‘VisionQuest’ Has Marvel Studios Thinking Beyond the Finale

When ‘WandaVision’ arrived in 2021, it was Marvel Studios’ first TV series and the start of a whole new era for the franchise. The Emmy-winning miniseries, created by Jac Schaeffer, set a high bar for the studio’s young TV division. Five years on, that experiment is about to reach a milestone of its own.

The Nov. 10 finale of ‘VisionQuest’ will close out a five-year television experiment that began with ‘WandaVision.’ Although it isn’t technically a third season, the show effectively works as one, wrapping a trilogy that continued through ‘Agatha All Along.’ That makes the show’s reception a bigger deal than usual, since it carries the weight of a franchise-defining chapter.

Now, a new report suggests Marvel is feeling good about how it all turned out. According to a Nov. 3 analysis from TheWrap, ‘VisionQuest’ is currently seen as a success at the studio, and there is talk of how some of its characters could continue in the MCU. The report did not name which characters are being discussed, and as one outlet covering the story noted, interest in a character’s future is not yet a calendar of approved projects.

The goodwill didn’t come out of nowhere. The series earned a 91% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes, nearly matching the 92% score held by ‘WandaVision.’ TheWrap’s own review praised it as among the more humane and hopeful things Marvel has produced.

The show also gave fans plenty of familiar faces to latch onto. ‘VisionQuest’ premiered on Disney+ on Oct. 13 with its first two episodes, and it runs for 8 episodes in total. Its cast includes returning MCU characters and actors, and it works in part because it draws on nearly 20 years of stories.

Not every number is a slam dunk, though. Tracking company Luminate reported that the series was watched for 639 million minutes during its first 10 days, spread across 4 episodes. That works out to roughly 159.7 million minutes per episode, and one report suggests it is likely to be the least-watched project of the ‘WandaVision’ trilogy. Strong reviews and softer viewership make for a more complicated picture than the word “success” alone implies.

The timing adds another layer. Before this report surfaced, fans were openly worried about what comes next. ComicBook.com argued that there was zero indication that Vision or any associated characters would appear in a future MCU project, and that this could be the end of their saga. The TheWrap report is the first sign that Marvel may not be ready to close the book entirely.

It also lands at a moment of big change for Marvel’s small-screen division. TheWrap reported that Marvel Television is essentially going on hiatus until after ‘Avengers: Secret Wars,’ with ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 3 set to be the last show before the break. If that holds, any future for the ‘VisionQuest’ characters would likely play out on the big screen or in a much later series.

Marvel does appear to be rethinking how it makes TV. The upcoming ‘Zodiac’ is expected to have a more modest budget, with room for known characters and actors to appear in supporting roles. That approach could give leftover ‘VisionQuest’ characters a landing spot without the pressure of carrying a full series.

Paul Bettany, for his part, seems open to whatever comes next. Bettany has said he will keep playing the character as long as he is asked, and Marvel hasn’t revealed whether Vision’s future means a movie appearance or another series. With the finale days away, fans may not have to wait long to find out how much of this world survives the credits.