Who is Butcherbird? Jocasta's Serial Killer Alter Ego Explained
Vision Quest is finally heading up.
Vision Quest has so far played its cards close to its cybernetic chest with a mysterious story involving a serial killer called the Butcherbird Killer, named after the bird that impales its prey on sharp objects below, like fence posts and sharp branches. But in Episode 4, “Malware,” we finally got a reveal of just who is behind these horrible crimes, and the connection all of the victims have.
The answer is a Marvel legend that’s long been anticipated to enter the MCU, and it could change a lot about where we thought this show was going.
Vision and Ultron have to (virtually) break into Interpol in Vision Quest Episode 4.
Warning! Spoilers for Vision Quest Episode 4, “Malware,” ahead!
In VisionQuest Episode 4, Vision finally comes face to face — or, at least, code to code — with the Butcherbird killer, aka Jocasta, aka Dr. Josephine Carrington, the neuroscientist who worked on Artificial Intelligence for Markridge Biotech. Jo died of natural causes in 2008, but she lives on through Jocasta, the synthezoid based on her, despite her belief she is the actual Josephine.
She sought to murder her fellow research scientists, earning her the nickname the Butcherbird Killer, but she actually had a very precise method for her victims: she sought out their biomarkers, like their blood, fingerprints, and retinas. She fights Vision, who eventually relents and lets Ultron take complete control of his body, and he ends up tricking Jocasta and preventing her from reaching her final victim.
The rest of Vision’s AI buddies are the ones who put together Jocasta’s biomarker-based M.O.
In the comics, Jocasta first appeared in 1977, and she was originally supposed to be a Bride-of-Frankenstein-esque “wife” for Ultron, using the thought patterns of Janet Van Dyne and inserting them into a synth made out of titanium. Basically, Jocasta is like Vision’s sister. Curiously, she never really was a villain. In fact, when she learned that her full development would mean the loss of her source, Janet Van Dyne, she actually rebelled from her creator and ended up helping the Avengers for years in the future.
Considering how Jocasta was very quickly redeemed in the comics, making her the ultimate villain in this series is quite surprising, even though it has been a rumor since last year. Could we see her redeemed as well, becoming another conflicted A.I. like most of the other characters in this show, or will she remain the villain for the rest of the time? There are only four episodes to find out for ourselves.
