Marvel Theory Teases How Ultron Could Become the Next Cosmic Big Bad

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe pushes into Phase 4, it has yet to be revealed whether or not the shared entertainment universe will ever feature an overarching villain again. That doesn't stop, however, one intriguing fan theory from suggesting that Ultron (James Spader) could come back in a surprising way that could make fans of the baddie excited.

If you look at the wildly popular Annihilation follow-up Annihilation: Conquest comic event, Ultron takes control of the robotic-based Phalanx. It's here that Ultron tries to carry on with his plan of ridding universe of all humanity and if you think about it, the groundwork has already been laid in the MCU. At the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, the titular character was seen flying a Quinjet around, before the Hulk took control of it, leading Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) to kill the villain's main body. But the thing is, there's certainly a way the character could have uploaded a version of himself into the Quinjet computer system that eventually made its way to Sakaar.

All the way across the universe, and in the wake of Thanos (Josh Brolin) getting rid of half of all life — organic life, at least — there was certainly enough time for Ultron to begin working on building on an empire of his own on various planets throughout the cosmos. Just think about it, if he consciousness was able to make it off Sakaar when the Hulk crashed landed, he'd have nearly seven years to replicate himself — something that would have gotten much easier when Thanos dusted most of all life.

The theorist also does point out an interesting concept. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will likely feature the live-action debut of Adam Warlock, another artificial creation. While both Adam and Ultron are artificial creations, Adam represents the perfect organic specimen while Ultron represents the perfect robotic specimen, a story arc that could certainly play out on-screen in a gigantic organic verse robotic galactic battle.

Do you think we'll ever see the return of Ultron to the MCU? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or by tweeting me at @AdamBarnhardt to talk all about cosmic Marvel!

Avengers: Endgame is now in theaters and will be followed by Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 2nd. Captain Marvel is now available digitally and will be released on home media June 11th.