Marvel is bringing back one of its most iconic MCU villains

Ultron is about to rise once again in the MCU. That’s right, James Spader’s iconic Marvel villain is about to make a return over a decade after his appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron. 

As first reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Spader will be returning to reprise his role as Ultron in Marvel’s untitled Vision series which will begin production in 2025 with a rumored release in 2026. At this time, it’s unclear exactly how Marvel will be bringing Ultron back into the fold including whether he might simply appear via flashbacks or whether his return will come via the present timeline. All that is basically known is that Spader is going to bring Ultron back into the MCU and it makes sense that the character will play some role in the upcoming Vision series. 

Vision was created in Avengers: Age of Ultron through a fusion of advanced technology and cosmic power. In the film, Ultron looked to evolve by creating a synthetic body made of vibranium-infused tissue, intending to upload his consciousness into it. This body, equipped with the Mind Stone in its forehead, was stolen by the Avengers before Ultron could complete the transfer. In their possession, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and Thor worked together to bring the body to life by uploading J.A.R.V.I.S., Tony's AI assistant, into it, and energizing it with Thor's lightning. Their efforts worked and Vision was officially born.

He would then go on to team up with the Avengers to stop Ultron, with Ultron having been seemingly destroyed at the end of the film. 

Given Ultron is essentially the father of Vision, it’s going to be interesting to see if that angle is played up within the show, what their relationship might look like in the series, and just how Marvel is planning on incorporating Ultron into the series. 

Ultron might not be the only character returning for the Vision series

With the untitled Vision series set to begin production next year, we should begin to learn more about the series including what other characters might make an appearance in the series. 

We already know that Paul Bettany will be reprising his role as Vision and that James Spader is back as Ultron. Beyond their involvement in the series, no additional cast has been approved but we imagine we should be seeing more than a few familiar faces back for the show.  

The Hollywood Reporter describes the Vision series as the final chapter of a trilogy that began with WandaVision and will continue this fall with Agatha All Along. With that in mind, it seems likely we’ll see several key characters from the franchise make an appearance in the series. 

One character who is most certainly expected to appear is Wanda Maximoff, and it seems Elizabeth Olsen is rumored to be appearing which makes sense. If this trilogy is meant to be about Wanda and Vision, there is no way to bring a proper conclusion to the story without Olsen’s involvement in the project. 

It’s also likely that we’ll see some version of Wanda and Vision’s children Billy and Tommy in the series, and perhaps could get a cameo from Agatha if the shows are indeed to all be connected. Beyond those characters, it’s going to be interesting to see if any other familiar faces appear within the series but we imagine there will indeed be additional MCU characters appearing in the series – we’ll just have to wait to see who exactly makes the final cut and how they might come into play within the series.