Marvel Is Quietly Rebooting a Huge ‘Avengers’ Villain This Month — and It’s Not Doctor Doom

Wed, October 7, 2026 at 2:17 AM UTC

The biggest event in the Marvel Cinematic Universe this year might not be <a href="https://www.mensjournal.com/entertainment/new-avengers-doomsday-poster-from-comic-con-malaga-includes-latverian-witches” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>Avengers: Doomsday. Okay, okay. We know that a TV series on Disney+ won’t be as big as Doomsday, but it’s possible that the next Marvel series, VisionQuest, will be a deeper dive into Marvel lore. Coming to our screens very soon, VisionQuest is the series that concludes the story that began with WandaVision back in 2021.

But wait a minute. Is that all that it is? A story about Vision (Paul Bettany) struggling with his robot memories after the wacky, reality-bending events of WandaVision, and the sideways sequel series, Agatha All Along? While it’s true that VisionQuest is a show about Vision and his quest to figure out his memories, and also whether or not he and Wanda’s children were real, it’s also a show about the most pivotal Avengers villain prior to Thanos and Doctor Doom — Ultron. If there’s one reason to sit up and pay attention to this upcoming series, it’s that as much as this show is about Vision and his Quest, it’s also, not so secretly, Ultron’s quest, too.

Here’s what to know about the cast, release date, and plot of VisionQuest. No spoilers ahead.

VisionQuest release date and episode schedule

VisionQuest will hit Disney+ on Wednesday, October 14. The first two episodes will debut first, and after that, the rest of the series will air over the following six weeks, consisting of eight episodes in total.

The release schedule looks like this:

VisionQuest cast features big Marvel comebacks

Obviously, VisionQuest will feature the return of Paul Bettany as Vision, which marks his first appearance in the MCU since WandaVision in 2021. The series also stars Todd Stashwick as the bounty hunter Paladin, Orla Brady as the A.I. known as F.R.I.D.A.Y., Emily Hampshire as the A.I. E.D.I.T.H., James D’Arcy as J.A.R.V.I.S., as well as Henry Lewis and Jonathan Sayer as additional A.I.s: D.U.M.-E and U.

Fans of Cunk on Earth will recognize Diane Morgan as a character called “The Handler,” while T’Nia Miller as appears as a mysterious character known only as Jocasta. Battlestar Galactica fans will recognize Mary McDonnell in a yet-undisclosed guest-starring role. The show also features an adult version of Tommy Maximoff, played by Ruaridh Mollica, as well as Lauren Morais playing Lisa Molinari, who is Tommy’s partner-in-crime.

All in all, it’s a pretty big cast, and a fairly complex story. But the real news is that James Spader is back as Ultron. Back in 2015, Spader voiced the killer A.I. for the film Avengers: Age of Ultron, a formative movie for the MCU, in which not only was Vision created, but Wanda also became an Avenger. In VisionQuest, Spader returns as the A.I. consciousness of Ultron, but, as trailers have revealed, also as the more robotic, physical Utlron, too.

So, Spader will appear as a human avatar of Ultron, basically, as himself, but also as the Ultron we saw way back in the second major Avengers movie. This is a fairly big deal, and if you’re a Marvel diehard and you’re longing for the good old days, Ultron’s return in VisionQuest is a pretty big deal.

Plus, unlike the new Doctor Doom, you don’t have to worry if VisionQuest explains Ultron to you or not. All you have to do to prep is rewatch Avengers: Age of Ultron ahead of time, and maybe the series finale of WandaVision. That’s pretty much the only Marvel homework VisionQuest requires.

Avengers: Age of Ultron and WandaVision stream on Disney+.

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This story was originally published byMen’s Journalon Oct 7, 2026, where it first appeared in theEntertainmentsection. Add Men’s Journal as aPreferred