Marvel's VisionQuest begins streaming on Disney+ today, with the first two episodes of the eight-part series landing on Wednesday, October 14. Paul Bettany returns as Vision opposite James Spader's Ultron in what Marvel has positioned as the closing chapter of the story that began with WandaVision and continued through Agatha All Along. Early reviews, released after the embargo lifted this week, suggest a divided critical verdict.
What the show is about
The series follows Vision as he wrestles with reclaiming his memories and his humanity, a journey that Marvel Television chief Brad Winderbaum and the show's team have described as the culmination of the Wanda/Vision saga. Showrunner Terry Matalas brings back Bettany alongside Spader, with Emily Hampshire and T'Nia Miller — as a new version of the comics character Jocasta — among the ensemble.
Critics split down the middle
The show debuted with an 87 per cent Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of Monday and a Metascore in the low sixties, signalling "generally favorable" reception. Screen Rant awarded the season 90, calling out the chemistry between Bettany and Spader, while TechRadar gave it four stars out of five, describing it as a resonant conclusion to the saga. The San Francisco Chronicle and IGN landed at 70, finding the series cerebral and ambitious.
Not everyone was convinced. Rolling Stone scored it 30 and Looper 40, arguing it feels passionless or pitched at too narrow an audience, while Slant Magazine found flashes of greatness undercut by inconsequentiality.
An end-of-era feel
Several reviewers noted that VisionQuest carries a valedictory mood, arriving as Marvel scales back its screen output ahead of the Avengers films. The full season was screened for some critics ahead of the premiere.
Sources: JustJared: VisionQuest First Reviews · Consequence: VisionQuest Review
What the show is about
The series follows Vision as he wrestles with reclaiming his memories and his humanity, a journey that Marvel Television chief Brad Winderbaum and the show's team have described as the culmination of the Wanda/Vision saga. Showrunner Terry Matalas brings back Bettany alongside Spader, with Emily Hampshire and T'Nia Miller — as a new version of the comics character Jocasta — among the ensemble.
Critics split down the middle
The show debuted with an 87 per cent Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of Monday and a Metascore in the low sixties, signalling "generally favorable" reception. Screen Rant awarded the season 90, calling out the chemistry between Bettany and Spader, while TechRadar gave it four stars out of five, describing it as a resonant conclusion to the saga. The San Francisco Chronicle and IGN landed at 70, finding the series cerebral and ambitious.
Not everyone was convinced. Rolling Stone scored it 30 and Looper 40, arguing it feels passionless or pitched at too narrow an audience, while Slant Magazine found flashes of greatness undercut by inconsequentiality.
An end-of-era feel
Several reviewers noted that VisionQuest carries a valedictory mood, arriving as Marvel scales back its screen output ahead of the Avengers films. The full season was screened for some critics ahead of the premiere.
Sources: JustJared: VisionQuest First Reviews · Consequence: VisionQuest Review
