Actor Faran Tahir has returned to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Raza Hamidmi al-Wazar in “VisionQuest,” his first appearance in the franchise since the original “Iron Man” film 18 years ago.
Marvel announced his return in January 2025, surprising many fans. Jeff Bridges’ Obadiah Stane appeared to have killed Raza in “Iron Man,” although the film didn’t show it on-screen.
Raza appears in episode 6, set in Madripoor, the island city-state the MCU introduced in the 2021 Disney+ series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” Vision travels there to rescue Thomas Shepherd, also known as Tommy Maximoff, his reincarnated son from “WandaVision.”
Bounty hunter Paladin has taken Tommy hostage and plans to use him as bait to lure Vision, so he can fulfil a contract for a mystery client. The client has since terminated Paladin’s contract and called in other bounty hunters to capture Vision.
As Vision and Paladin confront each other, Raza arrives with a heavily armed crew, determined to capture Vision himself. Paladin knocks him out, which cuts his role short, but Raza remains a threat in the MCU.
The character looks different from his debut film. In “Iron Man,” Stane hired Raza to capture and kill Tony Stark while Raza led an Afghanistan-based cell of the Ten Rings. In “VisionQuest,” he works in Madripoor and wears a sharp suit instead of military fatigues. He once again serves a mysterious and powerful client who wants a high-profile target captured.
In “Iron Man,” Stane paralysed Raza with a gadget that emitted a high-pitched frequency. In “VisionQuest,” Raza wears an earpiece.
Stane also had Raza’s soldiers executed in “Iron Man,” so the armed enforcers with him in “VisionQuest” appear to be a new crew. The show does not make clear whether they still belong to the Ten Rings. Paladin says he expected Raza to be either dead or in “Stark’s old partner and the occasional Ten Rings torture chamber.”
Raza now appears to work as a full-time bounty hunter, and Paladin has clearly dealt with him before.
