Marvel Studios Is Officially Bringing Back The Only MCU Villain Who Could’ve Taken Down Thanos

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is on track to bring back a major villain whose powers rival those of The Mad Titan, Thanos. Ever since Thanos was slain, not just once, but twice, in Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios has been scrambling to fill that void, and unfortunately, the Multiverse Saga has struggled to step up.

While Kang the Conqueror was originally intended to be the big bad of this saga, his story was cut short, and projects like Avengers: The Kang Dynasty were reworked to center on a new major rival in the form of Doctor Victor von Doom. However, Doom has barely made an impression on any notable level in the Multiverse, leaving fans scratching their heads about where the MCU is headed.

Fortunately, it seems as though a major villain who could have reasonably taken on a foe like Thanos is heading back to the MCU in the upcoming VisionQuest series, presenting a real challenge that compares to the glory days of the MCU and the Infinity Saga. And of course, it makes sense that this character is actually from that era of the MCU.

Ultron Could Have Taken Thanos In The Infinity Saga

Ultron was the primary antagonist in Avengers: Age of Ultron, where Tony Stark’s attempts to create a secure program to defend Earth from disaster resulted in a sentience that began targeting the powered individuals who appeared to attract major threats to the planet in the first place.

Over the course of that film, Ultron grew in power to the point where it was able to almost destroy Tony’s faithful AI companion, JARVIS, before leaving the closed circuits of Stark Industries and expanding into the far reaches of the World Wide Web. From there, Ultron began to bend technology across the globe to its will before deciding to create a physical body it could inhabit, powered by an Infinity Stone.

And while Ultron’s plans were ultimately thwarted by the Avengers, it’s clear he wasn’t fully eradicated due to his upcoming return to the MCU. Given a little more time, and had his efforts to take control of an Infinity Stone-powered body come to pass, Ultron would have absolutely had the means and the reach to take down Thanos.

From his ability to control numerous machine bodies at once to his near-infinite knowledge resources, Ultron could have succeeded where the Avengers failed in Avengers: Infinity War.

Ultron Will Return To The MCU In VisionQuest

VisionQuest is a new MCU TV series set to follow the story of Vision after his memories were restored to his new White Vision body at the end of WandaVision. While little is known about where the series will take the character, it has been confirmed since relatively early in development that Ultron will also return in this series.

This means that while Ultron was defeated in Avengers: Age of Ultron, his conscious mind appears to have lived on in some form, potentially hiding inside the waves of information across the web, before reconnecting with Vision, the being who stole his intended body.

Evidently, there is plenty of room for tension between these two characters, and also potential for them to find ways to work together, depending on where the story goes. But one thing is for certain: Ultron’s return raises interesting questions and possibilities for the future of the MCU.

How Will Ultron’s Return Affect The Multiverse Saga?

It’s possible that Vision and Ultron may collide, resulting in the ultimate destruction of one or both characters, but it feels like there is more room to explore storylines with these characters and have them engage with other parts of the MCU in upcoming projects like Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars, where Ultron could prove a challenge for new rivals like Doctor Doom.

It’s also possible that Vision and Ultron may see value in one another and find a way to come to some sort of agreement, potentially even uniting to become one new entity. This could also come about as a result of Vision being tricked by Ultron, but in either instance, Ultron could stand to be more powerful than ever after the events of VisionQuest, and prove just how much of a threat he could have been to the likes of Thanos.

Network

Disney+

Showrunner

Terry Matalas

Directors

Christopher J. Byrne, Gandja Monteiro

Writers

Terry Matalas

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  James D’Arcy

  J.A.R.V.I.S.

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