James Spader nearly asked for a change to the way Ultron, the AI villain, is introduced in “VisionQuest,” then watched the show with his family and let the idea go. Ultron’s introduction is a title card that pins a pretty harsh label on the character, and Spader, 66, was close to calling showrunner Terry Matalas about it. His partner and son laughed instead, and the call never happened.
James Spader’s Ultron introduction nearly got a rewrite
Every AI living in Vision’s head gets a title card when it first shows up. J.A.R.V.I.S., F.R.I.D.A.Y. and E.D.I.T.H. get the résumé treatment, with their talents spelled out on screen. Ultron’s card takes a different approach. It reads “A–hole.” Spader voiced the character in the 2015 movie “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and is back in the role for the new Marvel Television series.
Spader told People he has long considered the word one of the harshest insults out there. He compared it with two other profanities, saying each has a version that can be acceptable. “And I’ve always found that word to be just one of the worst insults that you can call somebody,” he said. “I mean, you call someone a motherf—er, okay. But there’s a version of that that’s acceptable in its definitive sense. And if you call someone a c——er in a version of that, that’s acceptable to some. But a–hole is just … That’s a rough thing to call somebody.” His plan was to reach out to Matalas with some alternatives for Ultron’s big entrance.
Then came the family screening. Spader’s partner, Leslie Stefanson, and their son, Nathaneal, busted out laughing when Ultron’s card showed up. “And then I screened the show with my partner, Leslie, and our son, Nathaneal. That came up on the screen and they both started laughing hard,” Spader said. “And I never called Terry because at the end of the day, I guess that’s who I am, which is not an a–hole. But if there’s a laugh, always go to the laugh.” Spader called the turn of events one of his favorite parts of working on the show.
Ultron’s role in the “VisionQuest” series
James Spader and Paul Bettany in “VisionQuest” (2026) photo courtesy of © 2026 – Disney
Ultron isn’t the only voice rattling around Vision’s head. “VisionQuest” picks up after “WandaVision” and spends eight episodes with White Vision as he tries to figure out who he is now that he has his memories back but can’t quite connect with them. A crew of AI programs is along for the ride, and Ultron is the one with the worst attitude. Paul Bettany leads the cast alongside Spader, Ruaridh Mollica, Lauren Morais, Todd Stashwick, T’Nia Miller, Faran Tahir, Orla Brady, Emily Hampshire, Henry Lewis, Diane Morgan, Polly Frame, Jonathan Sayer and James D’Arcy.
More than a decade after first playing Ultron on the big screen, Spader said the years in between are a big reason this return works. Having a full series to play with instead of a single movie helped too, and he’s happy with where that took the character. “It’s a very, very different Ultron than the Ultron in ‘Age of Ultron,’ and I’m glad of that,” he told People. “One of the things that made it possible, if not the one thing that made it the most possible, was the passage of time and also just the nature of the medium.”
Bettany told Entertainment Weekly that Marvel took a big swing with the series. While describing the different abilities the AI programs bring to the table, he said, “They all have different skill sets to help him analyze the data of being alive, and that’s just really fun.” He added, “I think what’s really redolent of ‘WandaVision’ is it is a massive swing.”
“VisionQuest” is streaming now on Disney+, with new episodes arriving every Wednesday.
Don't stop here
Every Score. Every Story. One Home.
Breaking sports, entertainment and news from across the Total Apex network, updated all day.
Get the Full Story →
