Ruaridh Mollica joins Marvel as Tommy Shepherd in VisionQuest
Scottish actor Ruaridh Mollica has entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Tommy Shepherd, the long-lost twin brother of Billy Maximoff.
The 26-year-old plays Tommy Shepherd / Tommy Maximoff, also known as the superhero Speed, in VisionQuest, the Disney+ series from creator and showrunner Terry Matalas — the writer-producer in charge of the show day to day — starring Paul Bettany as Vision, according to Variety.
Mollica arrives with momentum. He made his West End debut in Clarkston at London’s Trafalgar Theatre. He played an aspiring London writer who moonlights as a male escort in Mikka Mäkelä’s 2024 drama Sebastian, a turn that earned him a breakout performance nomination at the British Independent Film Awards. He also appeared in HBO’s The Franchise as a frazzled production assistant.
His new role picks up a thread left dangling by Agatha All Along. That series, itself a spin-off of WandaVision — a follow-on show built around a character from an earlier hit — starred Joe Locke as Billy Kaplan, the reincarnation of Billy Maximoff, one of the sons of Wanda Maximoff and Vision. At the end of that story, Billy places Tommy Maximoff’s consciousness inside the body of a boy named Shepherd after Shepherd drowned.
VisionQuest starts from there. Tommy is introduced midway through the first episode as a teenage hustler, pickpocket and conman on the streets of London. It is a sharp entry point. The audience meets him before the wider Marvel story catches up with him.
The casting came through a screen test in New York alongside Bettany and Matalas. Bettany was involved in the audition process, Marvel has said. Early footage shown at New York Comic Con in 2025 identified the character in a CCTV recording as Thomas Shepherd, according to Marvel.
He joins a large ensemble. The billed cast alongside Bettany and Mollica includes James Spader, Todd Stashwick, T’Nia Miller, Lauren Morais, Orla Brady and Diane Morgan, with Emily Hampshire also starring, according to Marvel announcements in August and October.
Mollica identifies as bisexual. In Marvel comics, Tommy Maximoff is openly bisexual, according to TV Insider. Mollica told PinkNews in September that he did not know whether Tommy’s bisexuality is explicitly referenced in VisionQuest, but said he hopes his own bisexuality comes through in his portrayal.
For fans, this means the Maximoff twins are finally on screen together in live action. Billy found his way back in Agatha All Along. Tommy finds his in VisionQuest.
