All The Robots In 'VisionQuest', Explained

The Marvel Cinematic Universe may have advanced since it began with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in Iron Man (2008). For one, Tony Stark died in a full-circle, self-sacrificing move in Avengers: Endgame (2019), only for Downey to return as Victor Von Doom for reasons that will likely be revealed in due time in Avengers: Doomsday (2026). Even though Downey Jr.’s role in the MCU has evolved, there are still ripples of Tony Stark everywhere you look in the franchise that extends from the big screen to the small one.

There’s Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) grief over Tony in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). There’s Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) using Tony’s blueprints in the completely underrated Ironheart (2025) series. There’s also the fact that we wouldn’t have the game-changing WandaVision (2021) series without Tony’s robots and digital system leading to the creation of Vision (Paul Bettany). With that sentient robot taking center stage in VisionQuest (2026), there’s no better time for a refresher on all of the robots (so far) that will feature in the series.

1. D.U.M-E & U

What better place to start than with the first robots? Tony created them while at MIT, and they became foundational to his development of future robots and iterations of his Iron Man suits. I particularly remember the dynamic Tony had with both of these hydraulic arm robots. He interacted with them so casually and frequently that they felt like recurring characters. I loved that Tony felt perpetually annoyed with D.U.M-E in particular. It seemed like something that would naturally emerge in their dynamic, having spent so many years together.

Compared to Tony’s other, more advanced robots, D.U.M-E and U are quite basic. Most notably, they don’t speak, but they still hold a significant space in his life and with characters after Tony. Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) takes them in after Tony’s death, and they become instrumental for Peter during Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Now, they’re back again—in human form—in VisionQuest. Out of all the robots, I never anticipated this trajectory for D.U.M-E and U, which makes it all the more exciting and, honestly, a bit unexpected for the MCU. 

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

We wouldn’t have Vision without the digital system that is J.A.R.V.I.S., which stands for Just a Rather Very Intelligent System. It’s also the first of Tony’s creations to have a programming system that understands English commands rather than just computer code. Over time, with the addition of artificial intelligence, Tony becomes quite dependent on J.A.R.V.I.S. as a business partner and a safety net until Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) changes everything.

Tony and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) work together to move the J.A.R.V.I.S. system into a vibranium body, creating Vision as we know him. Powered by the Mind Stone, a point that becomes particularly relevant in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and a bit of Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) lightning, Vision is born, and J.A.R.V.I.S. no longer exists in the same capacity. It’s worth mentioning that Tony named the system after the Stark’s butler, Edwin Jarvis. James D’Arcy brought the role to life in the Agent Carter (2015) series, which ended in 2016. Now, a decade later, D’Arcy will reprise the role by playing J.A.R.V.I.S.’s human avatar in VisionQuest.

3. F.R.I.D.A.Y.

After J.A.R.V.I.S. becomes Vision, Tony needs someone—or something—to replace the previous system. So, he created F.R.I.D.A.Y., which stands for Female Replacement Intelligent Digital System Youth. (Tony has never been great at naming things, has he?) Kerry Condon voices the system embedded in Tony’s Iron Man suits. I always found it funny when F.R.I.D.A.Y. reports multiple contusions to Tony during Captain America: Civil War (2016). It’s quick moments like that where the MCU does a believable job of building a relationship between Tony and these systems he builds and trusts for big moments. 

For example, one of the other biggest moments that I’ll never forget is when Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) asks F.R.I.D.A.Y. about Tony’s condition after the snap in Avengers: Endgame. The vitals scan, obviously, reveals “Life functions critical,” and it’s an absolute gut-punch. F.R.I.D.A.Y. can’t and won’t lie about that, and the reality of the situation immediately writes itself on Pepper’s face. That’s the last time the MCU hears from F.R.I.D.A.Y. until the system returns, seven years later, with Orla Brady portraying its human avatar in VisionQuest. 

4. E.D.I.T.H

E.D.I.T.H. immediately makes me emotional because of what this self-identified “augmented reality security defense system” means for Tony and Peter’s relationship. Without Peter knowing, Tony had set up this artificial intelligence system to be given to Peter upon Tony’s death. In the meantime, it was in the safekeeping of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), who was actually a Skrull named Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) in Spider-Man: Far From Home, but I digress. 

I don’t know that I’ll ever forget Peter’s reaction when he puts on the glasses that look just like Tony’s that contain E.D.I.T.H. The look on his face when E.D.I.T.H. says, “E.D.I.T.H. stands for ‘Even Dead, I’m The Hero.’ Tony loved his acronyms,” just breaks my heart. Of course, those glasses end up in the wrong hands of Quentin Beck/Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) because of Peter’s misguided trust in the villain. Ultimately, though, E.D.I.T.H. becomes evidence at Damage Control and is entirely inactive. So, it will be seven years since Dawn Michelle King voiced the system before Emily Hampshire plays the human avatar in VisionQuest.

5. ULTRON

Saving Ultron (James Spader) for last feels like something the narcissistic character would like. The initial purpose for this AI system, created by Tony and Bruce, was benevolent. However, in Avengers: Age of Ultron, things take a turn for the worse. Ultron becomes anything but peaceful and turns against humans and The Avengers. Ultron also uses Baron Strucker’s (Thomas Kretschmann) experimentation on Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Pietro Maximoff (Aaron Taylor Johnson) to recruit the super-powered twins for his genocidal plan.

Eventually, The Avengers, particularly Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), get through to Wanda and Pietro. After her brother’s untimely death (that I will never recover from), Wanda is, thankfully, the one who kills Ultron. It’s Vision, though, who faces the last remaining piece of Ultron in one of his sentries. Vision, already with a much stronger grasp on the complexity of humans and life and with the power of the Mind Stone, ends Ultron’s threat—or so he thinks. Now, more than a decade later, Vision and Ultron will come face to face (literally) once again in VisionQuest. Spader does such a brilliant job voicing Ultron that it’s actually thrilling to imagine what more he can do with this character as Ultron takes on a human avatar in this new show.