There is a lot of excitement about the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2026. That sentence right there is an indication of how the Marvel Studios franchise has stood the test of time but it's also a sign of how it has successfully sidestepped some nagging issues that have stalled its momentum in recent years. While it owes that comeback to success stories like Deadpool and Wolverine and Agatha All Along, this year was always going to be a big one with the likes of Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man: Brand New Day on the horizon.
But in the midst of those blockbusters, it's also worth remembering that we're getting some TV gems on Disney Plus, too. From the second season of Daredevil: Born Again to the surprise that was Wonder Man, the MCU TV side of things remains strong. And now, perhaps the most intriguing of all the franchise's upcoming titles will keep it that way. Better yet, Marvel has officially involved a beloved villain's imminent comeback.
James Spader officially returning as human Ultron in VisionQuest
Marvel Studios took to the stage at the Disney Upfronts to unveil a new look at VisionQuest to audiences in attendance. It was during that panel, led by Paul Bettany, that it was officially confirmed that James Spader would be returning to the MCU after 11 years to reprise his role as the once-villainous Ultron. This marked Marvel's first official acknowledgement of the return while also backing up a year's-worth of reports and rumors that suggested that he would be involved.
Spader voiced the unstoppable AI machine in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron as the bot tried to eradicate the world and replace its population with Ultronbots instead. He was the result of Tony Stark's paranoid attempt to protect the world from alien invaders gone wrong, as he became self-aware, searched the internet in seconds and deemed humanity unsaveable. He also destroyed Tony's friendly AI JARVIS, prompting his evolution into Vision - who ultimately stopped Ultron in the movie.
According to the footage descriptions from the Upfronts event, Spader will portray a human version of Ultron - evening sporting a beard. He will taunt Vision, seemingly as a ghost in his mind, as the former Avenger struggles with the memories of his previous life that simply don't have any emotions attached to them (as the White Vision built in WandaVision was intentionally designed to be a killing machine). Needless to say the human version of Ultron will serve as a drastically different visual for a once-robotic Avengers villain. And it marks the first time that Spader will actually get the chance to physically play the character (as he simply voiced him Age of Ultron).
VisionQuest is the third and final installment in Marvel Studios' critically-acclaimed WandaVision trilogy. It all started with the very first MCU Disney Plus show in 2021's WandaVision, which starred Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch and Paul Bettany's Vision, and featured the MCU debut of Kathryn Hahn's Agatha Harkness - with all three actors earning Emmy nominations. Hahn would then lead spinoff series Agatha All Along in 2024, earning herself a Golden Globe nomination in a series that earned praise for its freshness at a time when Marvel was feeling a little too samey. Now, Bettany takes center stage, marking the first time we see Vision since the conclusion of WandaVision.
These three shows have seemingly been telling the story of the Maximoff family's reunion. Wanda created a magical family using her immense powers in WandaVision only to seemingly destroy it when she realized the damage that the Hex had done to Westview (Vision survived in the new form as the White Vision, retaining his memories but not the emotions attached to them). But Agatha All Along revealed that one of the pair's sons, Billy, had survived; with Agatha's help, he was able to rescue the soul of his brother Tommy, too. The pair set out to find the other Maximoff sibling, who will cross paths with his father in VisionQuest.
VisionQuest arrives on the Disney Plus streaming service on October 14, 2026.
Add us as a preferred source on Google