Pacquiao in the MCU: 'VisionQuest' namedrops Pinoy boxing legend
MANILA, Philippines — It's official, Manny Pacquiao exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or MCU.
The boxer-turned-politician was namedropped during the third episode of Disney+ miniseries "VisionQuest" during a conversation between the titular character played by Paul Bettany and his "son" Tommy (Ruaridh Mollica).
"VisionQuest" is a spin-off of the 2021 series "WandaVision," taking place years after Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) deconstructs the Westview Hex, including her depictions of Vision, Tommy and the latter's twin Billy.
The first show's finale saw a rebuilt, weaponized, white version of Vision obtain the memories of the synthezoid that died in "Avengers: Infinity War" as well as of Wanda's conjured reality.
However, this new Vision is still struggling to understand what he is, hence years of hiding with other artificial intelligence (AI) personas in his Mindspace for company.
Like what occurred to Billy in the body of William Kaplan in another "WandaVision" spin-off, "Agatha All Along," the soul of Tommy now resides in Thomas Shepherd, who is also having difficulty comprehending his identity and unexplainable speed powers.
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After rescuing each other in the previous episode, Vision and Tommy are laying low in a hotel when the latter accidentally cuts his right hand while at a vending machine and his powers manifest.
Vision notices the injury but Tommy assures him that he'll manage, especially since he's a southpaw, another term for being left-handed.
At the mention of "southpaw," one of Vision's AI companions Edith (Emily Hampshire), manifests in the room — visible only to Vision — and mentions Pacquiao, one of the best southpaw boxers in history, and his eight division championships.
Vision repeats what Edith said, which Tommy brushes aside as his "father" attempting to make conversation by simply stating facts.
Philippine MCU expansion
Pacquiao joins a number of references to the Philippines within the expanding MCU, which began with Filipino-American actor Jacob Batalon playing Ned Leeds, the Fil-Am best friend of Tom Holland's Peter Parker.
Ned's Filipino heritage is explored more in "Spider-Man: No Way Home" through the appearance of his lola, played by the late Mary Rivera, who dishes out lines in Tagalog.
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Technically the first mention of the Philippines was in the short-lived "Agent Carter" as Chris Browning's Rufus Hunt was stationed in the country during World War II.
The Philippines was again brought up on the small screen in another Disney+ show, "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," through Fil-Am Jane Rumbaua's Ayla Perez, a Philippine Air Force officer and the Filipino representative of the Global Repatriation Council.
"The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" also featured "Amatz" by Shanti Dope in the soundtrack, which played during the series' third episode.
More mentions of the Philippines were snuck into other shows, "Secret Invasion" and the animated "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man," the latter in an alternate universe and stars part-Filipina Cathy Ang's Pearl Pangan, who in the comics becomes Wave — Marvel's first Filipina superhero.
More part-Filipino actors like Batalon, Rivera, Rumbaua and Ang also star in the MCU:
- Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer
- Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop, the new Hawkeye
- Eugene Cordero as Casey, a clerk at the Time Variance Authority
- Ginger Gonzaga as Nikki Ramos, a paralegal and best friend of Jennifer Walters or She-Hulk
- Trevor Salter as Josh Miller, a love interest (but an actual enemy) of Jennifer Walters
- Nico Santos as a record keeper of the High Evolutionary
- Yssa Mei Panganiban as Sonya, a Black Widow assassin
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