaded with connections that eagle-eyed fans have spent hours poring over. One “WandaVision” Easter egg even surprised the showrunner. Now, viewers have seemingly been given one of the deepest cuts of all time, as Marvel has managed to sneak Jennifer Connelly into an episode. Connelly is listed as voicing the character of D.E.E.D.E.E. in Episode 5, “Firewall,” adding to the growing list of Marvel characters that have appeared in “VisionQuest.”
A Jennifer Connelly cameo works on a couple of levels. For starters, she happens to be married to “VisionQuest” star Paul Bettany. Secondly, this could be seen as a callback since this is not the first time she’s loaned her talents to a Marvel project.
Fans of Marvel comics might recognize the name D.E.E.D.E.E. as the artificial intelligence that Tony Stark created and put in charge of his private lab on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. It’s one of a handful of AIs that Tony Stark created to run his various labs and computer systems. For now, at least, Connelly’s cameo seems to be relegated to just one line in that episode, so it might be more of a fun husband-and-wife nod than anything else.
VisionQuest isn’t Jennifer Connelly’s first Marvel credit
Jennifer Connelly’s appearance in “VisionQuest,” albeit by voice only, isn’t her first appearance in a Marvel project. In fact, voicing the artificial intelligence system D.E.E.D.E.E. is just the latest in a long line of comic book-based projects she’s taken part in. Back in 1991, Connelly appeared in the film “The Rocketeer,” which was based on a minor comic book character from the ’80s.
The first time Connelly was seen in a Marvel movie was in 2003, when she played Betty Ross, the love interest of Bruce Banner, in “Hulk.” The movie drew mixed reviews from critics, but was panned by comic book fans. When the rights to Hulk were returned to Marvel and it rebooted the franchise in 2008, it replaced almost everyone involved. Hulk was played by Edward Norton, and Connelly was recast with Liv Tyler.
Nine years later, Connelly would return to the MCU, but as with “VisionQuest,” it was a vocal performance only. She voiced yet another Tony Stark creation, Karen — the artificial intelligence system in control of Peter Parker’s Spider-Man suit — in “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” More recently, Connelly appeared in the TV series “Snowpiercer,” which was based on a graphic novel, and the movie “Alita: Battle Angel,” based on a manga series.
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