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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for hosting a myriad of villains in its films. Some are remembered for being great and might like Thanos or Shang-Chi’s Xu Wenwu. Others are forgotten and left by the wayside, like Malakeith the dark elf or Ronan the accuser.
Despite all of that, one villain needs proper homage paid - Ultron from The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Initially, the film was not as well-received as the other Avenger movies by Marvel fans.
Many MCU fans have not gathered around the film in celebration. It’s been more of a 'that movie sort of happened' phase. The film's standout has and always will be the James Spader-voiced Ultron, but not just Ultron in the film. The villain has been a standout in the MCU.
Ultron may be the most intelligent villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Tony Stark and Bruce Banner created Ultron and it took the form of an A.I. that Jarvis initially guided. Ultron looks at all of the information from the world and absorbs the knowledge like a sponge. He becomes so knowledgeable and powerful that he breaks out of his A.I., initially manifesting himself in a mangled robotic body.
Ultron’s consciousness is transferred to other robots that duplicate him in Sokovia. Villains need to plan and prepare to get the drop on their enemies and Ultron has had that quality in spades. He used a home base that the Avengers wouldn't check. He raised an army and grew his power until he was ready to take them down.
Ultron always tries to keep one step ahead of his arch enemies and uses his brilliance to concoct a scheme to finish Earth’s mightiest heroes.
Ultron created Vision
Speaking of concocting a scheme, Ultron is the only villain to create a new life in the MCU artificially. Ultron’s talents lead him into creating “the next to him.” He believes that by creating his “Vision,” he will be invincible against anyone that opposes him.
However, that changed when Vision sided with the Avengers and eventually took the robot down. Nevertheless, it was a brilliant effort on Ultron’s part and proved to be a bold move in his abilities as a supervillain in the Marvel canon.
He questions the world and demands change
In addition to his intelligence, Ultron questions the world around him. He was initially designed to be a peacekeeper for the world. Things go awry when he recounts the history of the world and realizes that peace was gained through war.
With that being said, the logic of peacekeeping, to Ultron, seemed oxymoronic. He decides that the only way for there to be true peace is the extinction of humanity. It’s more gruesome saying it out loud, but it is a necessity to the robot.
Ultron is a weapon
In the 2015 film Age of Ultron, the titular character relies very little on outside help or mystical force. Xu Wenwu uses the ten rings to procure his power. Thanos uses the infinity gauntlet and stones. Adrian Toomes/Vulture has his henchmen building his equipment to fend off Spider-Man.
Ultron is one of the few villains who is inherently his own weapon. He uses robots as his army and to tune his armor. Those are attributes that one could easily marvel upon.
These are some reasons why this seemingly negative character from the MCU deserves to be called a supervillian.
This article reflects the opinions of the writer.
