What does Ultron’s return mean for the MCU?

Yesterday, it was revealed that James Spader will reprise his role as AI baddie Ultron for Marvel Studios’ upcoming Disney+ Vision show, led by Paul Bettany. With Bettany and now Spader returning to the MCU, I can’t help but wonder: What exactly does Marvel hope to get out of this?

In many ways, summer 2024 has been Marvel’s comeback era—a sorely needed “peak” after a string of unremarkable phase 4 and 5 releases. On top of its buzzy San Diego Comic-Con presentation, July also saw the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, which has since gone on to cross the $1 billion mark at the box office. August’s D23 Expo gave the studio a chance to highlight Disney+ endeavors like Agatha All Along and Ironheart, and now, it looks like we’re getting even more news about the future of Marvel TV.

Ultron will return for untitled Vision-centric Disney+ show

On Friday, Deadline reported that James Spader, who lent his voice to one of the Avengers’ greatest foes in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, would be returning to the MCU for the upcoming Vision solo series (side note—was I the only one who forgot that this show was a thing??). According to the article, the project is aiming to begin production in 2025, with Star Trek: Picard alum Terry Matalas serving as showrunner. The series has been in development since 2022, but from the sound of it, there hasn’t been much movement going on behind the scenes until recently.

While we don’t know plot specifics just yet, the new show will presumably pick up after the events of WandaVision, given it left the door wide open for White Vision—the one created by S.W.O.R.D. to stop Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen)—to return. Whisperings that the Scarlet Witch will make her MCU reintroduction for the upcoming series have resurfaced following the report, despite her fate in 2022’s Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. And she’s not the only one who’s “dead” here, as Ultron was also defeated by Vision following his whole, y’know, attempted genocide thing.

So how exactly will Marvel explain its way around this?

The Vision show could finally close the book on Ultron’s story

As we’ve come to learn, death doesn’t mean much in the MCU Multiverse. Plus, comic-accurate Ultron is virtually unstoppable, given his consciousness—like Vision’s—can be transferred to another vessel. Killing him off in his first MCU appearance was probably an indicator that he would, in fact, come back someday, and with his connection to Vision, the new Disney+ show does seem like the perfect opportunity to do so.

So while it might be slightly eye roll-inducing to see Marvel resurrecting yet another character from the dead, I think the studio is well aware that Ultron has untapped potential. And if his return paves the way for Wanda to come back, well…I’m not complaining. It’s certainly not the most egregious of “member berries” out there, and could give the nefarious supervillain an “absolute” end. Again, it’s impossible to tell if Marvel is simply bringing back a familiar actor/character just to renew interest in the franchise, or if this really was part of some master plan, but I’m curious to see how his lore is handled this time around.

I should note that Spader has already returned for season 1 of Marvel’s What If…?, which explored a reality where Ultron (or “Infinity Ultron” here) won and wiped out all of humanity, and technically again in Spider-Man: Homecoming, where he was shown to still be online. Easter eggs aside, Ultron has been something of a footnote in the MCU despite his role in the Marvel comics, so here’s hoping Kevin Feige & Co. will get it right for his next live action appearance. As for Vision, I feel like Marvel isn’t prepared to get rid of him just yet (especially with Avengers: Secret Wars on the horizon), but who knows?

We don’t have a release window for the Vision spinoff series yet, but for now, all I can say is…Marvel! Drop a House of M adaptation, and my life is yours!