James Spader Returning as Ultron in VISION Series
With the promise of a spin-off series to WandaVision focusing on the “Vision” half of that equation, speculation as to who or what might appear has run something approaching rampant. Vision, played by Paul Bettany, has had surprisingly few run-ins with out-and-out villains in his tenure in the MCU. Sure, Thanos killed him, but otherwise he tends to just fight other Avengers. That is, with the exception of his first appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Vision’s evil counterpart in that was the titular Ultron, a nefarious AI voiced by James Spader. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ultron’s back, and so is Spader.
The famously stringless creation of Tony Stark, Ultron proved an especially thorny barb in the side of the Avengers in the 2015 movie. His plot eventually led to the destruction of Sokovia, which in turn led to the eponymous Accords which pitted hero against hero in Captain America: Civil War. Ultron did appear in What If…? but not with Spader’s dulcet tones.
The Vision series, Vision Quest, will follow a rebuilt Vision, in his all-white version, as he searches for meaning following the disastrous events of WandaVision. Presumably this Vision will somehow interact with what remains of Ultron’s programming, if not a fully reconstituted Ultron. This will add an interesting layer of pathos to the proceedings. The divide between Vision’s humanity and his robotity is one of the hallmarks of the character, focusing on what it means to truly be alive.
Running Vision Quest is Terry Matalas who is no stranger to sentient robotics. He wrote for Star Trek: Picard season two and showran the wildly successful and beloved third season. According to reports, the Vision Quest series will begin filming in England in early 2025. In the meanwhile, we have another WandaVision spin-off, Agatha All Along, on the way September 18.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.
