Terry Matalas recently discussed his work on Marvel’s upcoming VisionQuest series and shared new details about Ultron’s return. He explained how much of the villain’s “human” side will appear in the show, alongside insights into James Spader and Paul Bettany’s on-screen dynamic.
Terry Matalas says VisionQuest has ‘a lot of’ James Spader and Paul Bettany ‘together’
During Marvel’s Phase Hero LIVE podcast at New York Comic Con 2025, VisionQuest showrunner Terry Matalas spoke about the upcoming Disney+ series. He revealed that it will heavily feature James Spader and Paul Bettany sharing scenes.
Matalas said, “You do get to see robot Ultron, but you see a lot of James Spader and a lot of Paul Bettany together. They are very much a core dynamic of the show.” He added that the series acts as “a delivery system for Bettany and Spader,” with both reprising their Avengers: Age of Ultron roles in new contexts.
Matalas explained that he directed the final two episodes and described one scene in the finale as “a Marvel dream.” He confirmed that VisionQuest begins after WandaVision, following White Vision’s search for identity after regaining his memories. “It’s about a man going through an identity crisis,” Matalas said, emphasizing how the story explores the synthezoid’s struggle to integrate human emotion with machine consciousness.
Paul Bettany, speaking separately to Collider, expanded on the show’s psychological focus, saying, “We finally get to see what it’s like inside Vision’s mind, and it’s more cluttered than you would think.” He teased that Vision carries copies of other AIs in his system — including one “psychopath” kept behind a firewall, strongly implied to be Ultron.
Joining Bettany and Spader in the cast are Emily Hampshire as E.D.I.T.H. and T’Nia Miller as Jocasta. Todd Stashwick plays Paladin, while Faran Tahir reprises his Iron Man role as Raza. The series is slated for a 2026 release on Disney+.
It will complete a trilogy alongside WandaVision and Agatha All Along.
