One of the Avengers' biggest MCU villains reportedly has a big future ahead after his upcoming return. The Avengers have faced three major villains so far in the MCU in Loki, Ultron, and Thanos, with Doctor Doom set to join that exclusive club in 2026. Out of that bunch, Ultron is the only one to have appeared just once in the MCU (excluding the Infinity Ultron Variant found in What If...?). Fortunately, that is about to change next year as The Blacklist actor James Spader will reprise his Avengers: Age of Ultron villain in Disney+'s Vision Quest.
According to scooper Daniel Richtman (via Cosmic Marvel), Marvel Studios is planning for Ultron to return in multiple MCU projects after his role in Vision Quest. While the 2026 Disney+ series will mark Ultron's first appearance in the main MCU timeline since 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron, the studio clearly has big plans for him that ought to be set up next year in Vision Quest.
Avengers 2 actor James Spader will reprise Ultron in Vision Quest after The Walking Dead star Ross Marquand took over the villain's voice in What If...?
Spader's Ultron is one of several AI characters in Vision Quest alongside T'Nia Miller's Jocasta, Emily Hampshire's EDITH, and Kerry Condon's FRIDAY. The Disney+ series will also feature Faran Tahir's Raza, Todd Stashwick's Paladin, and, reportedly, Ruaridh Mollica as Tommy Maximoff.
Vision Quest is expected to arrive as one of six MCU Disney+ series coming in 2026 as Marvel Studios edges closer to next December's Avengers: Doomsday.
How Ultron Could Fit Into the MCU's Masterplan
The series will reportedly give Ultron a major design overhaul as he and other AIs featured in Vision Quest take on a human form based on their respective actors. This decision was presumably made to save time and VFX costs for Disney+, but perhaps his true robotic appearance could return in a larger project.
Previous rumors stated the Ultron interface is living "dormant" in the MCU through shards that ought to become prominent again in Vision Quest. This may lay the groundwork for Ultron to make his full return and become a recurring threat, something the MCU has been missing for some time.
Marvel Studios has recently stated its aim to develop only Disney+ series that can run for multiple seasons, presumably dependent on their success. As Vision Quest is pushing ahead and in production now, Season 2 may be on the cards and could continue featuring Ultron in a major villainous role.
In terms of what other projects could feature Ultron, there could be room for a Variant in Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars. The Age of Ultron threat took to the Multiverse once already in What If...? as he utilized the Infinity Stones, and perhaps that intriguing Variant could be resurrected in live-action.
When Marvel Studios was more actively developing Armor Wars as an MCU blockbuster exploring Tony Stark's legacy and technology, there were rumors that Ultron might be involved. As Ultron was arguably Stark's biggest failure, his story may continue there on the big screen if it moves forward after Secret Wars.
