Marvel’s VisionQuest held its UK premiere at BFI IMAX in London on Monday 12 October as part of the 70th BFI London Film Festival. Paul Bettany, who returns as Vision, led the cast on the red carpet two days before the series launches on Disney+ on Wednesday 14 October. The screening gave fans in London an early look at the new series.
Bettany was joined by James Spader, Emily Hampshire, Ruaridh Mollica, T’nia Miller, James D’Arcy and Todd Stashwick, along with series showrunner Terry Matalas. Joe Locke, who starred in Agatha All Along, was also photographed at the event. The series is the final part of a trilogy that began with WandaVision in 2021 and continued with Agatha All Along in 2024. Locke’s attendance linked the evening to the earlier Agatha All Along series. Matalas has guided the new series as showrunner.
Spader returns as Ultron, the villain he first played in Avengers: Age of Ultron in 2015. The story follows Vision as he searches for answers about his identity and memories, while dealing with Ultron’s return and a mysterious young man who may be his son. The reunion of Bettany and Spader has been one of the main selling points of the show. Fans of the earlier series will recognise several threads picking up where they left off.
Early reviews have been divided. As of 12 October, the first season held an 87 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Hollywood Reporter praised the two leads but felt the show had too much else on its mind. Variety was cooler, arguing the series struggles to connect emotionally and “doesn’t leave a lasting mark”. TechRadar gave it four out of five, calling it a surprisingly deep conclusion to the saga, while Looper gave it four out of ten and ComingSoon seven out of ten.
The mixed response sets up an uncertain start for one of Marvel’s bigger television releases of the year. The London premiere, however, gave the cast a high-profile platform just ahead of launch, and the turnout reflected the continuing interest in the Vision storyline. Audiences will be able to judge for themselves when the first episodes become available on Disney+ this week. The opening weeks of the run will show whether viewers side with the more positive critics.
