Before the return of Robert Downey Jr. Avengers: Judgment Day, Vision Mission will test Iron Man's legacy and public image in the MCU. One needed Avengers film for Robert Downey Jr. to return to the MCU, this time as Doctor Doom instead of Tony Stark. Robert Downey Jr.'s return as Doctor Doom raises many questions and fan theories, from the Avengers: Judgment Day villain being an evil variant of Doctor Doom's Iron Man, adopting the physical appearance of Tony Stark to torment the Avengers.
Before Avengers: Judgment Day reveals the origin and motivations of Doctor Doom, Vision Mission will bring back White Vision. The original Vision died in Avengers: Infinity Warbut he soon came back to life in two distinct ways. Scarlet Witch protected Vision's memories and personality within her Westview hex, and SWORD weaponized the synthezoid's body in WandaVision. However, White Vision appeared to regain his original memories in the WandaVision finale, and he'll be starring in his own MCU show soon.
The MCU never got over Iron Man
No one has taken Iron Man's place as the face of the MCU
Iron Man's death in Avengers: Endgame gave Robert Downey Jr. a fitting send-off after a long and arduous journey in the MCU. It also paved the way for a new generation of Avengers who could follow in the original team's footsteps and lead the franchise throughout the Multiverse Saga. However, the MCU hasn't introduced a proper Avengers team, and No one in the MCU has reached the same level of popularity and importance as Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man. Tom Holland's Spider-Man and Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange are particularly popular heroes, but they aren't always considered the MCU's main characters.
Iron Man's status as the face of the MCU is still in dispute five years after his death
What's more, characters like Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Ironheart, and the Illuminati of Earth-838 have repeatedly reminded audiences of Iron Man's absence. Iron Man is known as the hero who saved the universe not only across Earth but across the entire multiverse as the TVA knows of Tony Stark's feat and ensures that he remains untouched in the Sacred Timeline. Younger heroes like Ironheart look up to him as a role model, but Iron Man's status as the face of the MCU is still up for grabs five years after his death.
The return of Ultron is set in the MCU
Ultron finally makes his presence known in the MCU after more than a decade
The biggest complaint about the MCU's adaptation of Ultron may be his seemingly definitive death in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Ultron's defeat was disappointing not only because it made him seem weaker than most of his comic book counterparts, but also because Ultron was supposed to be an invincible villain by definition. After all, the first thing Ultron did was upload his consciousness to the internet, which suggested he could have unlimited copies of himself as long as the internet existed. More than ten years after his apparent defeat, Ultron is ready to return in Vision Mission.
It makes a lot of sense that Ultron's return would be left to a series led by Vision. Ultron designed Vision to be his own body, and Vision was the Avenger who took care of destroying Ultron's last Sentinel that was at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron. As White Vision appears to be embarking on a quest to recover his memories in Phase 6 Vision Missionthere's no better character to bring back than the villain who helped create him. In fact, White Vision's attempt to access his hidden memories could be the reason Ultron was reactivated.
Ultron is a harsh reminder of Tony Stark's darkest mistake
Tony Stark never faced the consequences of creating Ultron
Although Ultron's betrayal was one of Tony Stark's biggest regrets, Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man was never shown facing any kind of legal repercussions or mass public backlash for Ultron's actions outside of the United States. Naturally, one would expect Ultron's complete destruction of Sokovia and attacks on South Korea and South Africa to result in enormous legal and financial problems for the Avengers and the United States government. But if it weren't for Thaddeus Ross's Sokovia Accords initiative, Tony Stark and the Avengers would have left Ultron's mayhem behind with impunity.
There is a theory that Iron Man and the Avengers somehow covered up Ultron's origins. While it would be realistic for Tony Stark to be a problematic public figure, it would be extremely unrealistic for the world to forgive him for creating the supervillain who destroyed an entire country and nearly destroyed other major cities. If true, then Ultron's return in Vision Mission Could Test Tony Stark's Posthumous Messiah Fameas Ultron could reveal the true extent of Iron Man's involvement in the robot's rampage ten years earlier.
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- Release date
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February 14, 2025
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July 25, 2025
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July 24, 2026