The Marvel Cinematic Universe may finally be answering for one of its biggest critiques — its short-lived villains. We know that Vision Quest features James Spader reprising his role as Ultron, but now we have a rumor that it won’t end there. According to reporter Daniel Richtman on Patreon, Ultron is not just coming back for this miniseries, but will appear in multiple future projects beyond that. This is great news for fans of Spader and Ultron, and for those that feel the comic book adaptations generally struggles to establish interesting villains and keep them in the story for the long-term.
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Richtman posts leaks and scoops on his Patreon page, and he has shared a lot of news about Vision Quest, citing anonymous sources familiar with the production. The show is about Vision (Paul Bettany) and his life after the events of WandaVision. Official Marvel announcements have told us that Vision will encounter other AI characters in the show, including Ultron and E.D.I.T.H., but according to Richtman, this won’t be a temporary return for Ultron.
Ultron is a fan-favorite villain in the MCU, and is one of the key examples brought up when fans complain that the franchise doesn’t spend enough time with its villains. In the comics, Ultron is a persistent recurring antagonist who appears again and again — often surprising the heroes when they believe they’ve fully eradicated him. This works extremely well in a serial format, and for the MCU, that’s just as important as it is for comic books.
Of course, Ultron’s resurrection in Vision Quest is proof that the franchise has never really cast off these bad guys too early — instead, it has surprised fans on the screen just as it did on the page decades ago. We’ve already seen villains like Loki survive against insurmountable odds, and the introduction of new sci-fi and fantasy elements means that new doors are constantly opening for characters to return. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Ultron, but that was Marvel’s choice, not a plot necessity.
It’s hard to predict Marvel’s plans for Ultron, or anyone else as we head into the grand finale of the “Multiverse Saga.” This portion of the story will end in Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027, just as the “infinity Saga” ended with Endgame. Many fans are expecting a major reset at that point, allowing Marvel to limit multiverse incursions while introducing characters like the X-Men. Whether these particular theories are true or not, it seems likely that the MCU will see a seismic shift soon.
Vision Quest is filming now, and is expected to premiere sometime in 2026. In the meantime, Ironheart is the next MCU series, premiering on Tuesday, June 24th on Disney+.
