VisionQuest's NYCC trailer sees James Spader returning as Ultron

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe were treated to an electrifying surprise at New York Comic Con 2025, where the first trailer for VisionQuest debuted to thunderous applause. The upcoming Marvel series continues the story of White Vision (Paul Bettany), last seen in WandaVision, and delves deep into his fragmented sense of identity. In a twist that sent chills through the crowd, James Spader makes his grand return as Ultron — not as a memory, but seemingly as a haunting, human presence.

James Spader returns as Ultron in VisionQuest

During the New York Comic Con held in October 2025, the VisionQuest trailer offered an eerie, mind-bending look at Vision’s ongoing struggle to reconcile his human memories with his synthetic nature. It opens in a pristine white house — “Vision without makeup,” as the panel described — with flashes of Stark Industries, J.A.R.V.I.S., and F.R.I.D.A.Y. appearing as human figures. Suddenly, Ultron emerges in human form, with James Spader delivering the chilling line: “You’re a ghost haunting your footsteps.” The trailer cuts between visions of a human Vision, a shattered skylight marked by E.D.I.T.H.’s entrance, and a fleeting glimpse of Tommy Maximoff whispering, “I had a family.”

According to Bettany, Red Vision transferred all his memories — including those from Wanda’s hex — into White Vision. The series follows his struggle to connect those memories with the emotions that once defined him.

“He has the memories, but not the feelings. That’s what the journey is — finding out who he truly is… but with lasers,” Bettany explained at the NYCC panel.

Spader’s return as Ultron cements the emotional and narrative weight of the series. His last MCU appearance was in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), where Vision destroyed him — or so it seemed. Now, a decade later, Ultron returns not just as an echo of the past but as a manifestation of Vision’s guilt and unfinished purpose.

Outside the MCU, James Spader has had one of Hollywood’s most distinctive careers. His career spans acclaimed films such as Stargate, Secretary, and Lincoln. On television, Spader’s role as Alan Shore in Boston Legal won him three Primetime Emmys, while his decade-long portrayal of Raymond “Red” Reddington in The Blacklist brought him two Golden Globe nominations.

Everything we know about VisionQuest so far

Created by Star Trek: Picard’s Terry Matalas, VisionQuest serves as the emotional finale to the trilogy that began with WandaVision and continued in Agatha All Along. The series picks up after the events in Westview, following White Vision as he grapples with inherited memories that no longer feel like his own. Filming wrapped in July 2025, with the show slated for release in 2026.

At the NYCC panel, Marvel Studios’ Brad Winderbaum described the series as “a story about identity, memory, and humanity,” teasing a surreal tone akin to WandaVision’s genre-bending episodes. Exclusive footage showed Vision encountering human manifestations of well-known AIs — J.A.R.V.I.S., F.R.I.D.A.Y., and E.D.I.T.H. — while Ultron appears to blur the line between hallucination and resurrection. Whether this Ultron exists within Vision’s fractured mind or as a real-world return remains the show’s most tantalizing mystery.

Thematically, the trailer explores what happens when a being built to serve begins to question the purpose of existence itself — an evolution that could redefine how Marvel portrays artificial intelligence.

With James Spader reprising his role and Paul Bettany once again embodying Marvel’s most philosophical hero, VisionQuest looks poised to deliver a visually stunning, introspective finale to one of the MCU’s most emotionally rich sagas.

As VisionQuest prepares for its 2026 Disney+ debut, anticipation is high for what promises to be Marvel’s most cerebral series yet. Between James Spader’s haunting return as Ultron and Paul Bettany’s layered performance, VisionQuest is shaping up to be a fitting conclusion to Vision’s story — one that explores not just artificial intelligence, but the nature of the soul itself.