After spending much of his MCU screentime in sidekick mode, Paul Bettany‘s Vision is finally getting a starring role.
On Friday, Marvel boss Kevin Feige unveiled the first trailer for VisionQuest, which picks up in the aftermath of WandaVision, with the newly created White Vision flying away to parts unknown.
“This year we close out a trilogy of shows that started with WandaVision, continued with Agatha All Along, and now Vision gets his own series on Disney+ this October,” Feige told the D23 crowd packed into the Honda Center arena in Anaheim. “Vision Quest stars the amazing Paul Bettany, who’s been in our cinematic universe since the very beginning. He’s joined by James Spader, whom fans know as the voice of Ultron — but this time he’ll be appearing in the flesh. They’re both here tonight.”
Bettany told the audience that “it’s been an enormous joy playing Vision as he’s evolved over the years. He’s been an Avenger, a father, a partner to Wanda [played by Elizabeth Olsen]; he helped turn the tide in some fairly enormous battles, made the ultimate sacrifice in Infinity War, and rather inconveniently died several times — which, I can tell you as an actor, makes long-term financial planning difficult.
“But this Vision is beginning to ask more complicated questions: What — or perhaps who — is he, exactly? And what is it that makes us actually human? Which brings us naturally to the person you’d most want beside you during an existential crisis: Ultron.”
“Frankly, I can’t believe it took you so long to turn to me,” Spader dead-panned. “Everyone knows Ultron has long been fascinated with humanity.”
“Yeah,” Bettany interjected. “Wiping it out.” That teed up the trailer for VisionQuest catches us up on his hero’s journey, including the return of Ultron, the killer ‘bot from the second Avengers team-up picture.
The clip also confirms that Bettany and Spader will appear in both their human and robot forms during the course of the series, which is filled with surrealistic flourishes — like Vision receiving a message from his real-but-also-not-real son — that suggests that reality and fantasy will mix and mingle across the eight episodes.
Here’s everything we know about VisionQuest.
The plot
Per Marvel’s official description:
Vision, rebooted and having escaped from those who sought to weaponize him, has been in hiding. Searching for new meaning, he consults the AI personas embedded in his programming, including F.R.I.D.A.Y., E.D.I.T.H., J.A.R.V.I.S., and the infamous Ultron. His discreet existence ends when a bounty placed on his head thrusts him on the run with Thomas Shepard, a mysterious boy who may be Vision’s son, reincarnate. As Vision evades capture, he must confront his nature, resist Ultron’s influence, and unravel the enigma that is his young companion if he’s to survive.
The cast and crew
In additon to Bettany and Spader, the series stars Ruaridh Mollica, Todd Stashwick, T’Nia Miller, Lauren Morais, Orla Brady, Diane Morgan, Polly Frame, Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, with Emily Hampshire and James D’Arcy.
The series is directed by Christopher J. Byrne, Gandja Monteiro, Vincenzo Natali, Terry Matalas, and written by Terry Matalas, Cindy Appel, Christopher Monfette, Nicole Falsetti, and Matthew Okumura. VisionQuest is created for television by Terry Matalas, based on the Marvel Comics. The executive producers are Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Mary Livanos, Terry Matalas, Jac Schaeffer, and Christopher J. Byrne, and the producer is Roopesh Parekh.
Awards chances
WandaVision was the studio’s first — and still only — streaming series to rack up Primetime Emmy nominations in major categories like Best Limited Series as well as acting honors for Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen. It would be an ideal coda if VisionQuest were to follow in those footsteps at the 2027 Emmys.
Release date
The first episode debuts Oct. 14 exclusively on Disney+, with the remaining seven episodes dropping weekly on Wednesdays.
