Thanks to Spider-Man: Brand New Day and the impending Avengers: Doomsday, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is enjoying positive attention for the first time in what feels like forever. The continuity Kevin Feige and Robert Downey, Jr. started with 2008’s Iron Man has since become so large in scope, so packed with ideas and so dictated by corporate interests, that recent efforts have failed to excite fans the way the first few batches of MCU films — dubbed “Phases” by Feige and other execs —did effortlessly. But one upside to such an expansive onscreen universe is the boundless potential for surprise. Like their comic book counterparts, these characters rarely stay dead for long. You never know when or how that hero you love or villain you hate will reappear with heightened powers or purpose, but you can be sure they’ll be back in some form. The MCU is no different, and it’s about to bring back a supervillain we haven’t seen since 2015.
Those who follow Marvel’s output will likely know by now that James Spader, who voiced the villainous robot Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron, returns in the upcoming Disney+ series VisionQuest. Others might be confused, primarily because the character died at the end of Age of Ultron. Speaking with Rotten Tomatoes, Spader reveals that not only was Ultron alive the entire time, but that he’s been learning. “He’s been in prison,” Spader said. “He’s had access to the internet, television, history, and he’s just been consuming, and he’s been painting. He’s become a painter… He’s just making trouble in this house with [Vision], who he loves and hates, and all these other AIs who he couldn’t give a s*** about.” Bettany, who was present alongside Spader, got into the nitty-gritty of how Ultron survived. “So we discover that, when he killed Ultron’s corporeal body, he actually uploaded him into his mind, and he lives in this kind of fantastic prison loft, and I go to him for advice,” Bettany explained. In VisionQuest, Ultron will function as a sort of “psychopath life coach” to Vision.
Now that we know Ultron is alive and well (more or less) in the MCU, we can start parsing Spader and Bettany’s comments for clues about how he will impact VisionQuest. They’ve both stated that, at least at first, Ultron will simply be another AI Vision sorts through internally at the end of the day. Their dynamic will then take a darker turn, which likely involves Ultron compelling Vision to act…heinously. The recently released trailer shows us little of this “psychopathic” behavior, instead focusing on Vision’s mental and emotional state. References to WandaVision are plentiful, so expect lots of callbacks to that show and maybe even to Agatha All Along.
Given where we left Vision at the end of WandaVision, it’ll be fascinating to see how this new series catches us up on him. He isn’t a Marvel character I think about often, and, to be super honest, I think the MCU gains little by centering an entire show around him. However, by throwing Ultron back into the mix, VisionQuest has an interesting dynamic upon which it can build, one that might just save the series from superfluity. Spader is a fabulous actor, and his Ultron was far better and more menacing than Joss Whedon’s script acknowledged or deserved. Seeing him flit between his Ultron form and his new bearded human form was an unexpected delight, and it seems like the creators have plenty they plan to do with their relationship.
VisionQuest will be available to stream weekly on Disney+ from October 14.
