‘VisionQuest’ Screening & Episode 3 Sneak Peek at the Rome Film Festival
Marvel Television’s VisionQuest is finally here to conclude the WandaVision trilogy, and the studio is pulling out all the stops. Paul Bettany and Ruaridh Mollica swung through Italy to screen the first two episodes of VisionQuest (and a sneak peek at episode 3) at the Rome Film Festival on Thursday night. I happened to be in Bologna the day before, so I tacked an extra day onto my trip to see what they had up their sleeves.
Marvel stars and fans at the Rome Film Festival 2026
The Rome Film Fest this year is held primarily at the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone from October 13th to the 25th, with screenings happening in its main halls and smaller theaters nearby. I arrived 45 minutes early to find glitching electronic VisionQuest posters on every pillar in sight, switching from Paul Bettany’s synthezoid face to James Spader’s robotic one.
An enormous digital banner formed one end of the massive red carpet, depicting the two halves of Vision and Ultron in all their glory. That banner is the best piece of marketing for the series so far, echoing the iconic half-and-half WandaVision banner depicting Wanda and Vision as superheroes and sitcom characters. It was a treat to see it blown up so large on a red carpet.
Fans line every end of the carpet—way more than I had expected. They were all carrying VisionQuest or WandaVision merchandise for Bettany to sign, from Funko POPs (a superhero red carpet staple) to identical posters for the show. I wonder where they got them, because I didn’t see any up for grabs!
Some fans were dressed up, including an excellent Wanda cosplayer, but the real stars were the Vision cosplayers on the red carpet. Dressed as every version of him—regular, White Vision, sitcom (including black-and-white)—they moved as a group and took a great photo with Bettany and Mollica at the end of the red carpet. Each one looked utterly fantastic, with exceptional makeup work and great costumes!
Paul Bettany and Ruaridh Mollica walked along the red carpet to pose for photos, talk to fans, sign memorabilia, and do quick interviews with influencers and the press in attendance. Unfortunately, Cosmic Circus wasn’t attending as official members of the press, so we didn’t get an interview, but it was a treat to see the actors engage with fans.
VisionQuest premiere screening and episode 3 “Reboot” sneak peek
The screening took place in the Sala Sinopoli, a theater with a capacity of roughly 1,100 people. The screening was less than half-full (which is why I could buy a ticket four days beforehand and get a great seat), so it looks like most of the red carpet fans were in attendance just for the actors and signings.
Bettany and Mollica entered the theater behind where I was sitting, walking in to cheers from the audience. However, that’s all they did. Neither of them got on stage or spoke to the audience whatsoever; as soon as they sat down, the screening began. They left sometime during the first episode, not even staying until the end of the premiere.
While it was great to see them in person, it was disappointing to hear nothing from two of the series’ main stars one day after the show premiered. I expected a Q&A, but even a brief introduction to the episodes would have been something. Showrunner Terry Matalas was advertised as appearing, but I didn’t see him anywhere on the red carpet or in the theater.
Perhaps that’s simply the difference between a fan screening (like the Loki screening I attended in Los Angeles) and a film festival screening.
The first two episodes of VisionQuest played first, gloriously brought to life on a big screen with surround sound. Experiencing Disney+ shows in theaters is so much fun and something I wish was more accessible to fans. I had so much fun at the Agatha All Along screening I attended in 2024 as well!
Watching with fellow fans is just a superior experience because everyone is laughing together and applauding when each episode ends. But the real treat was an early glimpse at episode 3, titled “Reboot.” Airing next Wednesday on Disney+, the episode picks up directly from the end of episode 2 titled “Theseus,” apart from a tantalizing intro that immediately hints at a big reveal.
Warning: spoilers ahead for the first ten minutes of VisionQuest episode 3
In the first two episodes of VisionQuest, there are background mentions of a serial killer operating in London known as the “Butcherbird,” who carves wings into the floor beneath their victims’ bodies. “Reboot” opens with James Spader’s Ultron painting as he watches another news report on the killings and muses to himself. As the camera pans up from the victim’s wings, we see him putting the finishing touches on a blackbird in his painting.
As the episode began, I wondered if the killer could be Jocasta, Ultron’s pseudo-wife from Marvel Comics. That theory was almost immediately confirmed when the next scene showed a scared man trying to defend himself in his high-rise apartment. He loads a gun and fires at a mysterious hooded figure with red eyes and a red light in their forehead that emerged from an elevator.
Recent VisionQuest promotional materials have given fans our first look at Jocasta, wearing a dark hoodie and pulling it down to reveal her robotic, Ultron-like face. Unless there are two hooded, red-eyed, bulletproof characters running around VisionQuest, it looks like Jocasta is indeed the Butcherbird Killer.
Everything must tie back to Ultron, who remains as villainous as ever despite his newfound understanding of humanity. He’s already betrayed Vision to Paladin—by using a pigeon, no less. What’s with his new bird obsession? Ultron built Jocasta in the comics, and I think we’re seeing something similar in VisionQuest.
Jocasta debuted as an Easter egg in Avengers: Age of Ultron, where her A.I. chip was one of several Tony Stark considered to replace J.A.R.V.I.S. before choosing F.R.I.D.A.Y.. Ultron clearly wants to escape Vision’s head, so is it possible he managed to build a new robotic body in the real world and install one of Tony’s old A.I. systems to carry out his escape plan? That would be extremely on-brand for him and tie into the A.I.-centric storyline VisionQuest is weaving.
If Jocasta is indeed Tony’s creation, she would essentially be Vision’s lost sister. Or stepmom, if MCU Ultron is after a wife like his comic version. What a fitting name!
The rest of the sneak peek mostly focused on Vision and Tommy discussing their family history while Ultron and E.D.I.T.H. butt in from the car’s backseat.
The other interesting tidbit is that Paladin’s connections are finally revealed. In a conversation with his assistant, we learn that Paladin has previously fought Daredevil, a werewolf, and seemingly the Punisher. His adamantium armor (and maybe bullets) are provided by the Ten Rings, and he utilizes drones that look like black versions of Mysterio/Tony Stark’s drones from Spider-Man: Far From Home, which is where we first met E.D.I.T.H.!
It looks like everything is connected in very interesting ways, and that’s exactly what we’ve been missing from the MCU in the past several years. VisionQuest is already building strong connections to other MCU properties while telling its own engaging, thought-provoking story with fantastic character development right out of the gate.
I can’t wait to see where the series goes from here, and I’m thrilled I got to experience the beginning of the end of the WandaVision saga at an amazing event like the Rome Film Fest!
Also check out: VisionQuest Premiere Review: Vision’s Return Great So Far
