Joss Whedon Explains Ultron's Use in Avengers: Age of Ultron

When Joss Whedon and Marvel Studios announced at San Diego Comic Con International last month that the title of the next Avengers film would be Age of Ultron, the audience went crazy. Not because they were necessarily fans of the comic book miniseries by the same name--or at least we hope for their sake that's not it, since Whedon won't be adapting that series--but because Ultron is a compelling, interesting and powerful villain that has the potential to make a fantastic challenge for The Avengers. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Whedon agrees, saying that he'd known from the get-go that he wanted to use the android menace for the sequel--even if it meant stripping away some of his powers and some of the underlying Ultron-ness of the character in order to get at a somewhat more relatable version of the rage-filled Avengers foe. "I knew right away what I wanted to do with him," Whedon said. "He's always trying to destroy the Avengers, Goddammit, he's got a bee in his bonnet. He's not a happy guy, which means he's an interesting guy. He's got pain. And the way that manifests is not going to be standard robot stuff. So we'll take away some of those powers because at some point everybody becomes magic, and I already have someone [a new character, Scarlet Witch] who's a witch." Of course, there will have to be some changes. Out is Ultron's creator Hank Pym, as he won't yet be introduced when Avengers 2 hits the theaters. So far, the only hints we've got as to Ultron's origins point to Tony Stark.