Marvel’s highly anticipated television series VisionQuest took one final lap around New York Comic Con 2026 this weekend, giving fans their first look at the show ahead of its Disney+ premiere on October 14. As part of Marvel’s Television and Animation panel, cast members Paul Bettany, James Spader, Emily Hampshire, and Ruaridh Mollica joined showrunner Terry Matalas on stage to greet a roaring crowd before screening the series’ debut episode for the room.
The appearance marked one of the last major public appearances by the creative team ahead of the October 14 launch, offering attendees their first chance to see what Marvel has built in the aftermath of WandaVision. But beyond the spectacle of a live screening came an revealing conversation about how Matalas approached telling a story that exists within one of the most densely interconnected franchises in entertainment history.
A Blank Slate and Unrestricted Freedom
Following the panel, IGN’s Jeffrey Vega pressed Matalas on the writing process for VisionQuest, asking how much the creative team had to contort their narrative around the larger arc of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to Matalas, not nearly as much as one might expect.
“There was a couple of early ideas that we would talk about with Kevin [Feige] and be like, ‘Well, what about this?'” Matalas recalled. “And you could quickly read his temperature. But we pretty much did exactly what we wanted with these — I had a brilliant writing staff that we conceived in the room and I think it’s all on the screen.”
Matalas explained that he was granted considerable latitude to explore what happened to Vision after White Vision flies off into the distance at the end of WandaVision, approaching the premise organically rather than as a rigid puzzle piece.
“Time has passed for the audience and I think you want to lean into that. What has [Vision] been up to? Where has he been? I think him being on this identity quest, trying to figure out, ‘Am I the old Vision? Am I something new? What am I?’ It sort of all came together pretty quick.”
Terry Matalas, VisionQuest Showrunner
The One Thing He Knew for Sure
Matalas revealed that the single constant Feige handed him when he first called about the project was a singular emotional anchor: Vision would be reunited with his son. Everything else was left to the showrunner’s imagination.
“The only thing I knew for sure from Kevin [Feige] when he called about it was he’s going to reunite with his son. He’s like, ‘The rest is up to you.’ And I was like, ‘Okay,'” Matalas said, recalling the moment of inspiration that struck him at home after hanging up the phone.
“I remember very clearly I was at home. I hung up the phone and I was like, ‘Well, who’s [Vision] talking to? Because Tommy feels like a thing he’s got to get to.’ And I was like, ‘It’s Ultron. It’s Ultron.’ And then I was like, ‘How do I get to Ultron?’ Ultron was dead.”
The revelation that Vision would converse with the lingering presence of his archenemy Ultron—played again by James Spader—suggests a psychologically complex journey rather than a conventional superhero romp. The question Matalas posed, “Ultron was dead,” hints at how the show might reconcile the villain’s established demise within the MCU canon.
Early Reactions and Looking Ahead
The first VisionQuest reactions are out from its NYCC debut screening, and they have been decidedly positive, with critics and fans alike hailing it as a “worthy successor to WandaVision.” The comparison is a high bar, given how the limited series redefined Marvel’s approach to television by blending surreal genre homage with genuine emotional weight.
As anticipation builds toward the October 14 premiere, one question lingers over the entire project: will Wanda Maximoff make an appearance when VisionQuest launches? Given the show’s focus on Vision processing his identity and reconnecting with his son, fans remain eager to see whether Marvel will close the loop on the couple separated by the events of WandaVision. Until then, Matalas has made clear that he was given room to tell a story first and foremost about Vision himself—a character finally free to ask who he truly is.
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