The edge of Ultron
10 reasons why ultron is a formidable villain for the avengers.
IN the comics, he is the “son” of Hank Pym (aka Ant-Man/GiantMan/Yellowjacket etc etc), and the “father” of The Vision. Fortunately, the cinematic version of Ultron will be a lot more straightforward, as the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron ( A:AOU) movie has kept it simple by making Tony Stark Ultron’s creator.
While the Ultron-Vision link remains (expect some variations, though), Hank Pym will only be making his official cinematic debut in the mid-year release of Ant-Man.
With the trailers looking more like the Avengers versus Skynet (where’s The Governator when you need him, eh?), some fans may feel that Ultron and his Ultron-ites may not be a formidable enough replacement after Loki’s Chitauri army, and with the even greater threat of Thanos still lurking in the background.
During an interview at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con, director Joss Whedon put the debate on Ultron’s inclusion and Thanos’ exclusion to rest, explaining: “We have to stay grounded. It’s part of what makes the Marvel Universe click – their relationship to the real world. It’s science fiction, and Thanos is not out of the mix, but Thanos was never meant to be the next villain. He’s always been the overlord of villainy and darkness.”
What he is trying to say is, A:AOU is all about finding the right balance between technology and fantasy. Ultron fits the former while the dynamics offered by the Avengers fulfills the fantasy aspect – promising an exciting time at the movies!
But seriously, why NOT Ultron? He’s one of the Avengers’ greatest villains, after all; and if you really need a reason to justify the sentient robot’s inclusion, well, we’ve listed 10 of them here for you.
1) Strategic Vision
You can’t have the Vision without Ultron (even though you can have Ultron without Hank Pym, thanks to the movie). The debut of both characters in the movie pays tribute to their comic-book debuts in Avengers Vol 1 #54-#58, where Ultron first appeared as the “Crimson Cowl” and leader of the Masters of Evil. The plot is rather shallow, with both Jarvis and Vision becoming Ultron’s unwilling pawns. Then again, most characters created back then had corny beginnings.
Since then, the Ultron-Vision linkage has been gradually fortified via decades of rivalry and one touching moment (in Vision Vol 1 #1) where they meet at a jazz bar and Ultron “confides” that he has human emotions, and is even dreaming!
2) Adamant about adamantium
While the indestructible metal adamantium is synonymous with Wolverine’s claws (and skeleton), it’s actually Ultron who became its first user ( Avengers Vol 1 #66–#68) by upgrading himself to a near-invulnerable form. It remains to be seen if movie Ultron will be made of the same material; and if he is, will they be able to introduce the concept of adamantium without connecting it with Wolverine?