Marvel’s VisionQuest: A Promising Return That Comes a Little Too Late?

Episodes 1 and 2 of the new Disney Plus show are an admirable attempt at unpacking Identity, Family and Humanity, but it's possible this ignored identity crisis will prove too big to tackle. 

On Monday, I sprinted out of my “International Relations: Core Theories and Debates” lecture straight to the bus stop. Usually, I stick around after class chatting with friends about the lecture we've just finished and, more often than not, what I'm making for dinner. So why the sudden change in behaviour? Two words: VisionQuest.

I had a ticket to the world premiere of the first two episodes of Marvel Studios' VisionQuest, with the cast, ahead of their Disney+ release today (a big thank you to my best friend for getting me a ticket). And if that's not worth sprinting for, I'm not sure what is.

I walked into the BFI IMAX with some reservations, having grown increasingly disillusioned with the MCU since Phase 5. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much the first two episodes managed to get moving. Exposition-heavy premieres can spend so much time setting the scene that the actual story gets lost in the process. VisionQuest, thankfully, doesn't fall into that trap.

My biggest gripe with the show is how it's been framed. VisionQuest is being presented as the finale to a trilogy of Disney+ shows, with WandaVision and Agatha All Along serving as chapters one and two. But in reality, this feels less like the conclusion to a trilogy and more like the long-awaited sequel to WandaVision — one that should have arrived much sooner, perhaps even alongside Agatha All Along, which I'm sure will become relevant to the story as the series unfolds.

The show makes it clear that its protagonist is not the Vision we knew, but White Vision — the version who escaped at the end of WandaVision. He might look the same and have access to the same memories, but he's essentially a walking Ship of Theseus paradox: the Ship of Theseus. If every part of something is gradually replaced, is it still the same thing?

For five years, we've been left wondering where Vision went and what happened to the memories he unlocked after leaving the Hex. After such a long wait, it's hard to know how invested audiences will still be in his story and character arc.

To bridge that gap, writer Terry Matalas gives Vision an artificial family. Literally. 

Viewer’s discover through the trailer that this show has two settings: the real world, where the action takes place, and Vision’s mind, where much of the philosophical unpacking of existential questions takes place. The show brings back familiar Stark AIs like E.D.I.T.H., J.A.R.V.I.S. and F.R.I.D.A.Y., characters audiences will recognise from their voices across the MCU. What makes their inclusion interesting, though, is Matalas' decision to give them human forms. Together, they make up Vision's cyberfamily, providing narration and comic relief while letting us see a more endearing side of this new Vision.

James Spader’s return as Ultron brings some much needed balance to the story. Yes, he was the villain last time we saw him, but he's arguably the only character whose motivations and personality will feel immediately familiar to Marvel fans, especially given Vision's fractured sense of identity. You find yourself more invested in his scenes, if not for Spader’s stellar performance, then surely because it’s one of the few characters where the stakes will actually mean something to viewers. Audiences know Ultron. They watched him fight the first generation of Marvel heroes, and so they understand his character’s motivations and can interpret his behaviour through that lens - a familiarity that we lack with the other Stark AIs.

Don’t get me wrong the AI family dynamic is enjoyable to watch, and often saw the theatre erupt in laughter. The problem is that familiarity isn't the same as character development. The show seems to assume that because we've heard these AIs across the MCU, we'll automatically care about them here. But after two episodes, viewers do not learn anything new about J.A.R.V.I.S, E.D.I.T.H or F.R.I.D.A.Y. 

They do serve a purpose, challenging Vision and pushing him to embrace humanity. But beyond their knowledge of his past, it's hard to see any real relevance or value in them being Tony Stark’s AI assistants. If you stripped away their connection to Tony Stark, would anything about their roles in the story really change? For now, their inclusion feels more like fan service than meaningful character development.

Ruaridh Mollica is easily one of the highlights of these first two episodes. His performance as Thomas Shepard, particularly in his storyline with Lisa (Lauren Morais), strikes a great balance between suspense and light-hearted humour. Their scenes also manage to move the plot along while giving us just enough backstory to understand who they are.

It’s an unusual formula: a medley of largely underdeveloped side characters with a protagonist we're still struggling to connect with. It is definitely an interesting way to address a long neglected loose thread, but it could work.

With eight episodes to work with, there's still plenty of time to flesh out Vision's character and build on the questions these first two episodes have raised. I'm certainly looking forward to binge-watching the rest. My only real frustration is that VisionQuest feels like a sequel that should have arrived years ago. For all its potential, it can't quite escape the feeling that we've been waiting too long for this story to begin.