How does Marvel rescue itself from a years-long downward spiral? The studio’s cinematic universe isn’t what it used to be — but as the saga continues across film and television, Marvel is doing everything it can to recapture its past magic.
Marvel spent 15 years building a world around its heroes; now, it seems the key to success lies on the other side of the moral spectrum. The franchise needs a new villain to root against, whether it be Doom, Kang the Conqueror, or a character introduced in previous films. It’d make a lot of sense to return to missed opportunities. There’s already plenty of material to mine from Marvel’s early phases, after all, and Vision Quest will be testing that theory out in earnest.
Vision Quest is the working title for one of Marvel’s upcoming series: it’s set to follow “White Vision” (played by Paul Bettany) in the years following his creation in WandaVision. The original incarnation of Vision was a fixture in the MCU since Age of Ultron in 2015, and Vision Quest seems to be pulling from that film directly. The series is bringing Ultron himself back from the dead, a choice that could fix one of Marvel’s most prevalent issues.
For anyone in need of a refresher, Ultron is one of Marvel’s most formidable (and persistent) antagonists. He was created by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner in Age of Ultron, initially designed as an AI peacekeeping program. As he came online, however, he chose to go the way of Skynet and wipe humanity from the face of the Earth. The destruction of Sokovia was all Ultron’s work, as was the creation of Vision. Thanks to the Avengers, though, Vision isn’t the unstoppable annihilating force that Ultron set out to create, but a force for good. The super-team is only able to defeat Ultron with Vision’s help. Given that he’s basically an AI god, though, Ultron can’t actually be shut down.
It may be a little tricky for Vision Quest to explain Ultron’s resurrection, but stranger things have happened, especially in the comics. No matter what, Ultron always finds a way to return, usually through some fragment of consciousness left behind after any attempt to destroy him. He even uses Vision to bring him back to life in Avengers #66, which may serve as inspiration for Vision Quest. Either way, reviving the villain may be Marvel’s smartest moves in a long time — if only because it defies the MCU’s worst instinct.
Marvel has long had an issue with its villains. The characters themselves are compelling enough, but they’re rarely given a chance to grow beyond their introduction. The villains with the most potential — think Black Panther’s Killmonger or Shang-Chi’s Wenwu — are often wasted in one appearance. Most origin films will off an antagonist that could (and should) stick around to cause chaos in the MCU for years. It’s no wonder the franchise is running out of steam: any character who could make things even remotely interesting is disposed of before they can make an impression.
Ultron is just one of many villains that deserves a new lease on life; despite his “defeat” in Age of Ultron, he’s the only one that can conceivably return. There’s not much known about his role in Vision Quest just yet, but his resurrection alone is cause enough to get at least a little excited. Marvel’s future is still in jeopardy, but choices like this could put the franchise back on track before too long.
