WandaVision's 2026 replacement just got a whole lot more exciting after some new quotes from its biggest star. Next year, the story of WandaVision will continue with the release of Paul Bettany's VisionQuest. The 2026 streaming series will follow Bettany's super-powered synthezoid as he attempts to collect its memories while taking on several rogue AIs, both new and familiar.
As if the return of Bettany's adored Avenger was not exciting enough, fans got a tease of the show's thematic depth during a recent interview with the Marvel star, setting up a truly epic season of TV. Speaking with Phase Hero's Brandon Davis at New York Comic-Con (NYCC), Bettany pulled the curtain back on VisionQuest's central theme, positing, "I think the main message is, 'You are who you think you are:'"
"I mean, look, we are making a superhero movie about a robot with lasers, but it's a really broad church where you can talk to people who are in the business of wondering who they are, and Vision is absolutely always in the business of trying to figure out who he is. I think the main message is, 'You are who you think you are.'"
He added that the series will see Vision questioning exactly that, dealing with everything he has gone through to his point, asking who he really is, all while dealing with the "acceptance of pain:"
"It's not your parents who decide who you are. It's not your cohorts, your friends, your teachers, your church, your whatever. It's you who decides who you are. And you, of course, are who you think you are. For me, that's the bit. But it is also about the power of acceptance of pain."
This should be an exciting prospect for fans, as it teases the depth of the incoming MCU series, picking up the thematic gravity of its predecessor, WandaVision. The hit 2021 Disney+ show, notably centered on one of the MCU's most popular heroes (Wanda Maximoff) as she mourned the loss of her one true love, Vision.
It was unclear whether VisionQuest will maintain that standard during its eight-episode run (due to start sometime in Fall 2026).
Why You Should Be Excited About VisionQuest
It should be exciting to hear just how deep Paul Bettany and co. are set to go with VisionQuest.
While, of course, there is an inherent level of enthusiasm that should come from seeing Bettany's Vision back in the saddle, hearing that the series is about to go as far as it seems it will with its super-powered story adds a whole other layer.
One of the best parts of WandaVision was how, yes, it delivered an epic comic book story, but it did so while navigating the complicated and deeply real feeling of grief.
VisionQuest will explore the same concept of identity and what it means to find oneself. One must remember that the version of Vision set to lead the WandaVision sequel is not the same one that has appeared in the franchise to this point.
In fact, it is a new version of the character with no memory or idea of who he is. This will likely present a complicated narrative journey for the character to undertake, as he grapples with the idea of Vision that the rest of the world sees him as, while wondering if that person/personality is secretly hiding somewhere deep inside.
