Don’t be fooled by his newfound appreciation of human art and affable smile: Ultron, the AI responsible for killing hundreds of people in Sokovia and attempting to wipe out the entire human race in Avengers: Age of Ultron, is still dangerous in VisionQuest, according to actor James Spader. The latest Disney+ Marvel series sees him living rent-free in Vision’s (Paul Bettany) head, providing fatherly advice and bothering the four other AIs in there with him.
In an interview with TechRadar, Spader said, “…I also think the inherent danger and threat that was so blatantly there in Age of Ultron is still present. All of that knowledge he consumed like junk food as a bratty teenager in Age of Ultron, a lot of that has been absorbed and processed. And, in that attic inside Vision’s head, he’s been given an odd amount of autonomy and freedom for someone who one must be careful with. So, you’ll see all of that plays out in these eight episodes.”
In the series’ first two episodes, which released earlier this week, we’ve already seen him get up to some mischief (we’ll leave it at that to avoid spoilers). But we’ve also seen him display a surprising amount of emotional growth, at least compared to where he was in Age of Ultron. When Vision points out that he’s surprised by Ultron’s newfound enlightenment regarding humanity, he responds, “When you’ve been bested by something, it’s best to understand it.”
Spader’s intimation that Vision has perhaps given Ultron too much autonomy certainly sounds like a hint about what’s to come. We’ll have to wait and see when new episodes of VisionQuest premiere Wednesdays on Disney+.
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