Ultron has been speculated to return in the MCU’s Armor Wars, but one new rumor makes this even more promising and could help to fix the mistakes that Marvel Studios made in Avengers: Age of Ultron. James Spader voiced the android Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron, created by Tony Stark while experimenting on the Mind Stone in an effort to design a peace-keeping artificial intelligence. Even though Ultron went rogue and attempted to use the meteoric Sokovia to wipe out humanity, many have been calling for the supervillain’s return to the MCU, and recent speculation suggests this could happen in the upcoming Armor Wars film.
Originally planned as a Disney+ series, Armor Wars was confirmed to be reworked as a feature-length film in September 2022. Armor Wars will see Don Cheadle reprise the role of James “Rhodey” Rhodes, a.k.a. War Machine after his upcoming appearance in Secret Invasion, embarking on a mission that will span the globe as he tries to hunt down and reacquire stolen Stark technology. The news of Armor Wars being reworked as a feature-length film sparked speculation that some high-profile names would be taking part in the project, which could see characters such as Tony Stark or Ultron return to the MCU in some capacity.
James Spader Could Return As Ultron In MCU’s Armor Wars
While it’s been heavily theorized that Ultron will somehow make his way back to the MCU in Armor Wars despite the apparent destruction of all of his bodies in Avengers: Age of Ultron, one new rumor suggests that James Spader could once again be voicing the menacing villain. According to Tales from the Mod Queue on the Marvel Studios Spoilers subreddit (no longer viewable by the public), Ultron will be back in the MCU after being unfortunately unavailable for a number of years. James Spader has been dedicated to his role on NBC’s The Blacklist, which recently premiered its tenth and final season, opening up his schedule for a much-needed return as the MCU’s Ultron.
A variant of Ultron did make an appearance in Marvel Studios’ What If…?, though this version was voiced by The Walking Dead alum Ross Marquand, who also took on the role of Red Skull in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. The appearance of an all-powerful Ultron in What If…? led many to speculate that his live-action MCU return was being teased, and Armor Wars could present the perfect opportunity to make this happen. Ultron is the ultimate weapon created by Tony Stark, so he would be a formidable adversary to War Machine in Armor Wars.
The MCU Has Had A Major Villain Problem
One of the biggest criticisms of Marvel Studios has been that there is a tendency to introduce a major villain from Marvel Comics, often who have careers spanning several decades, and eliminate them in one project. This has been an issue since the beginning of the MCU, with some of the biggest victims being Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger, Killmonger in Black Panther, and Xu Wenwu, a.k.a. the Mandarin, in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Though several of these characters have been mentioned and teased since their departures, they were discarded as true villains far too soon.
The MCU’s Phase 4 did something to alleviate this problem, as the Multiverse Saga’s major villain, Kang the Conqueror, was seen very early on as a variant, He Who Remains, in Loki. Baron Zemo also saw a return in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the Scarlet Witch went from hero to villain in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and the Abomination even returned in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. This provides some hope that, should Ultron return to the MCU proper, his next adventure will be done justice, and the MCU could potentially even see him stick around for much longer than just one Avengers film.
Ultron Deserves More Than Just One MCU Project
While Ultron’s backstory was changed in his transition from Marvel Comics to the MCU, he was introduced back in 1968’s The Avengers #54, making him one of Marvel Comics’ oldest supervillains, having a part to play in many major storylines over the years. If any MCU villain deserves a second chance, it’s Ultron, as Avengers: Age of Ultron arguably wasted the intelligent adversary. While What If…? and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness displayed multiversal versions of Ultron, it would be fantastic to see James Spader reprise the role for a key role in Armor Wars.
