Before VisionQuest, T'Nia Miller And Mary McDonnell Starred In A Mike Flanagan Miniseries

Warning: This post contains spoilers for Episode 4 of "VisionQuest." Proceed accordingly.

Before joining the cast of Marvel's "VisionQuest," T'Nia Miller and Mary McDonnell had already played an embattled researcher and a corrupt corporate executive in Mike Flanagan's 2023 horror miniseries "The Fall of the House of Usher." In "VisionQuest," Miller plays Jocasta, a vengeful synth built from the consciousness of deceased neuroscientist Dr. Josephine Carrington. In Episode 4, Jocasta hunts down McDonnell's tech CEO Katerina Wells for stealing Carrington's work on sentient AI companions. 

In "The Fall of the House of Usher," Miller portrayed Victorine LaFourcade, a paranoid cardiovascular scientist who illegally experiments with a heart repair device and grows increasingly unstable. Her research is backed by her father, Fortunato Pharmaceuticals CEO Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood), and her aunt, the company's demanding COO Madeline Usher (McDonnell). Inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Flanagan's gripping Netflix show chronicles the rise and fall of the Usher empire, detailing the family's uncanny and gruesome deaths. 

Victorine's story takes a grisly turn when, under pressure from Roderick and Madeline to begin human trials, she murders her girlfriend before dying by suicide. Although Victorine and Madeline are family, their relationship is defined by self-interest and unease rather than genuine affection. It differs from the outright animosity Jocasta harbors toward Katerina in "VisionQuest," though both relationships illustrate how shady business practices can lead to ruin. 

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T'Nia Miller, who previously collaborated with Mike Flanagan on 2020's "The Haunting of Bly Manor," was thrilled to reunite with the horror filmmaker for another limited series, this time playing a character with a delicious mix of ruthlessness and charm. "He just says, 'I've got a character for you!' He wrote those characters for each of our personalities," she shared during an interview with Radio Times. "It's amazing. I had the privilege of watching a little bit as it was assembled, and it turned out so well ... I remember not being able to pick a favorite death!"

Meanwhile, Mary McDonnell admitted she wasn't a fan of horror, but Flanagan's script won her over. "It didn't feel like we were shooting horror," she told Awards Buzz. "It felt as true to me as any story I've ever participated in."

Now reunited in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Miller and McDonnell are playing characters whose relationship echoes their roles in "The Fall of the House of Usher." As the story of "VisionQuest" continues to unfold, audiences will learn more about Jocasta and her history with Katerina Wells.