Vision Quest

Since hisMCUrecast has been so divisive , Robert Downey Jr. ’s return might have made more good sense if he ’d fare back as a different Marvel villain in the upcomingVisionseries . After 11 year of playing Tony Stark ’s Iron Man in the MCU , it could have been assumed that Robert Downey Jr. would n’t come back to the franchise . However , this twelvemonth ’s SDCC presentation saw Marvel Studios confirmRobert Downey Jr. ’s return to the MCU , but the reveal of his cast as Doctor Doom has been polarize among interview .

Robert Downey Jr. is n’t the only actor who has recently been confirmed to be reelect to the MCU , as James Spader will also be reprising his role inMarvel Television ’s upcomingVisionseries . Previously having voiced the tyrannical stilted intelligence service Ultron in 2015 ’s eponymousAvengers : Age of Ultron , James Spader ’s return to the MCUis fabulously exciting . Even so , there ’s some mental confusion surrounding Ultron ’s return , andone major question could have been answered by bringing Robert Downey Jr. back to the MCU as someone other than Doctor Doom .

With the MCU ’s Vision serial set to come out in 2026 , here are all the actors cast in the approaching show so far , both newfangled and conversant .

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Why Robert Downey Jr.’s Recast As Doctor Doom Has Been So Polarizing

Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom Is Set To Debut In 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday

Robert Downey Jr. ’s casting as Victor Von Doomhas been met with a mixed response , as many have expressed confusion about exactly how Downey Jr. can debut as Doctor Doom after play one of the faces of the MCU ’s Infinity Saga . There have been theories suggesting Downey Jr. ’s Doctor Doom could be a Tony Stark variant , or an take in Stark who was raise in Latveria , but Downey Jr. and Marvel Studios have confirm that he will indeed be Victor Von Doom . This has opened the MCU up to new criticism .

Robert Downey Jr. MCU Movie

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Tony Stark in Avengers Age of Ultron and Doctor Doom in 2005’s Fantastic Four

Custom Image by Kai Young

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Iron Man

2008

Vision and Ultron

Marvel Studios' Vision Quest is a limited series set in the MCU and released on Disney+. It reveals the fate of Paul Bettany’s resurrected Avenger, which was last seen fleeing Westview at the end of 2021’s WandaVision. After the original synthezoid died at the hands of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, his body was reassembled by the secret organization SWORD, and his consciousness was restored by Scarlet Witch’s magically recreated version of the robot.

Tony Stark ’s Iron Man

The Incredible Hulk

Iron Man 2

Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom in AI MCU art

2010

The Avengers

2012

Ultron in the MCU with characters from Avengers Damage Control

Iron Man 3

2013

avenger : Age of Ultron

Tony Stark with remote controlled Iron Man suit in Iron Man 3

2015

Captain America : Civil War

2016

Ultron with red lights in Avengers Age of Ultron

Spider - Man : Homecoming

2017

avenger : Infinity War

Ultron and Thanos in the MCU’s Infinity Saga

2018

Avengers : Endgame

2019

Headshot Of Paul Bettany In The GQ Men Of The Year Awards 2021

Avengers : Doomsday

2026

Victor Von Doom ’s Doctor Doom

Headshot Of James Spader In The NBC Network’s 2015-16

Avengers : Secret warfare

2027

Some have suggest that an obscure thespian , or at least someone of a low prominence than Robert Downey Jr. , should have been given the luck to play Doctor Doom instead . Others noted that someone who did n’t have such a huge character in the MCU could have become Doctor Doom , such as Mads Mikkelsen , who was a democratic lover - castfor the iconic Marvel villain . Downey Jr. ‘sTony Stark was at the head of the MCUfor over a decade , so it will be hard to ignore his similarities to the new Doctor Doom .

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Ultron Could Be Appearing In Human Form In The MCU’s Vision Series

James Spader Will Be Reprising His Voice Role Of Ultron In 2026’s Vision Series

Shortly after James Spader was confirmed to be returning as Ultron in Terry Matalas’Visionseries in 2026,The Hollywood Reporterreleased an article revealingStar Trek : Picardstar Todd Stashwick ’s cast in the series . This report also included more information about Ultron ’s recurrence , asThe Hollywood Reportersurprisingly mark that"it ’s ill-defined whether Ultron will be returning as a robot or in human form . “Prior to this , it seemed unquestionable that Ultron would return in his robot shape , but his Marvel Comics history secern a dissimilar story .

James Spader has been substantiate to be returning as Ultron in the MCU ’s Vision series , and this version is already beating 2019 ’s secret Ultron payoff .

Ultron has unite with human character several times in Marvel Comics , mostly on his quest to make a superscript lifeform combining humans and machine . He has infiltrated the torso of Tony Stark , Adam Warlock and the original Human Torch android , but his most noteworthy partnership was with his own creator , Hank Pym . Ultron and Hank Pymwere conflate into one being for several year in Marvel Comics , so it ’s very possible that a like story could be severalize in live - action , and this may have presented a much cleared recasting for Robert Downey Jr. in the MCU .

Thunderbolts (2025) Official Poster

Robert Downey Jr. Would Have Made More Sense Returning As A Human Ultron

Tony Stark Created Ultron In The MCU’s Phase 2

Ultron and Hank Pym have no connectedness in the MCU , so it could be unlikely that this brace would merge into one . However , this fib could have still been told , had Robert Downey Jr. not regress as Doctor Doom . Tony Stark ’s Iron Man helped to createUltron inAvengers : Age of Ultron , and the robot considers Stark to be his father , soit would have made much more signified if Ultron had come back to take over Stark ’s body . This would have allowed Robert Downey Jr. to return as a human translation of Ultron .

Ultron was created in the MCU by the combination of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner ’s whizz , the Mind Stone located in Loki ’s scepter , and the artificial intelligence of Tony Stark ’s former practical assistant , JARVIS .

This would have been much easier for Marvel Studios to explain to audiences , especially since Ultron literally takes over his creator ’s body in Marvel Comics . This precedence meant there was a clear opportunity for Robert Downey Jr. to recall as Ultron , give the villain a much more substantive function than he had in Phase 2 , and admit Downey Jr. to challenge himself with some new and fresh textile in the MCU.Downey Jr. ’s casting as Doctor Doomis far harder to excuse away , but this choice by Marvel Studios opens the door for another actor to surpass .

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Ultron’s Human Appearance Is Exciting For 1 Wasted MCU Veteran

James Spader Has More Opportunities In The MCU As A Human Ultron

Assuming it is n’t Hank Pym whose eubstance Ultron take over in theVisionseries , and that he alternatively make himself a new human soundbox , James Spader could be reach a more luscious role in the MCU.Spader is a remarkable actor , having deliver fantastic vocal and forcible performances inThe Office , The BlacklistandLincoln , so it would be unbelievable to see him finally physically debut in the MCU . Spader missed out on this opportunity inAge of Ultron , but the possibility of a human Ultron mean the acclaimed role player could have a bright futurity in the MCU .

James Spader ’s Ultron is returning to the MCU after 11 years in 2026 ’s Vision serial , but there are many other villains we want to see come back , too .

Ultron ’s future after his returnin 2026 is unclear , but the fact that James Spader is willing to return to the MCU indicate he will be apply for much longer than just a Disney+ series . By the time theVisionseries premiere , Spader will have been scatty from the MCU for 11 yr , so he deserves to come back with a vengeance , and has earned his place on the big - screen . WhileRobert Downey Jr. repay as Ultron might have made more immediate sensory faculty , it will be brilliant to see James Spader ultimately reprise his iconic scoundrel role .

Blade MCU Poster

Cast

Marvel Studios ' Vision Quest is a limited serial set in the MCU and turn on Disney+ . It reveal the fate of Paul Bettany ’s resurrected Avenger , which was last seen fleeing Westview at the end of 2021 ’s WandaVision . After the original synthezoid died at the hand of Thanos in Avengers : Infinity War , his dead body was reassembled by the unavowed organization SWORD , and his cognizance was restored by Scarlet Witch ’s magically recreated variation of the automaton .

Upcoming MCU Movies

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Vision Quest

Marvel Cinematic Universe