Marvel's VisionQuest reviews split on Paul Bettany and James Spader, with critics calling it the end of the MCU TV run

The series and its premise

VisionQuest is an eight-episode Disney+ series from Marvel Studios, created by Terry Matalas and positioned as the third chapter of a trilogy that started with WandaVision. Paul Bettany returns as Vision, a blank-slate synthezoid rebuilt after Thanos destroyed the original, who is now laying low in Edinburgh as a bartender named Sherwood. Critics describe him as grappling with an identity crisis between his programming and the memories he has restored.

The story is set in motion when Vision is hunted by Paladin (Todd Stashwick), a mercenary hired by a mysterious client who wants his advanced tech. Vision then meets Thomas Shepard (Ruaridh Mollica), a thief claiming to be one of Vision and Wanda's twin sons. Reviewers note that the show is built on reflections on the past, with flashbacks and exposition that several critics found heavy.

Performances and style

Reviewers singled out Bettany and James Spader, who plays Ultron and whose voice and face are both used in the show. TechRadar wrote that Bettany and Spader delight as the MCU's best new double act, while The Hollywood Reporter said the two elevate a sometimes moving, sometimes exhausting spinoff. Variety argued the series struggles to connect emotionally, with the simulation scenarios and convoluted backstory leaving the show in the same predicament as its hero.

La Libre described the series as a reflection on artificial intelligence and on what makes us human, with the father-son relationships running through the characters. The show uses retro, analogue imagery, such as a carrier pigeon standing for an email, to illustrate computing processes.

Critical divide

IndieWire took the harshest line, calling the series tedious and a shortsighted end to an era of MCU TV. The Telegraph called it a mediocre show that feels like the end of the road for Marvel's TV universe. IndieWire argued that Marvel's Disney+ era has been populated with inessential stories stretched to TV length, citing Secret Invasion, Moon Knight and the Hawkeye holiday special.

TechRadar and La Libre took a warmer view, with TechRadar calling the conclusion surprisingly deep and emotionally resonant. Taken together, the reviews agree the series is ambitious in its concepts while disagreeing on whether its emotional payoff lands.