Marvel Screens VisionQuest Premiere at New York Comic Con

Marvel Television gave fans an early look at VisionQuest by screening its first episode at New York Comic Con 2026 on October 8, ahead of the series' October 14 premiere on Disney+. Starring Paul Bettany as Vision and James Spader as Ultron, the show explores the android's struggle with identity, his complicated memories, and his reunion with Tommy Maximoff.

According to Marvel's October 8 announcement, Bettany, Spader, Ruaridh Mollica, and Emily Hampshire joined showrunner Terry Matalas for the convention appearance. The surprise screening closed the Marvel Television and Animation panel, while initial reactions from attendees praised the series' emotional themes and its connection to WandaVision and Agatha All Along.

VisionQuest continues the story of the rebuilt Vision introduced in WandaVision. After acquiring the memories of the original Vision, the reconstructed android departed Westview to determine his own identity. The new series follows his efforts to understand humanity while confronting questions about whether inherited memories define who he is.

Marvel's official synopsis describes Vision as living in hiding while consulting artificial intelligence personas embedded in his programming. His quiet existence is disrupted when a bounty on his head forces him to flee alongside Thomas Shepard, a mysterious young man connected to Vision's family history.

In its first episode, as described by Mashable, Vision adopts a human disguise and works at a pub in Edinburgh associated with his past life with Wanda Maximoff. He also retreats into a simulated mansion in his mind, where artificial intelligence characters from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe appear in human forms and help him navigate everyday life.

The digital household includes J.A.R.V.I.S., played by James D'Arcy; F.R.I.D.A.Y., played by Orla Brady; and E.D.I.T.H., played by Hampshire. Their distinct roles create a domestic dynamic that contrasts with Vision's deeper questions about humanity and personal identity.

Ultron, Vision's former adversary, also returns through Spader's performance. The character's presence brings conflict and dark humor to the simulated household while challenging Vision to consider free will, the relationship between memory and identity, and the consequences of artificial intelligence interacting with humanity.

Tommy Maximoff, played by Mollica, has a parallel storyline involving fragmented memories of his family and the events in Westview. Mashable's account describes Tommy as a young man who adopts different identities and experiences distressing flashes of his past after learning that Vision remains alive.

Bettany said the series would complete the story connecting WandaVision and Agatha All Along. He also explained that the project developed around the relationship between a robotic father and his human son.

"I've been hanging out with Terry, trying to figure out how we can tell a Super Hero story about fathers and sons but one with a robot and a human son," Bettany said. "Terry suggested we get the band back together and call Spader up, and that's when I knew we had a show."

Matalas emphasized the creative team's approach to producing the series, praising the writers, Marvel executives, and production staff involved in bringing the story to the screen.

"Here's the thing I will say about this show: It was really made with love, from the Marvel execs to our brilliant writing staff to everyone at Pinewood [Studios] and all our brilliant creative department heads and visual effects," Matalas said. "We just had the best time making it. It's made with love, and I think you can see that on screen."

In an interview with IGN following the convention panel, Matalas said Marvel gave the creative team considerable freedom to shape the series rather than requiring extensive adjustments to fit the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe storyline.

"There was a couple of early ideas that we would talk about with Kevin [Feige] and be like, 'Well, what about this?'" Matalas said. "And you could quickly read his temperature. But we pretty much did exactly what we [wanted] with these — I had a brilliant writing staff that we conceived in the room and I think it's all on the screen."

Matalas said the project took shape around Vision's uncertainty about his identity following the events of WandaVision. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige had established that Vision would reunite with his son, leaving the showrunner to develop the circumstances and story connecting the characters.

"Time has passed for the audience and I think you want to lean into that. What has [Vision] been up to? Where has he been?

I think him being on this identity quest, trying to figure out, 'Am I the old Vision? Am I something new? What am I?'

It sort of all came together pretty quick," Matalas said. "The only thing I knew for sure from Kevin [Feige] when he called about it was he's going to reunite with his son. He's like, 'The rest is up to you.'

And I was like, 'Okay.' I remember very clearly I was at home. I hung up the phone and I was like, 'Well, who's [Vision] talking to?

Because Tommy feels like a thing he's got to get to.' And I was like, 'It's Ultron. It's Ultron.'

And then I was like, 'How do I get to Ultron?' Ultron was dead."

Early reactions published by Yahoo on October 9 were broadly positive, highlighting the chemistry between Bettany and Spader, the series' emotional focus, and its treatment of family relationships. Some reviewers also noted that the story slows in the middle, while praising Hampshire's contribution to the ensemble.

According to E! News, Bettany spent about five months filming in England while balancing his work on the miniseries with family life in New York City. He described the schedule as demanding, with extensive daily scenes and additional meetings outside regular production hours.

VisionQuest premieres on Disney+ on October 14, continuing the interconnected story established by WandaVision and Agatha All Along while placing Vision's identity and relationship with Tommy at the center of its narrative.