'VisionQuest' Review
Limited Series. [Episodes 1 - 2]
Aired On: Disney+.
Release Date: 10/14/26.
Genre: Action. Adventure. Drama. SciFi. Thriller.
The Verdict: A Must-See
Vision would like to know what makes us human. Marvel wants us to remember who everybody is. Disney+’s VisionQuest has plenty of promise, but it also has a lot of spinning plates.
Where WandaVision and Agatha All Along leaned into television pastiche, this third installment of a TV trilogy opens with more conventional MCU catch-up. The rebooted Vision (Paul Bettany) is hiding out behind an Edinburgh bar, then retreating into a house inside his head, populated by Stark’s AI assistants: J.A.R.V.I.S. (James D’Arcy), F.R.I.D.A.Y. (Orla Brady), E.D.I.T.H. (Emily Hampshire) and workshop bots D.U.M.-E. and U.
Upstairs is Ultron (James Spader). Bearded, older, snarky and cunning, Spader chews scenery without losing the menace. Age of Ultron shortchanged him, so this is a welcome chance to watch him work. His sharp, funny exchanges with Bettany could sustain a show of their own.
With actual humanity staring down its own AI crisis, the setup feels timely. Can artificial intelligence find intention, identity, or something resembling humanity? That’s plenty of material on its own, but before the first episode is halfway over, the show pivots into something more conventional and closer to straight action.
Todd Stashwick’s Paladin makes an intriguing villain, seemingly operating at street level—though this is Marvel, so let’s pencil that in for now. Diane Morgan, Philomena Cunk herself, plays his handler. More of her, please.
Elsewhere, a young con artist named Thomas (Ruaridh Mollica) and his friend Lisa (Lauren Morais) make a fun pairing, with Thomas possibly connected to Vision in a rather personal, familial way. Suddenly, an introspective character study has become a crime caper full of chase scenes and family ties.
Creator and showrunner Terry Matalas (12 Monkeys, Star Trek: Picard) writes the opening pair, and Christopher J. Byrne (American Gods) directs it.
Marvel’s television output has been uneven, but this thing looks and sounds terrific. The two-episode opening runs just over 90 minutes and feels like a lean feature: It pops, crackles and booms, moving with urgency and purpose. Notably, the British setting and performers give the familiar machinery a distinct flavor that’s equal parts Earl Grey and early Guy Ritchie.
Bettany remains sharp and thoughtful. As an actor, he can also be funny and downright charming; the show should use that range more.
With Avengers: Doomsday looming, it’s hard to watch what’s onscreen without also playing franchise detective. Who are these people? What will this connect to? The ties to WandaVision and Agatha are part of the appeal, but every interesting idea has to compete with the requisite Easter egg hunt.
Across its eight episodes, VisionQuest needs to turn these competing threads into a consistent purpose, and remember that Marvel can be fun too. It has cleverness, strong acting, and real promise. Now comes the harder trick: making the juggling pay off — and sticking the superhero landing.
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