By Dan Skip Allen

The MCU could be accused of mainly concentrating on a dozen or so characters since its inception back in 2008. One of those characters isn’t the Vision (Paul Bettany), though. Once this character was introduced in “Avengers: Age of Ultron” he rarely popped up in many of the other films in the MCU. He did appear in “Avengers: Infinity War” and the mini-series “WandaVision”, but that’s it. In “WandaVision” his character got to do some fun stuff, and the writers started to give him a backstory. He barely appeared in Avengers: Infinity War” before Thanos (Josh Brolin) stole the mind stone off of him, and he died on the spot. Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) was so distraught that she created a fictional town called Westview in New Jersey, and she lived a happy life with him and her two made-up children in a sitcom world. Since then, Vision hasn’t appeared in any films or Disney + Series. He flew off to places unknown until now in “VisionQuest” where we find out has returned to Scotland to work at a bar. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though, on this beloved MCU character. He’s finally getting some justice in the form of his own mini-series created by Terry Matalas. 

When viewers first see him, the aforementioned Vision is working in a bar in Scotland, but that’s a ruse. He’s actually living in a made-up quantum world of his own creation in his processor. A beautiful white Victorian home with a handful of housemates. J.A.R.V.I.S (James D’Arcy), F.R.D.A.Y. (Orla Brady), E.D.I.T.H. (Emily Hamshire), as well as Dum-E and U (Henry Lewis,Jonathan Sayer) and his guest in the attic Ultron (James Spader). They all seemed to be living happily in Vision’s mind until an assassin called Paladin (Todd Stashwick) comes calling. He’s working for an as yet determined benefactor. As a way to get at the vision, they find and kidnap Thomas Shepard/Tommy Maximoff (Ruaridh Mollica), the son of the Vision. He didn’t know that, though at the beginning of this show. It doesn’t take long for him to figure that out as he is thrust into an adventure with his father trying to uncover a mystery murderer. Who is revealed to be Paladin’s benefactor. 

Matalas is known for shows such as “12 Monkeys” and “Picard” Season 3. Both were exceptional sci-fi series. He has a knack for getting to the bottom of the IP he is taking on. In “Visionquest” he does the same. The Vision has a long and storied comic book lore. I myself loved the West Coast Avengers run from #42-57 from legendary comic book writer/artist John Bryne. Which was ironically called “VisionQuest”. Matalas has taken bits and pieces of this story and infused it with the MCU lore that Jac Scheaffer and Matt Shackman created in “WandaVision”. I love how he has done something different with this character, fans of his from the few film and streaming appearances that can get behind. There are definitely some surprises fans of the comics will love. Once again, these streaming series have expanded on what has come before and set up a couple of characters for future projects. That’s good.

One of the best storytelling elements of this series is how there is a real world aspect to the show where the Vision is acting opposite real people in the real MCU world while also acting opposite all of the characters in his home he created in the digital world. His friends in his head, if you will, add a comedic element to the show while Spader’s character and others add a serious aspect to the series. Matalas balances those two aspects of the show nicely. He is great at concentrating on multiple subplots with his previous work, and he does the same here. The Mollica character has to be developed for future appearances he may or may not have in other MCU films and streaming shows. That’s a good mission for him to have as a writer and showrunner. Keep the machine, as it were moving forward.

Paul Bettany is an actor I knew from films such as “A Knights Tale”, “A Beautiful Mind”, and “Wimbledon “ to name a few, but I also loved him in “Master and Commander the Far Side of the World”. He was great opposite Russell Crowe once again. He was also very good in “Uncle Frank” in 2020. Since he’s done some great streaming series like “A Very British Scandal” and “Amadeus”. The gift that keeps on giving for him, though, is the Vision. He has been playing this character off and on for almost 2 decades. 18 years to be precise at this point. He has become this character in more ways than one. Filmgoers know him for portraying this character. I’m glad he’s back, and Matalas has given him something interesting to do with this iconic comic book character. Hopefully, others who see the show will feel the same way I have.

Another actor who had a storied career is James Spader. He first came into my consciousness in films such as “Stargate” and “Crash”, not the 2004 Best Picture Winner, the David Cronenberg film of the same name. He then appeared opposite William Shatner on “Boston Legal” for a handful of years. I say most people know him from his ten year run on “The Blacklist from 2013-2023, and of course playing the mega-managerial evil android Ultron in the MCU. “VisionQuest “ is the second appearance of this character, who is a foil in the comics for the Vision and the Avengers. This character is expanded upon by Matalas in a great way. He gets a human body similar to Vision as Bettany, but he still remains a villain with evil intentions. Matalas gives Spader a lot to do and some great scenes to sink his teeth into as the android Ultron. I think fans will be happy where this character goes in the show. I don’t think Spader would have signed on to the series otherwise. 

One of the things about the MCU and the shows and films is that there is so much history that hasn’t been unmined yet. There are easter eggs all over the place in the Disney+ shows and the films. There are cameos of characters that only appeared once and never again. There are references to places and things never heard of after the first time they were seen in the background or on a computer screen or mentioned in passing. Somehow, great show runners like Matalas end up digging them up and making them relevant again in a show like this. There are a lot of deep cuts to previous films like “Iron Man” and others. Just when you thought things couldn’t get any better for this series, they do. I was surprised by how many things were brought back from past films and shows.

With a series set in part in a virtual world or Visions quantum processor or others who I can’t mention here because they would be spoilers you get some interesting visual styles and or locations the show is presented in. Each episode shows new looks and / or places that are key to the story. It’s fantastic when a show exists in so many interesting plans of existence besides the real world. Even cities that haven’t been explored that much are used, and they look great on screen. Kevin Feige spared no expense with giving this show the look it needed to make it come across the right way on screen. That’s when you know the producers are behind the show 100 %. That gives the fans and viewers encouragement. 

“VisionQuest” was a satisfying way to bring these characters to somewhat of an ending but also a potential beginning. Matalas took what was already established with these characters and ran with it in a great way. He didn’t forget who they were and why they were created in the first place. The cast, including Bettany, Spader, and too many others to name are all doing serviceable work here. Some new characters are introduced, and they work very well as well in the context of what has been set up so far. The music, cgi, costumes, and other things in the series are all done terrifically as well. There is a genuine heart in this series and a surprising element of family. I was ordering where this show was going to go, and it went in a great direction for fans of the comics and MCU. It’s easy to give Matalas all the credit, but he took an already established series of characters and breathed new air into them, and expanded upon what came before. This was another example of a showrunner doing a great job within the contracts of what Kevin Feige needed. See this series as soon as it’s available because it’s that good.

All Episodes Of VisionQuest Will Be Streaming On Disney+ Beginning October 14th, 2026 8/8 Episodes Reviewed

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