Paladin first appeared in Daredevil, not a Vision comic. His arrival in VisionQuest connects Vision’s story to Marvel’s street-level heroes: the MCU version is hunting Vision for a mysterious benefactor, while the comics introduced him as a mercenary who worked for the highest bidder.
In the first episode, Vision, played by Paul Bettany, is keeping a low profile in Scotland after WandaVision and working at a pub. He gets along with his boss, who encourages him to get out into the world, unaware that her best employee is an ultra-advanced android. Then an elite squad of military snipers attacks the bar and kills Vision’s friend. The assassins work for Paladin, played by Todd Stashwick of Star Trek: Picard. He has accepted a contract from a mysterious benefactor to track down and capture Vision.
Writer Jim Shooter and artist Carmine Infantino introduced Paladin in 1978’s Daredevil #150. Dressed in black and purple, he had a reputation as the best of the best in the mercenary business. He was neither hero nor villain, but a gun for hire who tracked down and eliminated targets for whoever paid the most. His first target was the Purple Man, the Daredevil villain also known to fans of Jessica Jones. The pursuit brought Paladin into conflict with Matt Murdock.
Paladin has super strength, agility, and speed, but Marvel writers have never explained where those abilities come from. Soon after his debut, he starred in a solo story in Marvel Premiere. Over five decades of appearances in nearly every major Marvel series, he has helped or hunted familiar heroes, including Spider-Man and the Wasp, whom he briefly dated.
Paladin’s loyalty has always come at a price. He often sides with the good guys, but only for a generous reward. He has been part of Silver Sable’s mercenary group, the Wild Pack, worked for Norman Osborn’s Thunderbolts, and been hired by Heroes For Hire. The comics have also shown him turning against clients when their cause crosses his personal moral line, complicating the image of a mercenary who simply follows the money.
Despite all those appearances, Paladin remains a mystery. No writer has explored his backstory, and readers still don’t know how he got his powers or what his real name is. He has used the names Paul Denning and Paul Dennis, but both are believed to be aliases. Beyond his cocky, womanizing manner and his belief that he’s the world’s best gun for hire, little is known about his motivations. His unrevealed origin stands out in a universe where Marvel has disclosed the secret histories of nearly every major character.
The MCU has revealed more about Paladin than any previous comic appearance. Stashwick’s version doesn’t seem to have superpowers, though he’s clearly a master assassin. In the second episode of VisionQuest, F.R.I.D.A.Y. reveals that Paladin is one in a succession stretching back a century: the title belongs to an elite assassin and bounty hunter who passes the mantle down to another person. The Paladin always completes the mission and cannot accept failure. A crest on his chest that looks medieval suggests the title goes back centuries.
So far, the MCU’s Paladin seems more ruthless than his comics counterpart, and we’ve seen little of his flirtatious side. He speaks with a trusted secretary, but their relationship seems professional. There is, however, a hint of a moral limit: Paladin shows genuine regret after one of his men kills an innocent bystander at Vision’s workplace. Whether that regret points to the same capacity to turn against a client that the comics have given him remains an open question as VisionQuest continues.
