Marvel has finally started piecing together some interesting clues about AI’s origins in the MCU. Episode 7 of ‘VisionQuest’ presents a surprising piece of history, and Tony Stark’s technological feats take on a whole new meaning.
The Secret History Behind The MCU’s Artificial Intelligence
Tony was long regarded as the creator of some of the MCU’s most powerful AI creations. The latest episode, however, indicates that the technology had been around for a while before Stark Industries got involved. The most interesting part? It is possible that Ultron’s existence is linked to a human being who existed before Tony’s experiments.
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The episode starts with Dr. Phineas Horton, the scientist who created J.I.M., otherwise known as Jim Hammond, the original Human Torch. Horton’s experiments laid crucial groundwork for the creation of artificial beings in the MCU. His work also has a historical link to the broader evolution of synthetic intelligence, which culminates in Vision.
However, Horton wasn’t the only scientist involved in this technological revolution. Dr. Josephine Carrington and Dr. Katerina Wells are said to have created the base AI technology that would eventually end up in Tony Stark’s hands. The most surprising discovery is that there’s a third collaborator (James Spader), who we’ve never seen before. This character might have a far greater connection to Ultron than anyone initially thought.
James Spader’s Character Could Explain Ultron’s Origins
It’s especially interesting for longtime MCU fans because James Spader has been involved in the franchise in the past, as he was the voice of Ultron in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’. Now, ‘VisionQuest’ appears to be giving that casting choice an entirely new layer of meaning.
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The episode also reveals that this enigmatic man could be the first human prototype for Ultron. It is said that even the great line by the villain, “Peace in our time,” was his. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Tony just replicated an existing personality when creating Ultron.
Rather, it proposes that Stark’s technology was far more complex and had a much longer history than he realized. His work eventually led to the creation of J.A.R.V.I.S., F.R.I.D.A.Y., and E.D.I.T.H., as well as the creation of Ultron.
Suddenly, the MCU’s AI characters are not as much separate creations as they are different branches of one technological family tree. This makes the revelations of ‘VisionQuest’ a lot more significant to the franchise’s future.
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