Ultron's MCU Return Gets Officially Confirmed for This 2026 Project

Ten years after Avengers: Age of Ultron left theaters, James Spader's unsettling AI murder bot is officially back in the MCU. 

Vision, a spin-off of 2021's WandaVision starring Paul Bettany, is headed to Disney+ in 2026. Following reports of Spader's return as Ultron, fans now have official confirmation from another returning Marvel Studios star. 

James Spader's Ultron Confirmed for Vision on Disney+

If the mystery of White Vision and where he's been wasn't intriguing enough, when Vision premieres in 2026, the series' cast will feature some familiar MCU baddies.

Among them is Iron Man star Faran Tahir, who played Raza in the 2008 film and confirmed James Spader's presence in Vision following the star's announcement in the trades.

In addition to teasing "some great surprises" for MCU fans, Tahir discussed getting to work with his former The Blacklist co-star, "James Spader," in an interview with ComicBookMovie.com: 

"It was sort of a reunion for us as the showrunner [Terry Matalas] was someone I worked with on a series called '12 Monkeys.' We had already worked together nine years ago, and there's another cast member who was on that show who is also in this one. James Spader and I did a couple of episodes of 'The Blacklist,' so there was a nice reunion of people who had worked together before. It was nice to have the team back in a different way, setting, and reality. It was a lot of fun." 

As a reminder, Utron, voiced by James Spader, was intended to be Tony Stark's global peacekeeping program but became a genocidal, sentient bot and the big bad of Avengers: Age of Ultron. 

Ultron set out to create Vision, but Tony Stark and Bruce Banner ultimately prevented his plan by uploading J.A.R.V.I.S. into Vision. And, appropriately, it was Vision, at the end of the 2015 Avengers film, who seemingly destroyed Ultron, his creator. 

In talking about filming the Disney+ series, Faran Tahir explained that he isn't quite done shooting just yet (check out Vision's first set photos here!), saying, "I have one more stunt:"

"I have one more stunt to do, which I will do in about a month; that's going to be a lot of fun."

But when asked if he's shocked by how the MCU has changed, especially since he's returning to a role he played long before Spader ever voiced Ultron, Tahir admitted, "Yes, I am," but also explained that it's "very satisfying" seeing the Marvel Universe vision "become a reality:"

"Yes, I am, but I'm pleasantly surprised. When we were doing that film, the idea was it would be the flagship that would launch the Marvel Universe. It's very gratifying for me to see that longterm goal has come to fruition. It's very gratifying to see where this has gone. They had a dream, a vision, and, of course, a strategy, but for that vision to become a reality and for the strategy to have worked is a very satisfying thing for me."

Vision's Many MCU Connections

Iron Man's Faran Tahir's comments are definitely noteworthy, given his insight about returning to the MCU, coupled with the fact that his words are the first fans have heard about Spader's role outside of his Vision casting announcement. 

They also add to the intrigue surrounding this 2026 Disney+ series, as it seemingly connects to multiple MCU characters and narratives.

For instance, Vision appears to be tied to Iron Man, not only because of Tahir but also because Stark created Ultron and was key to who Vision ultimately became. 

At the same time, Vision is also the third part of a trilogy that began with WandaVision (is Elizabeth Oslen rumored to appear?) and was continued with Agatha All Along. 

It's also worth noting that Ultron was previously rumored for Armor Wars back in 2023, suggesting that Marvel Studios must have a reason for bringing back this Avengers villain.

Marvel fans should expect to learn more about Vision and James Spader's Ultron reprisal in the coming months. But for now, this MCU project is definitely one to watch.

Check out the 5 Disney+ shows confirmed for Phase 6 of the MCU here!

Vision arrives on Disney+ in 2026.