Disney+ subscribers have one last Marvel project to dig into before the MCU closes out 2026 with its one-two punch. It’s no secret that VisionQuest debuts on Disney+ on October 14, followed by Avengers: Doomsday in theaters on December 18, and there’s been a lot of buildup for both. On the VisionQuest side, the series serves as the closing chapter of the WandaVision trilogy, which began in 2021. As for Avengers: Doomsday, it’s not only the fifth Avengers film but also the beginning of the end for the Multiverse Saga, setting up 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars.
A new surprise Marvel challenger approaches. Spidey and the Avengers: Halloween Team-Up! arrived on Disney+ on September 25.
New episodes of ongoing series like Spidey and His Amazing Friends are still on the way in October, but the Disney Jr. crossover officially has become Marvel’s final brand-new project ahead of the MCU projects VisionQuest and Avengers: Doomsday.
Most MCU fans’ eyes are now shifting towards Paul Bettany’s VisionQuest, especially considering it’s not been two months since the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The eight-episode series kicks off with a two-episode premiere, then rolls out new episodes every Wednesday through its November 25 finale.
That will mean MCU fans are getting fed well this fall and winter season, with roughly a three-week break from the TV series to Doomsday’s opening.
Led by showrunner Terry Matalas, the series picks up with White Vision after the events of WandaVision. In the spirit of this corner of the MCU, fans need to prepare to open their imaginations, as viewers will embark on a journey into Vision’s mindscape, which will see the return of James Spader’s Ultron.
Meanwhile, the road to Doomsday is taking up most of Marvel Studios’ efforts, and has been since San Diego Comic-Con. Avengers: Endgame Encore hit theaters on September 25 with a new ending and multiple post-credits scenes, connecting the 2019 film to the next iteration in Marvel’s biggest film franchise.
While it’s obvious how much VisionQuest is based on past Disney+ projects, that in no way excludes Doomsday, with one series clearly being on the required reading list.
Reinterpreting Heroes Previously Established on Disney+
The MCU has gone full comic book, where death is just a small part of life. Two key MCU heroes (both with complicated pasts) are back to end 2026, but neither is their original version, not even close.
WandaVision ended with White Vision flying off after the Vision Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) created in the Hex gave him his memories. VisionQuest will explore this new take on the character, his third true MCU iteration, and explore his relationship with his “dad” Ultron and “son” Tommy.
Doomsday has a similar situation with Loki (Tom Hiddleston), who ended his Disney+ run holding the Multiverse’s timelines together at the End of Time. A long way from attacking Earth during the events of 2012’s The Avengers.
Endgame Encore‘s new ending showed him knocking on the door of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) in his TVA uniform, offering to help. Doomsday‘s first trailer even showed him holding a TVA business card previously, putting Hiddleston firmly back into the mix with the Avengers.
Additionally, in the Encore’s TVA post-credits scene, Disney+ star Mobius (Owen Wilson) arrives at work to find an “Employee of All Time” placard honoring Loki. Miss Minutes (Tara Strong) explains the TVA’s job of keeping the Multiverse “tidy and safe.”
Then Casey (Eugene Cordero) and O.B. (Ke Huy Quan) flag an Incursion between Earth-10005 (the Fox X-Men universe) and Earth-1127. Thousands more soon light up, with O.B. warning before the screen cuts to black: “The Multiverse is collapsing.”
Speaking with Empire about Encore‘s new scenes, Anthony Russo confirmed the reintereptation, stating “the God of Mischief proves to be the God of Mischief,” teasing “a new incarnation” of the character in Doomsday:
“I mean, look, the God of Mischief proves to be the God of Mischief. Loki’s one of the most fascinating characters, and he’s had so many incarnations. One of the delights of ‘Doomsday’ is, you’re going to get a new incarnation of that character.”
Setting Up the Young Avengers
The next generation is getting some love, too, as VisionQuest and Doomsday each feature a potential future Young Avengers member. On the VisionQuest side, that’s Tommy Maximoff (Ruaridh Mollica), Vision and Wanda’s speedster son. His arrival comes after Agatha All Along, in which his twin brother, Billy Maximoff (Joe Locke), sets out to find him alongside (now a ghost) Agatha (Kathryn Hahn).
Over in Doomsday, Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton) is back in the fold, with Newton confirming her return in April by unboxing a tiny director’s chair. Cassie has been on the Young Avengers radar ever since The Marvels‘ set-up scene with Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) and Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). Both of those heroes got their start on Disney+, in Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye, respectively.
It’s not confirmed if Vellani or Steinfeld will appear in Doomsday, but Jimmy Fallon just asked the Sinners star about it, to which she replied, “I have no idea, time will tell.”
Borrowing Disney+ Aesthetics
One of the best aspects of Marvel’s Disney+ era over the past five years has been its creative set designs and theming.
In the MCU’s Disney+ inception, WandaVision stood out for its retro art direction, hopping from one TV decade to the next as Wanda’s grief turned Westview into a sitcom. VisionQuest is clearly taking a page from that playbook and running in a new direction with it. Its trailer revealed a white mansion straight out of a ’60s TV show, one that exists entirely inside Vision’s mind.
Reportedly, Vision’s mindspace was built with small, deliberate imperfections, like a banister that doesn’t fully connect to the stairs. The idea is to capture the slightly off feel of AI imagery, without any generative AI involved (*cough*).
Doomsday is pulling a similar move with the TVA, as the agency’s scenes tied to the film carry over the retro-futuristic look Loki made famous. There’s at least one twist, though: the TVA’s official logo got a purple makeover, but the orange features are still present in the clip. Similar to Deadpool & Wolverine, it’s neat to see the TVA on the big screen, making it one of the MCU’s most important locations.
