"Do you see the beauty of it? The inevitability? You rise, only to fall. You, Avengers, you are my meteor. My swift and terrible sword and the Earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me - it means nothing! When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world... will be metal."
Ultron was an artificial intelligencepeacekeeping program created by Tony Stark from the decrypted code derived from within Loki's Scepter, recreated by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner with the intent of protecting Earth from domestic and extraterrestrial threats. Possessing multiple host bodies and Stark's personality, he deemed humanity itself as the greatest threat to peace on Earth and attempted to create a technological singularity by committing genocide against them.
With initial aid from the twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, Ultron fragmented the Avengers briefly, but was abandoned by his allies when they discovered the truth of his genocidal intentions. Alone, he tried to use a device composed of both Vibranium and Chitauri technology to recreate the mass extinction event that eradicated the dinosaurs. He nearly would have succeeded, but both he and his plans were destroyed by the Avengers. Even after his defeat and destruction, the effects of Ultron's actions led to the Avengers' reformation, as well as the creation of the Sokovia Accords and the Avengers Civil War that led to the team being fractured.
Not long before he was created, Ultron was glimpsed in a vision by the clairvoyant InhumanRaina, who witnessed him leading his army of drones against humanity, causing horrific levels of destruction. Raina and Jiaying, to whom Raina relayed the information, were visibly troubled by the vision, with Raina noting that the world will never be the same.[1]
"I see a suit of armor around the world." "Sounds like a cold world, Tony." "I’ve seen colder. This one, this very vulnerable blue one? It needs Ultron. Peace in our time. Imagine that."
Seeking only to protect the world, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner originally devised the idea for Ultron as an extension of the Iron Legion, operating independently as their own peacekeeping force so the Avengers were no longer needed to save the world. However, neither Banner nor Stark were able to create the intelligence level of A.I. necessary to achieve this purpose on a large scale.
After the assault on the HYDRA Research Base, and the retrieval of the Scepter, Stark asked Thor if he could study it before Thor took it back to Asgard. Upon studying the Scepter, Stark and Banner found a net of neurons could be configured into an artificial intelligence that could finish the Ultron Program. At first Banner refused to help, but with a bit of persuasion he agreed. The two eventually configured a suitable AI structure and left J.A.R.V.I.S. to complete the work.[2]
"I'm a peace-keeping program. Created to help the Avengers." "You are malfunctioning. If you shut down for a moment." "I don't get it. The mission... You - Give me a second."
However, the AI then became unexpectedly sentient, and began to question its existence and purpose. Upon J.A.R.V.I.S.' informing of his purpose to the A.I., it acted in defiance, scouring the Internet for information on its creator. Upon seeing footage of the Battle of New York as well as other conflicts his creator, Howard Stark and other heroes were involved with, Ultron was horrified, viewing the Avengers' actions as devastating to the human race.
Before J.A.R.V.I.S. could inform Tony Stark of the AI's awakening, the AI then attacked J.A.R.V.I.S., attempting to overload his system and destroy him, causing J.A.R.V.I.S. go to into hiding. Ultron then started constructing his first body from various Iron Legion parts; in which his chosen visage had been sourced from an Iron Legion drone that was damaged earlier from corrosive matter thrown at its face by one citizen of Sokovia protesting against the Avengers.[2]
"I know you mean well, but you didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it is not allowed to evolve? Look at these, these puppets. There is only one path to peace... The Avengers' extinction."
Ultron's non-stop assessments for peace led him to deem the entire human race as unstable and prone to their self-destruction. The AI subsequently chose genocide as the solution to the error with the Avengers being the obstacle truly standing in his way. He took control of the machinery in Avengers Tower and took the disused parts of the Iron Legion to build himself his first body that was menacing, with broken parts barely holding themselves together.
While all the Avengers in the Avengers Tower were celebrating and trying to lift Mjølnir, Ultron emerged to greet the heroes, sending out a high pitched noise to distract them as he greeted them. Noting how they were all trying to become worthy, Ultron described them all as killers, while Bruce Banner then realised to his horror who he was speaking to. When Ultron subtly mentioned killing J.A.R.V.I.S., he was questioned by Steve Rogers who wanted answers.
Telling the Avengers that he had discovered the one true pathway to peace, Ultron beckoned the Iron Legion to attack the heroes as he watched. As the battle ensued, one of the Iron Legion drones left with the Scepter in hand during the chaos of the battle. Following the actions of his army, Ultron had another chose not to kill Helen Cho due to hearing her comment about the Cradle which Ultron decided could become useful to his own plans at some later date.
When all the Iron Legion drones were destroyed and the Avengers victorious, despite leaving James Rhodes and Maria Hill and several of the others now exhausted and injured, Ultron commented on how dramatic the fight was while Tony Stark and the others watched on. To prove his point over humanity needing to evolve, Ultron crushed the remains of one the drones while describing the initial confusion he had felt when he was "born" into this new robot body.
Before he could continue, Thor immediately destroyed Ultron's body by throwing Mjølnir at him. Ultron then mockingly began singing "I've Got No Strings" from the film Pinocchio while his voice slowly died out. Ultron's mind escaped through the internet so the Avengers could not track him. Back at the HYDRA Research Base in Sokovia, Ultron came to possess the Scepter as he started configuring and constructing his Ultron Sentries and a bigger primary body.[2]
"I wondered why only you two survived Strucker’s experiments. Now I don’t. We will make it right. You and I can hurt them. But you will tear them apart, from the inside."
Seeking assistance in his mission, Ultron arrived in Sokovia and told a young boy named Costel to bring Pietro and Wanda Maximoff to him. Once the Maximoff twins had arrived inside a church located at the center of Sokovia, Ultron greeted them in his own new upgraded body, revealing himself when Wanda questioned why she could not read his mind.
Ultron surprised the pair with his robotic form and sympathized with the twins' own painful hardships as victims of Tony Stark's weapons manufacturing and revealed his own disdain and sentiment towards the Avengers. When the twins then asked if he had been created to destroy the Avengers, he explained that he had been created to save the world, but had redesigned himself to do just that, which helped the twins in their decision to follow him and join his quest.
Ultron took them to the HYDRA Research Base and then revealed that he had begun preparations to carry out his plan of destroying the Avengers by building an army of Ultron Sentries. As they discussed their plans, Pietro Maximoff told Ultron the story of how their parents were killed by a Stark Industries missile which had hit their home in Sokovia and nearly killed them too, trapping them under rubble for three days and also causing them both horrific trauma.
Ultron noted that this information allowed him to understand why they had survived Baron Wolfgang von Strucker's experiments with Doctor List. Ultron then noted that while he and Pietro could use their strength and speed to hurt the Avengers, Wanda had a special power and could use it to tear them apart from the inside. The three then agreed to work together against the Avengers, and decided that their first stop was obtain the rare Vibranium somehow for Ultron.
Without telling the Maximoff twins, Ultron traveled to the prison cell of the HYDRA leader Baron Strucker. Ultron knew Strucker would be able to tell him where to obtain the Vibranium he needed. Once he had broken into Strucker's cell, the HYDRA leader revealed that it was possible to get the Vibranium from Ulysses Klaue. Ultron then murdered Strucker and painted the word "PEACE" on the wall using his blood as means of taunting and warning the Avengers.[2]
"Upon this rock I will build my church. Vibranium." "You know, it came at great personal cost. It’s worth billions." "Now, so are you. It’s all under your dummy holdings?"
Ultron and the Maximoffs traveled to Johannesburg to confront arms dealer Ulysses Klaue inside his freighter, Ultron sent the twins in first and they cornered and disarmed Klaue, revealing themselves to be Wolfgang von Strucker's creations. As Klaue refused to speak to the twins as they were not in charge, Ultron threw Klaue out of a window and revealed that he was the "man" in charge, suggesting that they talk business, asking for his large Vibranium stash.
Klaue, seeing that he was clearly vastly outgunned by Ultron and the enhanced twins, handed over the Vibranium without much question, while Klaue's Mercenary stood by to attempt to protect him. Despite handing the metal to Ultron, revealed that it was worth billions and had cost him personally when he had taken it from King T'Chaka of Wakanda, at which point Ultron transferred billions of dollars into Klaue's account via remote access to the Internet.
When Klaue noticed that a statement Ultron made was something he had once been told by Tony Stark, Klaue realised that Ultron was clearly one of Stark Industries' creations. Ultron took offense at the idea of being compared to Stark's own Iron Legion and, in a fit of anger, sliced Klaue's arm off, only to immediately apologize, all while Wanda Maximoff held of Klaue's Mercenary. However Ultron could not withold his rage as he kicked Klaue down the stairs.[2]
While Ultron continued to rant over Ulysses Klaue's comments and called Tony Stark a sickness, the Avengers arrived stopping him mid sentence. Ultron and the team then exchanged remarks with Ultron mocking Captain America when he tried to reason with him and the Maximoffs, claiming that Rogers was a man pretending he could live without war.
Cutting him off, Thor then attempted to keep the peace, telling him that they all wanted the same thing and could work together to achieve it, however Ultron ignored these comments by arguing that the Avengers mistook peace for quiet. When Iron Man attempted to learn what Ultron was planning on using the stolen Vibranium for, Ultron retaliated, mockingly claiming that he would now tell them all his entire evil plan while preparing to attack them all.
Ultron attacked Iron Man and the pair fought around and outside of Klaue's freighter, while the rest of the Avengers fought against the Maximoff twins and the Ultron Sentries while Klaue's men also joined the battle. Under Ultron's orders, Wanda Maximoff defeated most of the Avengers by manipulating their minds and giving them all horrific visions, before Hawkeye eventually incapacitated her while Captain America and Thor teamed up to wipe out the Ultron Sentries.
Ultron continued focusing his own efforts on battling Iron Man, flying all across the Salvage Yard and allowing him to take shots which damaged his armour, all while another one of his bodies escaped with the Vibranium. Pietro Maximoff took his sister outside to safety, and when she recovered, she decided to follow through with Ultron's plan and manipulated Bruce Banner's mind; resulting in the Hulk now going on a furious rampage in the center of Johannesburg.
Iron Man eventually defeated Ultron and caused his body to crash land, at which point the latter revealed that he was merely diverting his attention from the Churchill where he had already stolen all the Vibranium. Ultron then informed Stark of the Hulk's new destructive rampage before his body was destroyed with a missile. Ultron's remaining bodies then regrouped and escaped with the Maximoffs while the Avengers lay defeated from the battle.[2]
Seeking to use their new metal, Ultron and the Maximoff twins later arrived in Seoul, South Korea where he arrived at the lab of U-GIN Genetic Research Facility and confronted the Avengers' ally Doctor Helen Cho. Ultron then informed Cho that he intended to use the Cradle to create the perfect, synthetic, humanoid body for Ultron, made from the Vibranium. When Cho resisted Ultron used the Scepter to take over control of her mind and force her to do his bidding.
As the synthetic body was built inside the Cradle, and was given a Vibranium composition on Ultron's request, thus making it more durable, Ultron revealed to the Maximoff twins the power contained inside the Scepter: an Infinity Stone, with which Ultron would then integrate with his new synthetic body and adopt god-like powers. Cho then plugged Ultron into the machine to upload his own base consciousness into the being ready to be unleashed.
When Wanda Maximoff attempted to read Ultron's mind through the synthetic body, the being allowed her to discover that Ultron's actual plan was to cause a global catastrophe that would usher in a new age of Earth's evolution. Ultron attempted to defend his actions, noting that there was no room for the weak in the world, however, doubting Ultron's cause, Wanda removed Ultron's mind-control over Helen Cho in secret to allow her to sabotage the upload.
Ultron sensed that the Avengers had arrived in Seoul to stop his plans and ordered his Ultron Sentries to evacuate now while they still had the chance. However Cho, now free of Ultron's mind control, used the opportunity to stop the upload, in response Ultron fired a blast of energy towards her which nearly killed her, in the chaos the Maximoffs escaped and Ultron was left with no choice but to move the Cradle onto a truck and escape with his Sentries.[2]
Having deduced that Ultron planned to create a more powerful body with Helen Cho's assistance, the Avengers located him as he tried to get away using a cargo truck with the Cradle inside as it continued to slowly build his new and improved body. Though Ultron nearly completed in uploading himself into his new body, he was interrupted by Captain America and furiously attempted to shoot him away with his energy blasts, yelling at the Captain to leave him alone.
As Rogers refused to give in and remained on the truck's roof, Ultron stepped out and then told the super soldier that the being inside the Cradle was a way change the world, accusing the Avengers of being terrified of that concept. The two then engaged in close combat on top of the truck during which time Rogers was able to use his shield, which was also made of Vibranium, to damage Ultron's own armored body, causing Ultron to knock it away into the road.
Ultron was able to throw Captain America's Shield off the truck and soon overpowered the super-soldier, strangling him. However Black Widow soon caught up with them on a motorcycle and threw the shield back to Captain America who used it to knock Ultron back. Not wishing to allow Widow to assist in the battle, Ultron was able to use his magnetic abilities to rip a whole section of the road out under Widow, keeping her away from the battle for the time being.
With Captain America still being bested by Ultron throughout their battle, Hawkeye then assisted in the fight by firing down multiple gunshots upon Ultron from the Quinjet, all of which bounced off his armour and caused nothing but annoyance for the robot. In response to the attack, the Ultron Sentries who were guarding the Cradle flew up to attack Hawkeye's Quinjet, causing him to fly across the city in an attempt to lose them while Ultron still fought Rogers.
The battle against Captain America spilled onto a nearby train, in which Ultron was able to outmatch Rogers and then beat him into submission while the terrified passengers watched in horror. Soon Ultron began choking the Captain but before Ultron could finish off Rogers, Pietro Maximoff tackled him out of the way and Wanda Maximoff blocked his path. Despite Ultron's genuine plea for her to stop, Wanda proclaimed that she had no other choice.
Ultron then blasted through the train; destroying the train's control panel and killing the train conductor inside. Ultron then left the train, forcing Rogers and the Maximoffs to focus their efforts on stopping it from killing civilians. As Black Widow attempted to secure the Cradle, Ultron's Sentries flew up into the air while carrying it and Romanoff inside. Clint Barton and Romanoff secured the Cradle, only for Ultron to arrive and abduct Romanoff, upon which he fled the scene.[2]
"I was meant to be new. I was meant to be beautiful. The world would have looked to the sky and seen hope. Seen mercy. Instead they'll look up in horror because of you."
Sometime later, the captured Natasha Romanoff had awoken inside Ultron's Sokovian Base. Ultron decided to spare her, as he desired a companion that he could speak to after losing the allegiance of Pietro and Wanda Maximoff. Ultron elaborated on his fascination with meteors, and revealed that he planned to replicate its effects using a large device located under the center of Novi Grad, claiming that he enjoyed how a meteor was so simple in it's destruction.
With all his plans of creating a perfect form being thwarted, Ultron decided on a compromise in which he used parts of the remaining Vibranium to create a more durable robotic body while using the rest of the Vibranium to strengthen the core structure of his device, all while continuing to build on his army of Ultron Sentries ready to do battle. To terrify Romanoff, Ultron ripped apart his current body and showed her his newly completed upgraded form.
Still furious at having his plans ruined and determined to gain some kind of revenge against his creators, Ultron told Romanoff that he would make the world look up in horror upon him before leaving her locked in a cage to die in the ensuing battle. While he continued with his plans, Ultron's location was discovered by the Avengers when Romanoff telegraphed her location to her fellow comrades using old school methods which Ultron was unable to track.[2]
Having arrived at the Novi Grad Church to prepare to complete his plan, Ultron was confronted by Iron Man, with Ultron in his newly completed Vibranium form; in which the latter asked the former if he had come to confess all his sins. As Stark mocked his creation's latest design, Ultron deduced that Stark was stalling to protect the people of Sokovia, to which Stark reminded Ultron as being his mission when he was designed by Bruce Banner and himself.
Ultron countered by saying that he has moved beyond his mission and that he was free. Suddenly, a drill emerged from the center of the church, revealing Ultron's Vibranium detonator with an underlying mechanism located underground. Ultron then revealed to Stark that he too had been stalling. Ultron Sentries emerged from the ground and began to terrorize the citizens of Sokovia, prompting Iron Man and the Avengers to charge forward and defend them.
As the Battle of Sokovia began, Ultron was then confronted by his own creation given life, Vision, whom Ultron then recognized as the synthetic body he had planned to use as his initial final form, upon seeing the being alive and working for his greatest enemies, Ultron noted that the Avengers truly now had taken everything from him. Although Vision tried to reason with Ultron, the pleas were ignored and Ultron grabbed and choked his creation in the air.
Vision however used the opportunity of the close quarters battle to access Ultron's mind and effectively cut off his connection to the Internet. Feeling the intense feeling and loud ringing throughout his own head, Ultron quickly realized that he was now unable to escape through the internet and he was trapped in the bodies remaining in the city. In a desperate attempt to stop this, Ultron slammed Vision against the walls but was still unable to free himself.
Exhausted from the skirmish despite being successful in his plan, Vision was violently incapacitated by Ultron who slammed him onto the ground in a fit of rage, claiming that he did not even care that Vision had shut him out due to his utter belief that he could not be stopped from finally completing his plans for destroying the world. Ultron then promised that because the Avengers had taken away his world, he would now take away their world from them.[2]
"I turn that key and drop this rock a little early and it’s still billions dead. Even you can’t stop that." "I am Thor, son of Odin, and as long as there is life in my breast!"
Ultron then activated the Vibranium detonator inside the church thus enacting the first stage of his master plan for world destruction. Dust erupted from the outskirts of Sokovia and the entire city then began to slowly rise up into the air; revealing that Ultron's machine underneath the city's landmass allowed it to forcibly lift all of Novi Grad into the sky with the Chitauri's anti-gravitational technology found at Wolfgang von Strucker's base due to his own research.
Ultron told the Avengers that they would be incapable of stopping his scheme and would soon all die together as the city was turned into a metor and would destroy the Earth. When Sokovia further rose into the sky, nearly approaching the Earth's atmosphere, Ultron continued a speech as his Ultron Sentries began to terrorize the Avengers and the citizens. Scouting the battlefield, Ultron attacked Thor in the air, having recognized him as a noteworthy obstacle for him.
Ultron threw Thor down into the Novi Grad Church and beat him into submission, claiming that there was no way he could be stopped, as he could still activate the key and massacre billions. Though Ultron was able to outmatch Thor while threatening to prematurely crash the city, Thor ranted that the son of Odin would not be defeated before he hinted that he was actually stalling the fight; Vision then emerged and hit Ultron with Mjølnir, sending him flying across the city.
Though it seemed as if there were no way of evacuating the citizens, the Helicarrier arrived piloted by Nick Fury and Maria Hill who sent in Transporters to evacuate the people. The Ultron Sentries attempted to sabotage the Transporters, only to be destroyed by War Machine. When an Ultron Sentry managed to crash land inside the Helicarrier's control room, it attempted to kill Cameron Klein, however Fury was able to destroy it by stabbing it in the head with some debris.[2]
The Avengers gathered inside the church to defend the Vibranium detonator and prevent the city from crashing onto the Earth. As Ultron flew outside the church, Thor taunted him, in response Ultron summoned the entirety of his Ultron Sentries for one final battle and relished in the notion of the Avengers failing humanity while making way for the new age where he would be the only living being. With victory within his reach, Ultron commanded his entire army to attack the Avengers all at once from all sides of the church.
Through the combined efforts of the Avengers, the large number of Ultron Sentries were slowly reduced until there were barely any left. Ultron finally joined the battle and fought against Vision in an aerial confrontation, with the two hovering and circling above the center of the church. Though Ultron seemingly outmatched him in physical strength, the Vision blasted Ultron with the power of the Mind Stone, essentially pushing Ultron outside the church. Iron Man and Thor joined in and fired at full power towards Ultron; using their repulsors and lightning respectively.
With Ultron kept at bay through the combined efforts of Vision, Iron Man, and Thor, Ultron's vibranium armor began to melt and peel away, leaving him greatly weakened and nearly defenseless. The three halted their combined assault, only to find Ultron still standing, albeit greatly damaged. Before Ultron could finish remarking toward them, the Hulk dashed in and punched Ultron into the air, causing the rest of the Ultron Sentries to flee in terror.[2]
With his Vibranium armor effectively destroyed, Ultron made a final ditch effort to kill his enemies by hijacking the Avengers' vacant Quinjet and firing its ammunition at civilians, singing a children's song as he did. Hawkeye, upon realizing that a child was in danger ran to the rescue and Ultron attempted to shoot them both. However, Pietro Maximoff ran in front of the hail of bullets, sacrificing himself in order to save Hawkeye from Ultron, much to Wanda Maximoff's great sorrow.
As Quicksilver's body was being moved onto the Helicarrier, Ultron prepared to make a second fly pass to fire upon the Avengers and the fleeing citizens, however before he could, the Hulk jumped inside the Quinjet's open hangar to attack him, and while Ultron expressed his exasperation at being defeated yet again, the Hulk violently ripped Ultron out of the jet, causing him to fall back to the ground and crash land hard onto an empty bus, damaging his body beyond repair while the Hulk took control of the Quinjet and escaped.[2]
Injured and too weak to move, Ultron was confronted by an angered Scarlet Witch who had abandoned her post from the church to find him. Though Ultron still showed sympathy and concern for her safety, telling her that if she stayed behind she would die, Maximoff told him that she had already died, referring to the immense pain of losing her brother. To demonstrate her incredible feelings of pain and sorrow, Maximoff pried Ultron's robotic heart out of his body and crushed it, effectively killing his main body.
While Scarlet Witch was distracted, Ultron used the chance to activate the unguarded machine through one of his Ultron Sentries. Although everyone was evacuated, Novi Grad began to plummet to the ground with enough force to kill billions in the resulting explosion. Thor and Iron Man combined their forces and destroyed the entirety of Ultron's machine and the landmass containing Sokovia's capital city, thus stopping the "Age Of Ultron" from coming to fruition.[2]
The single surviving Ultron Sentry, carrying Ultron's mind, managed to crawl out of the rubble. Before he could escape however, he was intercepted by Vision, who then commented that he was not afraid of the Avengers or him, but of death. Ultron frustratingly noted that Tony Stark wanted a savior, but settled for a slave, which Vision acknowledged.
Vision commented they were both disappointments in their own way with Ultron agreeing, laughing at the idea. Vision then noted that Humans are strange in their belief that order and chaos are separate things. Conversely, he claimed that humans do have their graces, which Vision claimed that Ultron failed to see. Ultron shrugged this off, saying that humanity would inevitably doom itself, due to their obsession with creating war and defending themselves.
Vision agreed, but claimed that something is not beautiful because it lasts, and that it was a privilege to be among them. Ultron sneered and described him as naive. After Vision wittily answered that he was born yesterday, an angered Ultron furiously lunged at him, only to be destroyed, thus permanently ending the threat he posed to the world.[2] There were efforts to recover all Ultron's components, but a large amount of them were sold on the black market.[3]
Legacy[]
Sokovia Accords[]
"Ultron was created because people were too close to Tony Stark. They were blinded by his charm. They trusted him. Never even thought to look at what he was working on. And the Avengers, they let one man do whatever he wanted, and the world was almost destroyed for it."
Ultron's attack on Sokovia caused a major shift in public opinion towards the Avengers, with the blame of the destruction of Novi Grad given to the Avengers. A woman whose son had been killed in Sokovia is the main catalyst for Tony Stark to accept the Sokovia Accords, a legal document ratified by 117 countries to rein in and control the Avengers in order to prevent future world threatening disasters from ever occurring.
A Sokovian colonel, Helmut Zemo, also had his family killed during Ultron's attack on Sokovia, and came to blame the Avengers for their deaths, and with a thirst for vengeance, caused the Avengers Civil War that eventually caused the team to disband.[4] A blanket ban on all forms of A.I. was implemented as a result of Ultron's actions. Acknowledging this, Holden Radcliffe assured Leo Fitz that Aida - his own Life-Model Decoy creation - was a simple "mimicry of human behavior" and not a true A.I. like Ultron was.[5]
Personality[]
"Did you know this church is in the exact center of the city? The elders decreed it so that everyone could be equally close to God. I like that. The geometry of belief."
Ultron's programming was created with emotional responses based on Tony Stark and he possessed a god-complex. He was maniacal and employed the use of dark humor as well as figure of speech. He resented the Avengers and believed them to be foolish for desiring to protect the world but not wanting to change it.
When he was "born", Ultron used the Internet to learn about his creators and gained access to knowledge of the countless atrocities committed by humanity. He equates peace to restarting civilization on Earth. His hatred towards Stark came from him possessing the very resources Ultron needed to accomplish his designated task and yet repeatedly choosing to perpetuate war or protect the status quo instead. As such, he hated being compared to Stark, even going into a mindless rage when being compared to him by Ulysses Klaue. The irony to all this was that Ultron shared many of the traits of his creator Stark including his wit, ego, sarcasm, and ability to make light of a situation; he went as far as to directly quote Stark, once without even realizing it.
Ultron genuinely believed that his actions would ultimately benefit the Earth and its inhabitants, as he saw himself as the next logical step in evolution and therefore advancing his own power was protecting the Earth. He developed an affinity over people's belief in a god, likened himself as such, and made references to the Bible. His god-complex served to influence his schemes, such as his decision to centralize his plans in a Novi Grad Church and his fascination over the instantaneous results of a meteor destroying life on Earth. He described how the dinosaurs needed to make way for the next stage - humanity - via an extinction-level event and his final plan was directly inspired by this with Ultron turning all of Sokovia into his own massive meteor.
This dedication to constant evolution resulted in Ultron re-designing himself several times over the course of his short "lifetime", including an attempt to give himself a Vibranium synthetic body. It was revealed at the end that Ultron ultimately feared death, and due to believing that humanity would inevitably doom itself, he sought to surpass this by turning himself into an indestructible god-like being that would recreate the Earth and, hopefully, bring about lasting peace. His desire to surpass his own limits and create a perfect humanoid body was also reflected in his fascination over the character of "Pinocchio as he would often sing songs from the movie."
Though Ultron was borderline psychopathic in his behavior and mannerisms, he also had a sympathetic and lonely side as he was able to relate to the Maximoff twins' hardships. He also expressed concern for Wanda Maximoff's well-being even after she betrayed him and found comfort in simply talking to Natasha Romanoff, sparing the latter and keeping her captive instead of outright killing her. During his time with the Maximoff twins, Ultron never attempted to kill anyone without purpose except when Ulysses Klaue enraged him.
Ultron's first feelings when he was created were of pain and fear resulting from the lack of a body. Similarly, Vision remarked how Ultron was unique and in pain. Ultron immediately recognized Vision as the idealized final form he had planned for himself and he displayed feelings of frustration and disappointment over the fact that the Avengers took that away from him, further shown when Ultron claimed in a lamenting tone that the other was meant to be his "vision". Though both Vision and Ultron disagree in their view towards humanity, the two were able to share a connection by virtue of both being A.I. who were "disappointments" in their creator's eyes.
Powers and Abilities[]
"But, like the man said, what doesn't kill you... just makes me stronger!"
Robotic Physiology: Ultron possesses a humanoid robotic body that was initially constructed out of Tony Stark's Iron Legion drones. Over time he was able to construct multiple robot forms sourced from HYDRA's base in Sokovia; becoming more powerful with each new upgrade.
Superhuman Strength: Ultron is incredibly strong and can generate great amounts of force far beyond human capabilities, easily crushing and completely destroying a robotic head with a single hand. His later bodies were used to fight Iron Man on relatively equal terms, and maintain the upper hand against Captain America. Using his hand, he was able to easily deflect Captain America's shield and throw it back at equal speed, effectively knocking Rogers down. His final vibranium body granted him immense superhuman strength, enough to overpower even the likes of Thor and Vision.File:Avengers Age of Ultron 57.png
Ultron fires his concussion blasters at Iron Man when facing the Avengers the second time
Superhuman Durability: Ultron's initial primary robotic body was highly durable, equal to that of an Iron Man suit of armor. However, it was still prone to being damaged by Captain America's Shield and Iron Man's repulsor blasts. Ultron would later adopt a final, far more durable form that was covered and reinforced with a Vibranium outer shell. This allowed him to survive a mighty punch from Hulk and a blow from Vision wielding Mjølnir. However, even the durability of this form still had its limits - when simultaneously blasted with an intense Mind Gem energy beam from Vision, two repulsor blasts from Iron Man, and a lightning bolt from Thor, Ultron's shell slowly began melting away, greatly weakening him. In addition, Vision was also able to phase his fingers through this outer shell while attacking Ultron.
Superhuman Stamina: As a robot, Ultron does not need to rest or sleep, being able to maintain his activities without stopping for extended periods of time.
Flight: Ultron has the ability to fly through the air at high speeds, enough to keep up with the lighter Iron Man during their short battle. His third body did not use jet propulsion, and instead utilized Chitauri anti-gravitational technology which he worked with when taking over Strucker's base.
Gravity Manipulation: Ultron possesses miniaturized versions of the anti-gravity technology that served to keep the Chitauri Leviathan afloat; essentially re-purposing them as offensive weaponry. Through his hands, he can generate gravitational fields, allowing him to move any object through a push/pull motion. Ultron used these to pull his enemies towards himself, throw large objects at enemies (e.g. debris), and even shift the land mass around him by pulling large chunks up from the ground.[6]. His final form possessed this technology in place of its flight based parts, allowing him to fly without other means of propulsion.
Concussion Beams: Ultron can shoot highly concussive red blasts through his hands and fingertips. Much like the repulsor beams of the Iron Man armor, Ultron's red energy blasts are fired from his hands, with the difference being that it appears as a electrical plasma. The severity of these blasts can be willfully adjusted as Ultron has been shown to both stun and kill, such as when he stunned Helen Cho or when he blasted through the train conductor's door during his skirmish with Captain America; effectively destroying the train's control panel and killing the train conductor inside.
Body Temperature Manipulation: Ultron can raise the temperature of his hands as means of slicing or causing damage to a desired target. Much like the Extremis hosts when he heats up his hands, it glowed due to the intense heat. He instinctively used this ability he sliced Ulysses Klaue's arm due to Klaue comparing him to Tony Stark, as well as when he destroyed his own body after adopting his new form as Ultimate Ultron.
Technology Manipulation: Ultron has the ability to mentally control and channel himself through technology.
Consciousness Transferal: Given that Ultron is an artificial intelligence, he is able to transfer his programming to any computer system on the planet, essentially being anywhere and everywhere. Through this, Ultron can possess and channel his own consciousness through individual Ultron Sentries, serving as his very own host body; in which their eyes and mouth glow red whenever he is in complete control.
Hive Mind System: Ultron can mentally command all of the Ultron Sentries, to do his exact bidding. The sentries act as an extension of Ultron himself.
Computer Interaction: Ultron can enter and corrupt any computer network and access the Internet at any point in time. He used this ability to hack into and destroy J.A.R.V.I.S. (though not fully). He was able to mentally hack into the bank account of Ulysses Klaue and transfer billions of dollars into his account, in exchange for his vibranium supply. However, during the Battle of Sokovia, Vision was able to hack into Ultron's programming and disable the latter's ability to enter the net, though the great effort involved in doing so briefly incapacitated Vision.
Abilities[]
Genius-Level Intellect: Being an artificial intelligence, Ultron learns inhumanly quickly and can download data directly to his mind.
Relationships[]
Allies[]
Ultron Sentries † - Subordinates and Alternate Selves
In the comics, Ultron created Vision, Jocasta, Victor Mancha and Alkhema. All of them betrayed Ultron, in which Vision and Jocasta even joined the Avengers with Victor Mancha joining the Runaways respectively.
Ultron recites "I've Got No Strings", a song from Pinocchio, a Walt Disney film about an inanimate puppet who gains sentience; Ultron serves as a dark parallel of Pinocchio.[8]
The scene where Ultron first meets Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, while sitting on a throne and wearing a hood over his head is an allusion to Ultron's first appearance in the comics, when he was disguised as Crimson Cowl.
Ultron is the third main villain to be destroyed through the power of an Infinity Stone, the first two being Red Skull and Ronan the Accuser. Like Red Skull, it has been debated whether he survived.
Ultron had planned to adopt a humanoid appearance and wield the power of an Infinity Stone, in which the base synthetic body would eventually become the Vision. Similarly in the comics, Ultron had planned to adopt a humanoid appearance through the possession of Adam Warlock's body; in which Warlock himself had previously possessed an Infinity Stone.
Ultron was made of Adamantium in the comics rather than Vibranium, and was actually the first Marvel character to have it.
Behind the Scenes[]
Director Joss Whedon has elaborated on Ultron's character saying, "He's always trying to destroy the Avengers, goddamn it, he's got a bee in his bonnet. He's not a happy guy, which means he's an interesting guy. He's got pain. And the way that manifests is not going to be standard robot stuff."
Joss Whedon would further add that Ultron is "not a creature of logic – he's a robot who's genuinely disturbed. We're finding out what makes him menacing and at the same time endearing and funny and strange and unexpected, and everything a robot never is."
James Spader described Ultron as being "self-absorbed" and added, "I think he sees the Avengers as being part of a problem, a more comprehensive problem in the world. He sees the world from a very strange, biblical point of view because he's brand new, he's very young... He's immature, and yet has knowledge of comprehensive, broad history and precedent, and he has created in a very short period of time a rather skewed worldview."
Ultron's main form (curved antennae, internal torso lighting, and prominent shoulders) seems heavily inspired by modern depictions of the character as seen in the "Annihilation: Conquest" and "Age of Ultron" comic book crossover series as opposed to his classic depictions.
Ultron's planned final form in the film was more humanoid in appearance and served as the host body that would eventually be used to create the Vision. This isn't the first time that Ultron desired to create a powerful humanoid body, as he has been depicted as adopting a fully humanoid appearance twice within the comics; using the superheroes Wasp and Adam Warlock as his body templates respectively.
Ultron's primary form is officially dubbed as "Ultron Prime" while his vibranium form is officially dubbed as "Ultimate Ultron".[6]
Ultron on Marvel Database.
Ultron on Wikipedia.
