{"id":2139318,"date":"2025-11-06T16:56:19","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T16:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2139318"},"modified":"2025-11-06T16:56:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T16:56:19","slug":"the-most-disappointing-marvel-villain-is-getting-a-second-chance-in-a-new-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/the-most-disappointing-marvel-villain-is-getting-a-second-chance-in-a-new-show\/","title":{"rendered":"The Most Disappointing Marvel Villain Is Getting A Second Chance In A New Show"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>WandaVision<\/em> was the first successful Marvel Cinematic Universe show on Disney+, and its sequel show, <em>Agatha All Along<\/em>, was very nearly as buzzworthy. Now, the House of Mouse is bringing the whole thing to a close with <em>VisionQuest<\/em>, which promises to be a real showcase for Vision actor Paul Bettany. However, I\u2019m personally more excited to see the return of James Spader as Ultron because it represents an opportunity to effectively redeem the most disappointing villain in the MCU.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">I say \u201cdisappointing\u201d because Ultron wasn\u2019t a terrible Big Bad. He was certainly more memorable than Malekith, for example, or Karli Morgenthau. However, Spader is one of the best actors in the business, someone whose performance always elevates whatever movie he is in. There was only so much he could do in <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.giantfreakinrobot.com\/topic\/avengers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Avengers;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Avengers<\/a>: Age of Ultron<\/em>, Joss Whedon\u2019s disappointing sequel that focused too much on setting up future films and not enough on telling a cohesive story.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\"><strong>Ultron: Cool Idea, Bad Execution<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In Whedon\u2019s film, Ultron begins as a fairly interesting concept: a rogue AI that decides the best way to accomplish its programmed goal of protecting the Earth is to kill all those pesky humans destroying the planet. But once he breaks bad, Ultron just turns into another sneering supervillain with an army of drone characters and a fairly generic plan for world domination. The movie was a complete waste of Spader\u2019s talent, but based on everything we know about <em>VisionQuest<\/em>, the show is going to finally redeem Ultron\u2019s character while giving Spader a chance to really stretch his acting chops.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">There have been strong rumors that <em>VisionQuest<\/em> will feature various AI characters (including Vision\u2019s two children and Ultron) in human bodies. While some fans have lamented this as a cost-saving measure, I\u2019m hoping this rumor turns out to be true: after all, it\u2019s easier for James Spader to emote as Ultron when he\u2019s not trapped behind bad CGI. The same was true of Paul Bettany, who was able to channel a deeper range of human emotions in <em>WandaVision<\/em> whenever he wasn\u2019t buried in layers of mechanical makeup.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>VisionQuest<\/em> showrunner Terry Matalas (who notably brought us the acclaimed third season of <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.giantfreakinrobot.com\/topic\/star-trek\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Star Trek;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Star Trek<\/a>: Picard<\/em>) recently spoke to these rumors, telling Phase Hero that \u201cYou do get to see robot Ultron, but you see a lot of James Spader and a lot of Paul Bettany together.\u201d More pertinently, he claimed that \u201cThey are very much a core dynamic of the show\u201d and that the series itself is \u201ca delivery system for Bettany and Spade.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\"><strong>Spader\u2019s Time to Shine<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"james spader armor wars\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/eEWgIM3G7FJb4fLM.PZ5vQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/giant_freakin_robot_articles_628\/a24f5099097a6a42ce6445c7384789b5\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>James Spader<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Based on these comments, it sounds like we\u2019ll be seeing a <strong>lot<\/strong> of James Spader in this show, which is a good thing: on top of the two-dimensional writing, the ensemble nature of <em>Avengers: Age of Ultron<\/em> really held Spader back. Like <em>WandaVision<\/em> before it, <em>VisionQuest<\/em> promises to be a more intimate affair, one that allows characters to grow and evolve over an entire season rather than one breathless movie. Additionally, centering the series around Spader and Bettany helps the show potentially deal with crunchy themes about fatherhood, legacy, personhood, and so much more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">If Matalas can deliver the goods (hey, he managed to end <em>Picard<\/em> on a good note after two wildly <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.giantfreakinrobot.com\/topic\/rocky\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:rocky;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">rocky<\/a> seasons) with some solid writing, then Spader will be able to transform Marvel\u2019s most disappointing villain into its greatest. Best case, this could even usher in a more thoughtful era for the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.giantfreakinrobot.com\/ent\/the-best-marvel-memes-from-every-phase-of-the-franchise.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:MCU;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">MCU<\/a>, one that appeals to jaded fans who are sick of CGI slop rather than narrative substance. Worst case, we get to see one of the greatest modern actors chewing up scenery with the vigor of Robert California.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Either way, I\u2019m completely here for it!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WandaVision was the first successful Marvel Cinematic Universe show on Disney+, and its sequel show, Agatha All Along, was very nearly as buzzworthy. Now, the House of Mouse is bringing the whole thing to a close with VisionQuest, which promises to be a real showcase for Vision actor Paul Bettany. However, I\u2019m personally more excited [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2139319,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[372838,311035,372839,359815,392996],"class_list":["post-2139318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-james-spader","tag-marvel-cinematic-universe","tag-paul-bettany","tag-terry-matalas","tag-visionquest"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/The-Most-Disappointing-Marvel-Villain-Is-Getting-A-Second-Chance.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2139318","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2139318"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2139318\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2139320,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2139318\/revisions\/2139320"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2139319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2139318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2139318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2139318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}