VISIONQUEST Brings Back the MCU’s Oldest Villain Nearly 20 Years After IRON MAN
Here's a face we never expected to see again in the Marvel Cinematic Universe! Marvel Studios has reached all the way back to 2008's Iron Man to bring back one of the MCU's very first villains in VisionQuest, and it turns out he's been keeping himself busy for the past 18 years.
Faran Tahir returns as Raza Hamidmi al-Wazar in Episode 6 of the Disney+ series, reprising a role that many Marvel fans assumed was long gone. His return was first announced in January 2025, but seeing how the character fits into Vision's story makes for a pretty cool connection to the movie that started the MCU.
For those who need a refresher, Raza was the Ten Rings terrorist leader who captured Tony Stark in Iron Man. He eventually crossed paths with Jeff Bridges' Obadiah Stane, who betrayed him and left him paralyzed with a sonic taser. Stane then ordered his men to “finish up,” which strongly suggested Raza was about to be killed.
However, his death was never actually shown on screen, and VisionQuest has now confirmed that he survived.
Raza makes his return in Madripoor, the crime-ridden city previously featured in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Vision arrives there to rescue Tommy Maximoff from the bounty hunter Paladin, but their tense confrontation takes an unexpected turn when Raza shows up with a heavily armed crew looking to capture Vision himself.
The former terrorist leader has also made a few changes since we last saw him. Gone are the military fatigues, replaced by a sharp suit that gives him the appearance of a more sophisticated criminal operator. He's also wearing an earpiece, which could be his way of protecting himself against sonic attacks after what Stane did to him.
Paladin immediately recognizes Raza's voice and comments on the fact that he's somehow still alive, bringing up both Stane and the Ten Rings. The exchange suggests Raza has since cut ties with the organization and established himself as an independent bounty hunter operating out of Madripoor.
He's also come prepared to deal with Vision, carrying adamantium bullets capable of damaging the powerful synthezoid. That's a pretty serious upgrade from the weapons he was using back in 2008.
Unfortunately for Raza, his big comeback doesn't go quite as planned. During the confrontation, Paladin gets the better of him in a sword fight, leaving Raza unconscious.
At least this time, there's no reason to believe he's dead. He's still out there, and with his new connections and access to dangerous weapons, he could potentially cause more trouble in the MCU down the road.
What makes this return particularly fun is how it connects VisionQuest to the earliest days of Marvel Studios. Raza was one of the first villains audiences ever encountered in the MCU, long before Thanos, Ultron, or the countless other threats that followed.
After nearly two decades, Marvel has found a way to bring him back into the story without contradicting what happened in Iron Man.
It's a fun callback for longtime MCU fans, and it also raises the possibility that other forgotten characters from Marvel's earlier movies could still be out there.