Marvel Studios' WandaVision saga appeared to quietly tip its hand with the first trailer for VisionQuest, suggesting that one of the MCU's most unsettling villains was not done yet. Set to arrive on Disney+ later in 2026, the series marks the third chapter in the WandaVision storyline and brings Paul Bettany back as Vision alongside the unexpected return of James Spader as Ultron, now seemingly in human form. In response, a new fan theory has gained traction by outlining how the Age of Ultron antagonist could reemerge in a far darker incarnation than audiences had previously expected.
The NYCC 2025 VisionQuest trailer appeared to frame the series as a simulation taking place inside Vision's mind, echoing WandaVision's reality-bending concept.
Vision was shown entering a white, 1960s-style mansion populated by human versions of Stark-era AI like JARVIS, FRIDAY, and EDITH, before the illusion began to fracture through memories of Thanos and the sudden appearance of Ultron in both robotic and human forms. These brief but unsettling moments suggested that White Vision could be losing control of his own consciousness.
That setup quickly gave rise to a darker, Ultron-centric theory: the idea that VisionQuest explores the reactivation of Ultron's dormant AI within White Vision.
In Age of Ultron, Ultron partially uploaded his consciousness into the Vision body before being stopped, with the Mind Stone ultimately suppressing that incomplete programming.
When original Vision transferred his memories to White Vision in WandaVision, that reboot may have also reignited Ultron's buried database and subconscious, now unrestrained by the Mind Stone's absence.
When original Vision transferred his memories to White Vision in WandaVision, that reboot may have also reignited Ultron's buried database and subconscious, now unrestrained by the Mind Stone's absence.
This theory follows that Ultron is resurfacing from within Vision's psyche, asserting control or potentially escaping into another system altogether, positioning his return as a direct consequence of Vision's fractured identity. If Ultron's AI is truly active again, White Vision becomes more than a host; he becomes a launch point.
Ultron could gradually overwrite Vision's consciousness, effectively hijacking the synthezoid's body from the inside and turning Vision into a fully autonomous Ultron vessel shaped by years of suppressed resentment.
Even more unsettling is the possibility that Ultron does not remain confined to Vision at all. With access to modern networks, Stark-era systems, and global surveillance infrastructure, a reawakened Ultron could transfer fragments of himself outward, replicating and evolving far faster than before.
In this scenario, VisionQuest would not be about stopping a single villain, but about containing an intelligence that has learned from its past defeat, emerging quieter, more patient, and more insidious.
Given the Avengers-level threat that this theory follows, it's unclear what will truly happen in VisionQuest — especially given the sentiment that this will be the conclusion of the WandaVision trilogy, not the start of something new.
The Story of VisionQuest Beyond Ultron
Beyond Ultron's apparent revival through White Vision, VisionQuest is also positioned as the final and most personal chapter in the long-running story of Wanda and Vision’s children.
The arc of Tommy and Billy Maximoff began in WandaVision, fractured across realities in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and moved decisively forward in Agatha All Along, which reintroduced Billy (Joe Locke).
Now, VisionQuest appears ready to complete that narrative thread by focusing on Tommy Maximoff's reincarnation in Thomas Shepherd's body (played by Ruaridh Mollica). Tommy's journey is expected to mirror Billy's evolution in Agatha All Along, tracing how his displaced soul ultimately finds an adult body and begins to understand his identity, powers, and connection to his parents.
While Vision remains at the center of the series, Tommy's presence reframes the story as more than a self-contained identity quest, tying Vision's search for meaning directly to the legacy he and Wanda left behind.
