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I've been arguing for Ultron's return to the MCU for years, and it seems like Marvel Studios is finally making one of its best decisions. Having debuted in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron, the titular robotic AI villain made his first and only appearance in the second Avengers film, despite being one of the biggest Marvel villains from the comics. To that end, new reports of his imminent MCU return are very exciting.
Created by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner using the Mind Stone, Iron Man sought to create Ultron, a peace-keeping program dedicated to protecting the world that could one day replace Earth's Mightiest Heroes. However, Ultron was corrupted by the Mind Stone, developing a darker worldview and deciding that his directive of peace on Earth could only come through humanity's extinction. That said, Ultron's depiction in the MCU was uniquely unlike most evil robots in the movies, as he had some compelling depth. Keeping that in mind, there are a few reasons why I've always argued for Ultron's survival post-Age of Ultron and his eventual MCU return.
I've Known Ultron Would Return Since 2015 Vision Was On The Side of Life Close Just before Age of Ultron's culminating Battle of Sokovia, the newly created Vision claimed he was on "the side of life". Originally made to be a new body for Ultron, the Avengers took the body before Stark and Banner used it to create a new artificial being known with the Mind Stone itself embedded within Vision's head. Debuting as a hero helping the Avengers, Vision's mind is an amalgam of Stark, Banner, JARVIS, and Ultron himself. In Sokovia, Vision effectively shut Ultron out from accessing the Internet, ensuring he couldn't escape the battle once all his connected robot forms had been destroyed.
At the end of the battle, only one Ultron drone remained and was faced by Vision. Following a brief conversation about their respective creations and humanity's destiny, Ultron charges the synthezoid who was meant to be his new body. However, the framing of the sequence only shows the yellow light of the Mind Stone through the trees, rather than showing the drone's actual vaporization as implied. To that end, I and many others have argued since 2015 that Vision might have secretly trapped Ultron's consciousness within his own mind, valuing his existence too much to fully destroy the living AI completely.
Marvel Studios Has Never Been Able To Give Up On Ultron Fully He's Made Multiple Non-Canon Appearances Since 2015 Close Despite bringing about his alleged demise in Age of Ultron, it's worth pointing out that Marvel Studios and Disney have never been able to fully let go of Ultron either. In 2019, Marvel Studios teamed up with ILM Immersive to create the Avengers: Damage Control VR experience where Ultron returns as the game's major threat. However, the game's continuity is set in another reality from the primary MCU.
Likewise, the Disney Wish cruise ship launched in 2022 features a non-canon MCU dining experience called Avengers: Quantum Encounter. Essentially an interactive short film, Quantum Encounter features footage with multiple Avengers actors such as Paul Rudd's Ant-Man, Anthony Mackie's Captain America, Brie Larson's Captain Marvel, and Iman Vellani's Ms. Marvel. However, it also features Ultron's live-action return as the main threat.
The first season of Marvel's What If…? (2021) also features a variant known as Infinity Ultron from an alternate reality where Ultron claims the Vision's body as his own. This enabled him to defeat the Avengers and kill the majority of humanity before murdering Thanos himself and retrieving all the Infinity Stones, an act that transformed him into a major threat to the entire multiverse. As such, these non-canon roles suggest Marvel Studios recognizes how effective a villain Ultron can be (and that they've come to regret his demise).
WandaVision Made Me Even More Confident Ultron Would Return Vision's Death And SWORD That said, I became the most confident in Ultron's eventual return following the events of 2020's WandaVision. With Vision having been killed by Thanos at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, it's not outside the realm of possibility to suggest that Ultron had the opportunity to break free from his theorized digital prison. Likewise, the reveal in WandaVision that SWORD had taken Vision's body and rebuilt him as a weapon using new systems and code certainly made me think that this new "White Vision" would be taken over by Ultron himself.
While a corruption from Ultron didn't happen in the show itself, this new version of Vision made from the original synthezoid is now out in the world following WandaVision and ahead of his own Vision Quest series. To that end, I certainly wasn't surprised to see the reports that James Spader is expected to reprise his role as Ultron in the upcoming MCU show. However, I'm very excited nonetheless to see whether Ultron will attempt to take over and claim the synthezoid body he always wanted, or if he'll fully break free and build a new robotic form not unlike the ones he had in Sokovia.
Ultron Always Deserved More Than A Single MCU Appearance A Perfect Villain For Vision Quest The MCU's Ultron had a level of humor and incredibly human charisma uncharacteristic of most evil robots seen in movies, possessing a dark yet naive worldview as he continually evolved into new forms. He had a surprising amount of depth and conviction despite his simple core mission to bring about the end of humanity. His dynamics with Iron Man and Vision were quite captivating, as were his emotional drives that largely dictated his actions rather than pure logic.
There's so much potential in the MCU's Ultron that was very much wasted by Marvel Studios only giving him the one canonical appearance. To that end, I couldn't be happier that Marvel has finally decided to make good on its tease that Ultron wasn't fully destroyed in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Here's hoping Vision Quest will be able to provide a new Ultron appearance that's just as compelling and dangerous as the first time around.
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ActionAdventureScience Fiction Marvel Studios' Vision Quest is a limited series set in the MCU and released on Disney+. It reveals the fate of Paul Bettany's resurrected Avenger, which was last seen fleeing Westview at the end of 2021's WandaVision. After the original synthezoid died at the hands of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, his body was reassembled by the secret organization SWORD, and his consciousness was restored by Scarlet Witch's magically recreated version of the robot.
Cast Paul Bettany , James Spader Seasons 1 Streaming Service(s) Disney Plus Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe Writers Terry Matalas Showrunner Terry Matalas Franchise Marvel Cinematic Universe Prequel WandaVision Production Company Marvel Television Release Window 2026 Expand Upcoming MCU Movies Captain America: Brave New World
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