Two long-dead MCU villains will make their Marvel Studios return in the upcoming 2026 WandaVision sequel. After kicking off the MCU's streaming era in 2021, WandaVision laid the foundation for two separate sequel series, 2024's Agatha All Along and next year's Vision Quest. Both continue the spell-binding story of Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch and the characters surrounding her.
However, the Paul Bettany-led Vision Quest will pick up the narrative threads left behind by Olsen's super-powered sorceress and several MCU story tidbits that have been waiting to be addressed for years. This will most prominently include the return of two classic Marvel Studios villains, both of whom died during their last appearance in the comic book universe.
Vision Quest is one of several tentpole Disney+ series arriving under the Marvel Studios banner next year, joining Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 and the Punisher Special Presentation, among others. The new series from 12 Monkeys showrunner Terry Matalas stars Paul Bettany as his classic MCU hero, Vision, as he contends with several rogue AIs.
Two Returning Dead MCU Villains Coming in Vision Quest
Ultron
Branded as one of the lead villains of Vision Quest, James Spader's Ultron will return in the upcoming Disney+ series. Ultron is another synthezoid (like Vision) created as a joint venture between Tony Stark and Bruce Banner in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
However, while Vision wants to keep humanity safe, hoping technology and humanity can coexist alongside one another, Ultron has more villainous motives. He sees a world beyond humanity, seeing what humans have done to the world, and deeming the entire race expendable for the sake of the planet.
Ultron was eventually defeated in Age of Ultron by Vision and the other Avengers, who destroyed his programming and sent him to the far reaches of cyberspace. He is back for Vision Quest, though, starring as one of the rogue AIs set to stand opposite Vision. It is unclear how he will be back from the dead, but given his digital origins, it is not too far of a stretch to see how the terrifying automaton would somehow return.
Raza
The other villain making his grand return in the 2026 Disney+ series is one of the first formidable foes introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Faran Tahir's Raza was confirmed to be back for Vision Quest, with his last canon appearance coming in 2008's Iron Man. Yes, this character has not been seen or heard from since the first movie in the franchise, proving that no one is truly gone when it comes to Marvel's interconnected TV/movie canon.
For those who do not remember, Raza is the leader of the Ten Rings terrorist sect that kidnapped Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark to start Iron Man.
He is eventually killed by Jeff Bridges' Obadiah Stane for failing to kill Tony, especially after the MCU hero's capture resulted in his development of the Iron Man suit, which thwarted Stane's attempt at a Stark Industries takeover.
