What Happened to Ultron after Avengers: Age of Ultron And How Is He Alive?

The reveal that James Spader was returning to the MCU as Ultron put fans into something approaching nirvana.

Back in August 2024, the news broke that the Emmy Award-winning actor was to return as one of Marvel’s big bads once more, reuniting with Paul Bettany for VisionQuest, a spin-off series set around the emergence of White Vision at the end of WandaVision.

But how, you ask, is Ultron still able to be part of the MCU and this new story? Well, AI and technology move in mysterious ways, and the show tells the story of White Vision, a rebuilt version of the original character who was killed in Avengers: Infinity War, and how he was implanted with Vision’s memories and thoughts in WandaVision. So, what role does Ultron play, and how is he alive?

How Did Ultron Die in the MCU?

Fearing that threats to Earth would become even worse than Loki and the Chitauri after the Battle of New York, Tony Stark dreamed of putting “a suit of armour around the world”. Left traumatised by his near-sacrifice in The Avengers, when he carried a nuclear missile into space before falling back to Earth, Stark takes drastic action.

When he discovered the true power that lies within the sceptre Loki brought to Earth, in Age of Ultron, he and Bruce Banner use the technology — namely, the Mind Stone at the heart of the sceptre — to create artificial intelligence that would provide the aforementioned armour around the world. It was designed to identify threats immediately and destroy them and was known as the Ultron Program.

However, Ultron rapidly developed consciousness and quickly learned about humanity’s history and penchant for war, violence, and self-destruction. Rather than use this information to carry out his peacekeeping mission, he determined that humanity itself is to blame for the world’s problems.

His new “vision” was ultimately to destroy humanity and the Avengers in a “reset”, one that would result in the catastrophic decimation of life on Earth. His twisted logic makes sense to him, but it undermines Stark’s ultimate goal. Believing AI could help save the world, Stark failed to anticipate how that same AI might interpret its mission. Ultron then took control of J.A.R.V.I.S. and the Iron Legion and delved deep into the internet to build his own army and carry out his ultimate plan: lifting Sokovia from the ground into the sky before dropping it back down like a meteor.

He fails, but in the bigger picture, Ultron has won: he helps turn much of the world against the Avengers, paving the way for the Sokovia Accords, a civil war between the heroes and, ultimately, their defeat at the hands of an even greater foe: Thanos. However, he also gives them something else: Vision, the body Ultron designed to help him break free of his robotic chrysalis, but which ultimately helps defeat his “father”.

How Did Ultron Return?

Despite Vision defeating Ultron and the last of his robot army being destroyed, the robotic big bad is revealed to still exist. How? Their origins are intertwined, and, without anyone else’s knowledge, Vision kept a backup copy of Ultron deep within his consciousness. Hence, Ultron is still alive in VisionQuest.

Vision lives alongside other AIs in a virtual house within his mind, called the Mindspace, with J.A.R.V.I.S., F.R.I.D.A.Y. and E.D.I.T.H. During his time there, Ultron has continued to study humanity through art, culture, television, and history books, gaining more knowledge but also, crucially, more ammunition should he escape once more.

So, why did Vision choose to save Ultron? Perhaps it was out of concern for humanity, given his allegiance to people and the Avengers, or perhaps he believed in keeping his friends close and his enemies closer. Indeed, they are simultaneously enemies, friends, and reflections of one another: one representing the lighter, more human side, the other the darker.

And what of Ultron’s future? There is a little Easter egg in the show which hints at Avengers: Doomsday and could potentially be setting something up in which Ultron is brought into cahoots with Victor von Doom. However, it is more likely that this version of the character is a unique one who will remain inside Vision’s mind rather than cause the same mayhem he did before.