Ultron was played by another actor in a major Marvel Cinematic Universe project, and the fact that it is easily the best version of the villain in the franchise is disappointing, as James Spader deserved more. Ultron is one of the main villains of the MCU’s Avengers franchise. Sadly, the character ended up being the foe of the worst Avengers movie.
No, I don’t believe that Avengers: Age of Ultron is one of the MCU’s worst movies or even close to the bottom of the list. The film has even gotten better with time, as elements that were set up later paid off in huge ways for the MCU movie timeline. That said, it is clearly the least exciting Avengers movie, but not because of Spader.
James Spader Was Recast As Ultron For The Villain’s Best MCU Version
James Spader was perfectly cast as Ultron. His delivery led to the villain being one of the MCU characters with the best quotes. Still, I felt like Ultron could have been more menacing if Marvel leaned more into some of the horror-esque elements from the Avengers movie, like Ultron’s first appearance in Avengers Tower. The comedy could have been toned down.
All those factors made me disappointed that the best version of Ultron that we got in the MCU ended up being in animated form in the multiverse series, What If…? The Disney+ MCU TV show recast Ultron, with Ross Marquand, who also took over the role of Red Skull in live-action from Hugo Weaving in Avengers: Endgame, playing the character’s most powerful form.
Infinity Ultron is a version of the villain who successfully transfers his mind to Vision’s body, becoming 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 whole multiverse. As such, this version of the Marvel villain ended up being better than the live-action Ultron.
James Spader’s 2026 Ultron Return Makes Up For His MCU Recasting
While Infinity Ultron got a better project and storyline than Spader’s Ultron, that could 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 as a way 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 Quest, where he is set to 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 A.I.s, promising an intriguing mystery that could be more Ultron-centric than What If…?
