Marvel debuted the first episode of “VisionQuest” with a surprise screening to close out its New York Comic Con panel Thursday.
Early reactions to the Disney+ show, which is set to premiere Oct. 14, shared on social media were largely positive, and the perspectives ranged from con-goers who just saw the premiere episode to journalists who offered up their first brief reviews of the season when Marvel’s embargo lifted simultaneously with the panel’s conclusion at 5:45 pm ET.
“#VisionQuest is a worthy successor to WandaVision and it feels like a love letter to Wanda Maximoff at times,” Nexus Point News’ Demet Koc wrote on X. “It tackles the themes of love, grief, generational trauma, and identity. The relationship between Tommy and Vision will leave you wanting more from this family. James Spader is a delight and Emily Hampshire is a surprisingly entertaining addition. More to come…”
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The show features Paul Bettany’s first live-action MCU
The show features Paul Bettany’s first live-action MCU role since “WandaVision,” the inaugural Marvel TV show on Disney+ that starred him and Elizabeth Olson’s Wanda/Scarlet Witch. That show takes place after Thanos kills Vision in “Avengers: Infinity War” by ripping the Mind Stone from his forehead, which throws Wanda into a depression over the death of her lover.
In “WandaVision,” the former heroine takes over a New Jersey town and creates a fake, sitcom-inspired world where she and a magically-created, amnesiac Vision live happily ever after with their two kids, Tommy and Billy. Once Wanda’s ruse is uncovered, the real Vision (now sporting a white costume) is reanimated and has his full memory restored. He flies off, and Wanda later seemingly dies after going full villain in “Doctor Stranger in the Multiverse of Madness.”
Now, Bettany’s Vision appears in both android and human form in “VisionQuest” alongside several of Marvel’s other famous AI robots. James Spader returns as Ultron, Emily Hampshire is E.D.I.T.H., Orla Brady is F.R.I.D.A.Y., James D’Arcy is J.A.R.V.I.S., T’nia Miller is Jocasta, Lauren Morais is Lisa Molinari and Ruaridh Mollica is the grown-up version of Tommy Maximoff.
The chemistry between Paul Bettany & James Spader
“The chemistry between Paul Bettany & James Spader is off the charts, & #VisionQuest is a worthy conclusion to the #WandaVision trilogy,” Agents of Fandom’s TJ Zwarych wrote. “It drags a bit in the middle, but it’s an Easter Egg filled mystery that starts & ends beautifully well. Emily Hampshire is a sneaky all-star!”
Brandon Davis, who co-hosted Thursday’s “Up Next From Marvel Television and Marvel Animation” NYCC panel with Marvel TV and animation chief Brad Winderbaum, shared in an X post: “#VisionQuest is a fantastic sequel to WandaVision. It’s smart, weird, ambitious, and creative with a beating father/son heart. My favorite part; it seems to love being a part of the MCU and embracing as many corners as it can. As a longtime fan, it’s very rewarding. Loved it.”
See below for the first social media reactions to “VisionQuest.”
