Ruaridh Mollica on Being a Bisexual Actor Playing a Bisexual Character in ‘VisionQuest’

Marvel has spent years expanding the range of characters in the MCU, and ‘VisionQuest‘ adds another notable voice. The Disney+ series, which arrived Oct. 14 and closes the trilogy that began with ‘WandaVision’, features a character who is bisexual, played by an actor who is bisexual himself.

That actor is Scottish star Ruaridh Mollica, who plays Tommy Maximoff, also known as Thomas Shepherd. He is the older version of the son that Wanda and Vision welcomed in ‘WandaVision’, a role previously played by Jett Klyne. For Mollica, who turned 27 on the series’ premiere day, the part is his biggest to date and a deeply personal one.

Tommy’s return was teased in ‘Agatha All Along’, in which his twin brother Billy, played by Joe Locke, located his lost soul and placed it in the body of Thomas Shepherd, a teenager who had drowned. Mollica was confirmed in the role at New York Comic Con in October 2025.

In a new interview, Mollica said Marvel did a great job casting a bisexual actor for the role, calling it an honor to portray that in the MCU. He summed up the experience by telling Variety that he feels so seen.

He also pointed to the dynamic with his on-screen brother. Locke, who is gay, plays Billy, and Mollica said he loves the fact that there are queer twin brothers in the MCU together, calling it cool. It’s a notable moment for a franchise that has often been criticized for being cautious about LGBTQ+ representation.

Mollica identifies as bisexual and has told The Skinny that he prefers the term queer. He has said that he started to learn about queer culture as he came out in London, and that his work helped him understand his own identity.

Tommy is introduced midway through the first episode as a teenage hustler, pickpocket and conman on the streets of London. Mollica describes him as a grifter, and he said many of his references came from Matt Damon’s performance in ‘Good Will Hunting’. Tommy is an 18-year-old orphan just out of the foster care system, and he works alongside Lauren Morais’ Lisa Molinari, his partner in crime.

Mollica said he felt that Tommy flirting with Lisa actually makes him feel more seen as a bisexual actor, because that is the point of bisexuality. He hopes that playing the part is good for people who want to feel seen and represented.

When asked earlier by SFX magazine whether Tommy’s bisexuality would be explored in the series, Mollica said he wasn’t sure it is explicitly mentioned. He added that he hopes that, as a bisexual actor, it comes through in the character’s personality and can be explored in the future.

The first trailer for #VisionQuest, premiering October 14 on Disney+. https://t.co/jIcsJ2Iarl

— Rotten Tomatoes 🍅 (@RottenTomatoes) August 15, 2026

Mollica’s path to the role was unusual. Before sending his first self-tape for ‘VisionQuest’, he knew almost nothing about the show, not even the title. Just before that, he had appeared in HBO’s ‘The Franchise’, a satire of superhero franchise filmmaking in which he played a frazzled production assistant on a troubled movie.

He also kept the news secret while performing on stage. In September 2025, Mollica made his West End debut in ‘Clarkston’ with Locke, and the pair dropped hints about their Marvel involvement at the stage door by wearing a ‘VisionQuest’ hat and an ‘Agatha All Along’ cap. He told Variety that it had been a little secret they had to keep together.

Before Marvel, he appeared in the 2024 film ‘Sebastian’, the TV series ‘Ridley’ and ‘The Franchise’, and he played the teenage version of a character in ‘Stonemouth’. ‘VisionQuest’ is by far his most mainstream project.

‘VisionQuest’ follows Vision, played by Paul Bettany, who is hiding and trying to resist Ultron’s influence, with James Spader returning as the villain. Terry Matalas serves as showrunner. The series also puts the Maximoff family story back in focus, and Mollica carries a large emotional inheritance as the surviving twin who connects it to ‘WandaVision’.

For many viewers, the combination of a well-known superhero family and an openly bisexual actor in the role will matter. Mollica said he hopes it can help audiences feel represented, and that sentiment seems to be resonating with fans who have been looking for more authentic stories in the MCU.

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