Reviews for VisionQuest, a new Marvel title on Disney+, have begun reaching viewers, with critical opinion on the project starting to take shape. Paul Bettany returns to the role of Vision for the series, which arrives on Disney+ on Wednesday, 14 October.
Picking up where WandaVision left off in 2021 and Agatha All Along carried the story forward in 2024, the new series brings the three-part story arc to a close. James Spader reprises the antagonist role he first inhabited in the 2015 Marvel ensemble film, returning as Ultron. The narrative centres on Vision's effort to piece together his own past and sense of self, with Ultron returning alongside a young man of uncertain origin who may carry Vision's bloodline.
As of Monday, 12 October, the debut season of VisionQuest held an audience-approval score of 85 percent on the Rotten Tomatoes platform.
Critical responses have been mixed. One outlet offered a divided assessment, commending the performances of Bettany and Spader while taking issue with the narrative's tendency to dwell heavily on character backstories. Critic Angie Han argued that VisionQuest performs at its strongest when the narrative stays close to its central characters and the relationships between them, while also observing that the show takes on more thematic territory than it has the tools to meaningfully develop — a view echoed by at least one other prominent outlet.
Critic Alison Herman contended that the show falls short on emotional resonance, drawing a parallel to WandaVision in its treatment of grief and recovery while stopping short of any enduring impact — a view that stands in contrast to the four-out-of-five-star rating awarded by one television network's review. Reviewer Tom Power described the on-screen rapport between Bettany and Spader as a strength of the series, characterising it as a superhero science-fiction entry with notable depth and emotional payoff that rounds out the Wanda/Vision storyline, while a separate outlet rated the show 4 out of 10.
One critic, identified as Ryder, placed VisionQuest among the MCU's less inventive entries — stopping short of naming it the franchise's weakest point, yet noting that the series draws on approaches that now feel well-worn. A separate publication awarded the show 7 out of 10. Critic Jonathan Sim offered a mixed but broadly positive assessment, noting that the show's reach sometimes outpaces its results, while ultimately concluding that both Vision and Ultron retain enough narrative vitality to justify the series.
A number of cast members attended the 70th BFI London Film Festival's Monday-night screening at BFI IMAX. Paul Bettany, James Spader, Emily Hampshire, Ruaridh Mollica, T'Nia Miller, James D'Arcy, and Todd Stashwick were among those present at the event. Locke, whose television work includes a role in Agatha All Along, was also among those photographed at the gathering.
