This review is mostly spoiler free.

It is perhaps a little odd to say that the Marvel Cinematic Universe – officially the most financially successful movie franchise in history – has been having a rough time of it since Avengers: Endgame in 2022. Yet here we are in the intervening four years having borne witness to a proliferation of hit-and-miss TV series and movies, and constant debates regarding superhero fatigue with every new installment.

Yet one of the MCU’s biggest successes has come by way of their small-screen trilogy focusing on the lives and exploits of Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and The Vision (Paul Bettany), and their progeny Billy and Tommy. Kicking off with WandaVision (2021), followed by Agatha All Along (2024), the final installment, VisionQuest, sits at a notable juncture given that many fans and casual watchers alike were critical (read: unhappy) of the apparent culmination of Wanda’s story in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).

In that respect, VisionQuest had a lot of weighty expectations and narrative heavy lifting to do to stick the final landing (no pun intended): something that not every Marvel installment has been able to live up to.

Or perhaps there was never any reason to seriously worry, not when you have Paul Bettany and James Spader leading the lineup. With the former having been a part of the MCU since 2008’s Iron Man, and the latter bursting onto the screen as Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), both have been deeply appreciated in their roles and in VisionQuest, the duo finally get to shine unfettered.

The two make up one of two nebulous father-son dynamics in the show, with Spader the gleeful, enigmatic father and Bettany the reluctant and appalled son. Whilst Spader’s 2015 iteration of Ultron was relegated to the villain-of-the-week, across around eight hours this version is allowed pull us through very maniacal twist and turn, one that gives this Ultron a compelling level of depth that makes his final ending both justified and satisfying for the audience. Spader can barely contain his enjoyment as he chews the scenery with every word and bats lines, sassy quips and all-knowing glances with his co-stars, and though the show has Vision’s name on it, it’s almost as much his party as it is Bettany’s.

Love and family is a theme that has run deep within both Wanda and Vision’s characters from the very start, and the second father-son duo in the show has been much spoken about with the casting of Ruaridh Mollica as Tommy Maximoff / Thomas Shepherd, the second of Wanda’s twins boys following the 2024 introduction of Joe Locke’s Billy Maxmimoff. Mollica grows into the role superbly throughout the show, balancing the fragile nature of Thomas’ twinkle-eyed grifter persona with the raw vulnerability and trauma that reminds you he is, at heart, a kid craving the connections that he’s been deprived of for most of his life. Fans will certainly love his turn in the show, and we’re almost certainly set to see him shine more in future MCU properties.

Bettany takes us through the emotional twists and turns of this character episode to episode in a breathtakingly captivating fashion, no more so than in the final two episodes of the show. At the very beginning of the story he’s the lone wolf yearning to understand humanity whilst never daring to stray beyond the safety of being a mere observer, then he is a not-quite-a-man grappling with the stark reality of love, the weight of loss, and the meaning of familial ties. Episode seven in particular features one of Bettany’s finest turns in the MCU (and certainly one of the best in his career), a powerhouse performance that is heartbreaking and masterful in equal turn.

The rest of the cast also shine: in particular, the return of James D’Arcy as J.A.R.V.I.S. is more than welcome, a treat for fans looking forward to seeing both versions of the loyal Stark assistant sharing the screen together. His time on the show is brief, but not wasted for a single moment. MCU newcomers Lauren Morais as Lisa Molinari and T’Nia Miller as Jocasta are also fantastic, balancing out the father-son family dramas they have to bear witness to with quiet, understated performances that pull focus whenever they’re on the screen.

By contrast, some characters, such as Orla Brady as F.R.I.D.A.Y. and Diane Morgan’s the Handler feel underutilised, while it’s hard not to hope that Emily Hampshire’s E.D.I.T.H. doesn’t appear again in the MCU in some capacity, such is the delightful manner in which she adds dimension to a character who could be so easily played as one-note.

At times VisionQuest’s plot perhaps lags a little in the middle, as though it is creaking and straining hard to keep all its various storylines running along nicely… and then a turn by Spader or Bettany or Mollica, or any of the rest of the cast, pulls you in once more. The familial heart of the show is portrayed so earnestly and with such clear affection for the characters that any predictable moments become fantastic at best and decently enjoyable at worst, since you simply wish to see more of these characters simply doing things together. A true home run by the casting department and the actors themselves.

Its examination of A.I., robotics, humanity and technological responsibility is obviously on the nose – as has been every single film or TV show who has looked at similar themes over the past two years – and though it doesn’t necessarily have anything particularly new to say in that department, this is no issue. The fun means with which the writers and creative designers play with certain set pieces, visual style and colour makes the depiction of the more technological side of the MCU utterly delightful. We certainly don’t need to feel more sympathy for A.I. in this current climate, buy boy does VisionQuest make it hard for us not to.

While it still remains to be seen if Vision or any of his progeny will appear in Avengers: Doomsday later this year, the finale of VisionQuest is one of the most satisfying endings to any MCU storyline in a while via its joyous and heartfelt explorations of love, grief and family. Its close, sincere character focus deftly overrides any glitches in programming, and is a fitting end to this WandaVision trilogy from the MCU, one that will leave you kicking your feet in delight at the ending.

VisionQuest hits Disney+ on the 14th of October.