Vision Quest Fan Theory Perfectly Explains Ultron’s MCU Return (& Now We’re Worried)

One of the few things we know about Marvel’s upcoming miniseries Vision Quest is that James Spader will reprise his role as Ultron, which could mean anything from a cameo to a full-on resurrection. Fan theories have been tackling this question in recent weeks as the series draws closer, often noting the spare parts of Ultron we’ve seen through the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the last decade. However, this week Reddit users looked further back in the franchise’s history, finding some ideas that might make more sense. The good news is, they would give this iconic villain more screentime and a bigger part in the story. The bad news is, it could be serious trouble for Vision and the Avengers.

The MCU has been criticized at times for killing off its best villains too early, and Ultron is one of the prime examples. After terrorizing the planet in Avengers: Age of Ultron in 2015, he was presumed dead, though we have seen parts of his robot swarms since then. In Spider-Man: Homecoming, we even saw his head, which was held in a secure vault by the United States Department of Damage Control. Many fans have theorized that this will be the key to his comeback in Vision Quest, but this week’s post looked past the hardware.

Instead, u/Shadowblade3000 proposed that Ultron’s persona will resurface from within Vision himself after the events of WandaVision. They pointed out that Ultron’s mind and consciousness was a key ingredient to Vision’s creation back in Age of Ultron, though it was not completely uploaded to into his body. Later, the consciousness of J.A.R.V.I.S. was added in, along with a blast of lightning from Thor and the Mind Stone itself. They theorized that the Mind Stone kept Ultron’s dark impulses supressed, and that without it, the different aspects of Vision’s mind would begin to vie for control of him.

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This internal conflict could be interesting on its own, but it could also leave room for Ultron to escape into his own body as well. After all, he was originally created as a disembodied AI, and he became a threat when he escaped into the Internet. He could escape from Vision in the same way, and from there he could find any number of android components or Iron Man suits to inhabit. Ultron’s original head in the Damage Control vault doesn’t necessarily need to come into play, although the villain will likely take on his familiar appearance one way or another.

The biggest issue with this theory is Ultron’s motive. We know he wanted Vision’s Vibranium body for himself, and there’s no reason that should have changed here. He may leave Vision to build strength and try to reclaim the body later, but he may try to banish Vision from the body and keep it for himself. This would be an interesting turn for the miniseries — forcing Vision to confront himself and determine who he really is without his powerful body.

The idea that this villain will come back from within Vision himself is more compelling than an old, dismembered head simply reawakening, and it’s clearly popular among commenters. At the same time, it’s a pretty loose theory that could work out in a lot of ways with many different variations. There’s also the overarching question of how central Ultron will be to the plot, and which other characters may need screentime.

Vision Quest is filming now, but it has no release date yet, and there are several MCU shows premiering in the meantime. Iron Heart will be streaming on Disney+ next week, followed by Eyes of Wakanda in August and Wonder Man in December. Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is expected in March of 2026, while Vision Quest does not have a release window yet. It’s expected sometime in 2026 on Disney+.