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Summary

• James Spader's Ultron return in Vision Quest brings much-needed shock and excitement to the MCU future.
• Spader's Ultron surpasses Thanos in entertainment value and performance, making Vision Quest essential viewing.
• Ultron's return is the perfect replacement for Iron Man in White Vision's future, adding depth and conflict.

You would be forgiven for thinking upcoming Marvel spin-off Vision Quest was the MCU's forgotten project, but reports of James Spader's Ultron return are so exciting that it's impossible not to pay attention. Spader's return – as reported by The Hollywood Reporter – is exactly the kind of shock the MCU needs to reinvigorate its future, and comes not long after Robert Downey Jr's equally shocking MCU return was confirmed for 2026's Avengers: Doomsday.
News on Vision Quest went cold some time ago, with persistent rumors of the WandaVision sequel's cancelation filling the information vacuum. But the gears have whirred to life, and Spader's involvement means a slightly ill-fitting part of Marvel Studios' future plans after Bob Iger's promise of a tighter focus is now essential viewing. Not only was Spader incredible as the villainous robot, but it gives us all something Vision's story unquestionably needs; a reason for RDJ's Iron Man not to return.
Related How To Watch the Marvel Movies In Order (By Release Date & In Order Of MCU Timeline Events) Want to catch up before the next release, or just revisit the universe for a refresher? Here"s the order to watch the entire MCU timeline.
Ultron Was A More Entertaining Villain Than Thanos Vision Quest's Ultron Return Can Make Him Even Better Let's get the controversial statement out of the way right up top: James Spader's Ultron was a better villain than Thanos (Josh Brolin) in terms of both entertainment and performance. On the matter of scale, Thanos' perverse egalitarian genocide was universal, and more successful, but he was a pragmatic villain, who unfortunately had something of a point. That led to an odd dynamic where MCU fans felt "Thanos was right" despite his billions of victims. It also meant he lacked flair.
Spader's Ultron, on the other hand, was a pantomime villain, mirroring his creator Tony Stark's charisma, and buoyed by The Blacklist star's joyful performance. Avengers: Age Of Ultron might have its issues (I love it dearly, despite them), but Ultron is a Machiavellian delight, who deals in grandeur, and who has a certain panache. His every scene is spell-binding, which is even more remarkable considering he looks like a rejected early concept for a Michael Bay Transformers movie.
Judged on that solid truth alone, Vision Quest has just been transformed from an interesting fish-out-of-water concept into the second act of Marvel's most rewarding villain. And no, Loki doesn't count, because he's not a villain now, and he wasn't one for several of his MCU appearances. But as with all the best MCU things, it's a lot deeper than that.
Related How Powerful Is White Vision Compared To The MCU Original? The revelation that SWORD has reactivated the Vision is huge – given that White Vision in the comics has no humanity, he may be a lot more ruthless.
Ultron Is The Perfect Replacement For Iron Man In White Vision's Future If Tony Stark Is Off The Table, There's No Better Way To Bring Vision's Conflict To A Head All we really know about Vision Quest is that it will expand White Vision's story after WandaVision's ending, as he seeks existential answers about his identity. We've seen that movie before: it's been called Wall-E, and The Iron Giant, and Bicentennial Man, and there's an interesting enough idea in an android challenging its prime directives and wrestling emotions to make this all enticing on the surface.
Vision Quest is set to be made by Picard's Terry Matalas.
The more satisfying story elements for Vision Quest come specifically from the Scarlet Witch question – which might be answered if Elizabeth Olsen also returns – and in Vision's exploration of his creation. Unfortunately, of course, Vision's creation is tied to Tony Stark in a way that makes Robert Downey Jr's swerve into playing Doctor Doom a little disappointing.
With Iron Man's return basically impossible, given his death, and Doom's impending arrival, Ultron's return is the best possible solution for a replacement
Vision is, after all, the evolution of JARVIS (with some added elements), and the final form of Ultron, and cannot be removed from Tony's grand idea of replacing the Avengers with a more powerful protector of Earth. From Ultron's point of view, Vision is humanity's replacement, without the flaws, but even that dark mission statement traces back to Stark's anxiety about the fragility and flaws of humankind.
With Iron Man's return basically impossible, given his death, and Doom's impending arrival, Ultron's return is the best possible solution for a replacement. There is a reading of WandaVision's ending that suggests White Vision views himself as an abomination, when he faces the reality of his creation (and the purpose of his revival), and the conflicting facts of his actual life pre-Endgame. Bringing him face-to-face with Ultron will realize that conflict perfectly, with the added bonus of giving us more Spader.
There's One Thing Marvel Cannot Do With Ultron (& We've Seen It Before) Marvel Must Avoid Making Ultron Too Soft While Ultron's return is very exciting, Marvel has to be careful not to undermine the villain by trying to soften him. We've already seen the same thing happen to Daniel Bruhl's Zemo who returned in The Falcon & The Winter Soldier as a more amiable version of the Captain America: Civil War villain. Tom Hiddleston's Loki also obviously went through a major evolution when initial plans to kill him off were reversed, and he too lost his edge as a villain, by design.
There is always a danger that spending too much time in the company of a villain humanizes them, and to do so to Ultron in Vision Quest would be a huge mistake. Ultron works because his plan is outrageous and despicable, even though he believes himself to be on a righteous path. Let's just hope he returns with that same devilish essence in the upcoming sequel show.
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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 Showrunner Terry Matalas Prequel WandaVision Release Window 2026 Expand Upcoming MCU Movies Captain America: Brave New World
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