Ultron is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as James Spader is set to appear as the villain in the upcoming untitled Vision series on Disney+. Spader previously played Ultron in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, which was also the debut film of Paul Bettany’s Vision character. That film seemingly ended with Vision killing Ultron, although the fact that the film cut away from Vision’s killing blast has made fans doubt the character’s demise and hope for his eventual return.

Nearly a decade later, Spader is confirmed to return as Ultron. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Spader is joining the cast of the untitled Vision series, previously known as Vision Quest. Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas is leading the Vision series, which will follow the White Vision constructed in WandaVision as he searches for his purpose in life. The series is the third chapter in a trilogy of stories that started with WandaVision and will continue with Agatha All Along. Notably, the report says Spader will voice Ultron, not provide motion capture as he did in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Rage of Ultron

Ultron was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema and debuted in The Avengers #54 back in July 1968. In the comics, Ultron was invented by Ant-Man hero Hank Pym, but the MCU version was reimagined as a creation of Tony Stark. In Age of Ultron, Tony created the Vision body for himself to evolve before the Avengers stole it and uploaded JARVIS, creating the new hero Vision. While Ultron was defeated, his impact on the MCU was felt for years as the destruction of Sokovia led to the creation of the Sokovia Accords, which fractured the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War, and left them divided in their fight against Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. Vision’s ties to both the origin story of Vision and the Scarlet Witch have loomed large over the MCU.

Spader’s return as Ultron is a big deal for many. Alternate reality versions of Ultron have been seen in the animated series What If…? and the 2022 film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but they were voiced by Ross Marquand. Since Marquand took over as Red Skull from Hugo Weaving after the actor expressed his displeasure about working on the first Captain America film, many fans assumed the same had happened with Spader. Yet Spader’s return is an exciting one for fans.

As for his role in the series, anything is possible. They could reveal that Vision never killed Ultron but instead stored his head away somewhere. This would allow the creators to use a puppet of the Ultron drone head, which does not have the detailed facial movements of the CGI Ultron, explaining why Spader is only voicing the character. Since Ultron’s programming was part of Vision, Vision himself might be haunted by the voice of his creator inside his head. Given that Ultron is one of the greatest Marvel villains, we’re excited to see him return in some form.