Ultron was played by another actor in a major Marvel Cinematic Universe project, and the fact that this is by far the best version of the franchise’s villain is disappointing, because James Spader deserved more. Ultron is one of the main villains of the MCU’s Avengers franchise. Unfortunately, the character ended up being the enemy of the worst Avengers movie.
No, I don’t believe it Avengers: Age of Ultron is one of the worst films in the MCU or even close to the bottom of the list. The movie even got better with time, as the elements that were set up later were extremely profitable for the MCU movie timeline. That said, this is clearly the least exciting Avengers movie, but not because of Spader.
James Spader was recast as Ultron for the best MCU version of the villain
James Spader was perfectly chosen to play Ultron. His performance made the villain one of the MCU characters with the best quotes. Still, I felt like Ultron could have been more menacing if Marvel had leaned more into some of the horror elements of the Avengers movie, like Ultron’s first appearance in Avengers Tower. The comedy could have been toned down.
All of these factors made me disappointed that the best version of Ultron we had in the MCU ended up being in animated form in the multiverse series, What if…? Disney+ MCU TV show revamp of Ultron, starring Ross Marquand, who also took over the role of Red Skull in live-action from Hugo Weaving in Avengers: Endgameplaying the most powerful form of the character.
Infinity Ultron is a version of the villain who successfully transfers his mind into Vision’s bodybecoming powerful enough to kill Thanos like it was nothing. With the power of the Infinity Stones, Ultron gets his biggest upgrade in the MCU, becoming a threat to the entire multiverse. As such, this version of the Marvel villain proved better than the live-action Ultron.
James Spader’s Return of Ultron 2026 Makes Up for His MCU Overhaul
Although Infinity Ultron has a better plan and storyline than Spader’s Ultron, that might change in 2026. After being recast by the multiverse series, Ultron will return in live-action, with Spader once again in the role. This not only serves to make up for the fact that Marvel recast the character in What if…?, but also the decision to kill Ultron.
Spader will return as Ultron in Vision Questwhere he should appear as both a human version of the character and the robot everyone knows him as. The MCU’s new Vision series, led by returning star Paul Bettany, will bring back all the MCU AIs, promising an intriguing mystery that might be more Ultron-centric than What if…?
