diff --git a/hw/display/vga_int.h b/hw/display/vga_int.h
index 847e784ca6a..305e700014d 100644
--- a/hw/display/vga_int.h
+++ b/hw/display/vga_int.h
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ static inline int c6_to_8(int v)
     return (v << 2) | (b << 1) | b;
 }
 
-void vga_common_init(VGACommonState *s, Object *obj);
+bool vga_common_init(VGACommonState *s, Object *obj, Error **errp);
 void vga_init(VGACommonState *s, Object *obj, MemoryRegion *address_space,
               MemoryRegion *address_space_io, bool init_vga_ports);
 MemoryRegion *vga_init_io(VGACommonState *s, Object *obj,
diff --git a/hw/display/ati.c b/hw/display/ati.c
index 31f22754dce..6e38e005022 100644
--- a/hw/display/ati.c
+++ b/hw/display/ati.c
@@ -955,7 +955,9 @@ static void ati_vga_realize(PCIDevice *dev, Error **errp)
     }
 
     /* init vga bits */
-    vga_common_init(vga, OBJECT(s));
+    if (!vga_common_init(vga, OBJECT(s), errp)) {
+        return;
+    }
     vga_init(vga, OBJECT(s), pci_address_space(dev),
              pci_address_space_io(dev), true);
     vga->con = graphic_console_init(DEVICE(s), 0, s->vga.hw_ops, &s->vga);
diff --git a/hw/display/cirrus_vga.c b/hw/display/cirrus_vga.c
index fdca6ca659f..5a7ddb84ff0 100644
--- a/hw/display/cirrus_vga.c
+++ b/hw/display/cirrus_vga.c
@@ -2954,7 +2954,9 @@ static void pci_cirrus_vga_realize(PCIDevice *dev, Error **errp)
          return;
      }
      /* setup VGA */
-     vga_common_init(&s->vga, OBJECT(dev));
+    if (!vga_common_init(&s->vga, OBJECT(dev), errp)) {
+        return;
+    }
      cirrus_init_common(s, OBJECT(dev), device_id, 1, pci_address_space(dev),
                         pci_address_space_io(dev));
      s->vga.con = graphic_console_init(DEVICE(dev), 0, s->vga.hw_ops, &s->vga);
diff --git a/hw/display/cirrus_vga_isa.c b/hw/display/cirrus_vga_isa.c
index 4f6fb1af3bd..96144bd6906 100644
--- a/hw/display/cirrus_vga_isa.c
+++ b/hw/display/cirrus_vga_isa.c
@@ -56,7 +56,9 @@ static void isa_cirrus_vga_realizefn(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
         return;
     }
     s->global_vmstate = true;
-    vga_common_init(s, OBJECT(dev));
+    if (!vga_common_init(s, OBJECT(dev), errp)) {
+        return;
+    }
     cirrus_init_common(&d->cirrus_vga, OBJECT(dev), CIRRUS_ID_CLGD5430, 0,
                        isa_address_space(isadev),
                        isa_address_space_io(isadev));
diff --git a/hw/display/qxl.c b/hw/display/qxl.c
index 29c80b4289b..16eb98c25d8 100644
--- a/hw/display/qxl.c
+++ b/hw/display/qxl.c
@@ -2198,7 +2198,9 @@ static void qxl_realize_primary(PCIDevice *dev, Error **errp)
     qxl_init_ramsize(qxl);
     vga->vbe_size = qxl->vgamem_size;
     vga->vram_size_mb = qxl->vga.vram_size / MiB;
-    vga_common_init(vga, OBJECT(dev));
+    if (!vga_common_init(vga, OBJECT(dev), errp)) {
+        return;
+    }
     vga_init(vga, OBJECT(dev),
              pci_address_space(dev), pci_address_space_io(dev), false);
     portio_list_init(&qxl->vga_port_list, OBJECT(dev), qxl_vga_portio_list,
diff --git a/hw/display/vga-isa-mm.c b/hw/display/vga-isa-mm.c
index 7321b7a06d5..420da1d7467 100644
--- a/hw/display/vga-isa-mm.c
+++ b/hw/display/vga-isa-mm.c
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 #include "qemu/osdep.h"
 #include "qemu/bitops.h"
 #include "qemu/units.h"
+#include "qapi/error.h"
 #include "migration/vmstate.h"
 #include "hw/display/vga.h"
 #include "vga_int.h"
@@ -101,7 +102,7 @@ int isa_vga_mm_init(hwaddr vram_base,
 
     s->vga.vram_size_mb = VGA_RAM_SIZE / MiB;
     s->vga.global_vmstate = true;
-    vga_common_init(&s->vga, NULL);
+    vga_common_init(&s->vga, NULL, &error_fatal);
     vga_mm_init(s, vram_base, ctrl_base, it_shift, address_space);
 
     s->vga.con = graphic_console_init(NULL, 0, s->vga.hw_ops, s);
diff --git a/hw/display/vga-isa.c b/hw/display/vga-isa.c
index 8cea84f2bea..2782012196a 100644
--- a/hw/display/vga-isa.c
+++ b/hw/display/vga-isa.c
@@ -72,7 +72,9 @@ static void vga_isa_realizefn(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
     }
 
     s->global_vmstate = true;
-    vga_common_init(s, OBJECT(dev));
+    if (!vga_common_init(s, OBJECT(dev), errp)) {
+        return;
+    }
     s->legacy_address_space = isa_address_space(isadev);
     vga_io_memory = vga_init_io(s, OBJECT(dev), &vga_ports, &vbe_ports);
     isa_register_portio_list(isadev, &d->portio_vga,
diff --git a/hw/display/vga-pci.c b/hw/display/vga-pci.c
index 62fb5c38c1f..3e5bc259f7a 100644
--- a/hw/display/vga-pci.c
+++ b/hw/display/vga-pci.c
@@ -239,7 +239,9 @@ static void pci_std_vga_realize(PCIDevice *dev, Error **errp)
     bool edid = false;
 
     /* vga + console init */
-    vga_common_init(s, OBJECT(dev));
+    if (!vga_common_init(s, OBJECT(dev), errp)) {
+        return;
+    }
     vga_init(s, OBJECT(dev), pci_address_space(dev), pci_address_space_io(dev),
              true);
 
@@ -275,7 +277,9 @@ static void pci_secondary_vga_realize(PCIDevice *dev, Error **errp)
     bool edid = false;
 
     /* vga + console init */
-    vga_common_init(s, OBJECT(dev));
+    if (!vga_common_init(s, OBJECT(dev), errp)) {
+        return;
+    }
     s->con = graphic_console_init(DEVICE(dev), 0, s->hw_ops, s);
 
     /* mmio bar */
diff --git a/hw/display/vga.c b/hw/display/vga.c
index 9d1f66af402..a6759c7e934 100644
--- a/hw/display/vga.c
+++ b/hw/display/vga.c
@@ -2168,7 +2168,7 @@ static inline uint32_t uint_clamp(uint32_t val, uint32_t vmin, uint32_t vmax)
     return val;
 }
 
-void vga_common_init(VGACommonState *s, Object *obj)
+bool vga_common_init(VGACommonState *s, Object *obj, Error **errp)
 {
     int i, j, v, b;
 
@@ -2237,6 +2237,8 @@ void vga_common_init(VGACommonState *s, Object *obj)
     s->default_endian_fb = false;
 #endif
     vga_dirty_log_start(s);
+
+    return true;
 }
 
 static const MemoryRegionPortio vga_portio_list[] = {
diff --git a/hw/display/virtio-vga.c b/hw/display/virtio-vga.c
index 9e57f61e9ed..d89735d7301 100644
--- a/hw/display/virtio-vga.c
+++ b/hw/display/virtio-vga.c
@@ -119,7 +119,9 @@ static void virtio_vga_base_realize(VirtIOPCIProxy *vpci_dev, Error **errp)
 
     /* init vga compat bits */
     vga->vram_size_mb = 8;
-    vga_common_init(vga, OBJECT(vpci_dev));
+    if (!vga_common_init(vga, OBJECT(vpci_dev), errp)) {
+        return;
+    }
     vga_init(vga, OBJECT(vpci_dev), pci_address_space(&vpci_dev->pci_dev),
              pci_address_space_io(&vpci_dev->pci_dev), true);
     pci_register_bar(&vpci_dev->pci_dev, 0,
diff --git a/hw/display/vmware_vga.c b/hw/display/vmware_vga.c
index e2969a6c81c..d67318e6e46 100644
--- a/hw/display/vmware_vga.c
+++ b/hw/display/vmware_vga.c
@@ -1248,7 +1248,7 @@ static void vmsvga_init(DeviceState *dev, struct vmsvga_state_s *s,
                            &error_fatal);
     s->fifo_ptr = memory_region_get_ram_ptr(&s->fifo_ram);
 
-    vga_common_init(&s->vga, OBJECT(dev));
+    vga_common_init(&s->vga, OBJECT(dev), &error_fatal);
     vga_init(&s->vga, OBJECT(dev), address_space, io, true);
     vmstate_register(NULL, 0, &vmstate_vga_common, &s->vga);
     s->new_depth = 32;
