One of the most fearsome villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Ultron, is reportedly returning for the new Vision show, and original actor James Spader is coming with him.
News about a comeback for the silver-tongued Avengers: Age of Ultron villain comes from a The Hollywood Reporter report, which says that Spader has signed on to reprise his role in Marvel’s upcoming Vision series. As we’ve learned previously, the Disney+ show will also see Paul Bettany playing the all-knowing Vision once again, too, with Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas set to lead the project. The series has been referred to as Vision Quest in the past but is officially untitled.
A Vision-led spinoff show already presents a lot of questions for those who have kept up with the MCU, and things get more complicated with Ultron in the mix. Both characters died in one way or another in past projects, with Spader’s character dying at Vision’s hands at the end of Age of Ultron. Vision outlasted his shiny evil creator but went on to suffer the same fate in Avengers: Infinity War. Although Bettany reprised his role for the popular WandaVision series, the Vision who first appeared in the second Avengers film is long gone.
Marvel has found ways to bring back deceased characters in the past, though. WandaVision already introduced a new white Vision character who is said to star in the new spinoff series as he searches for purpose in life. Even Robert Downey Jr. was revealed to return to the MCU last month, though instead of playing Iron Man he’ll appear as Victor Von Doom (a.k.a. Doctor Doom). It’s this same kind of Marvel comic book trickery that will almost certainly be used to see Spader reprise his role as Ultron. Details on how exactly the character will worm his way back into the story have yet to be revealed.
Although the untitled Vision series is still in its early stages, today’s report says Marvel plans to begin shooting in England come early 2025. It means we might not see the show hit Disney+ until 2026, but those missing the WandaVision vibes won’t have to wait years for more, as another spinoff show, Agatha All Along, is set to premiere its first two episodes on September 18, 2024. For more on everything the MCU has cooking up, you can see its full lineup here.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
