When Marvel released ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron‘ in 2015, it sparked a massive increase in the popularity of the MCU. With Ultron, we got a sophisticated, gritty, and realistic portrayal of an A.I. gone rogue. Through the movie, the audience was able to realise and connect to the issues raised by both Ultron and nefarious actions.
A decade since then, we are in the age of the AI revolution. No wonder ‘Age of Ultron‘ still haunts our perception of the technology. The movie defined Marvel’s legacy before their blockbuster release of the ‘Infinity Way‘ saga. But what if we told you that Marvel made a massive change in the story of Ultron?
The Haunting Legacy Of Hank Pym’s AI That Was Squashed By MCU
According to the Marvel Comics storyline, Ultron was born long before Tony Stark could fathom the idea of an omnipotent AI. It was created by Hank Pym, the Ant-Man. His intentions were noble – an AI made for the protection of humankind, and the consequences were similar to what we witnessed on screen. His AI went rogue and tried to annihilate everyone.
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But adapting this narrative was not at all feasible in the MCU. According to the timeline of the MCU movies’ release, ‘Ant-Man‘ was going to be released after ‘Age of Ultron.’ And more significantly, the primary protagonist was Scott Lang and not Hank Pym.
This way, Marvel had to change the entire origin of Ultron. And it worked out well enough. Tony Stark’s reputation in the MCU fits well with the narrative of a failed project that was meant to help the planet. Yet, it also sidelined one of the most important and major Marvel characters, Hank Pym, from the MCU.
How Ultron Entered The MCU
When we first saw Ultron, he was introduced as an AI gone rogue. Ultron was a project created by Tony Stark with good intentions. Using the power of the Tesseract, Tony wanted to create an AI that could combat any threat to Earth.
The genius billionaire was always paranoid about the safety of the planet. When he saw the Chitauri army in space, something inside him changed. As a result, he dedicated his efforts towards the creation of the ultimate defence weapon for the planet. What could go wrong? After all, Tony is a mastermind of AI creation.
In case you missed it: When Marvel Destroyed Tony Stark’s Legacy In Brutal Crossover
The only problem arose when Ultron was misguided after his birth. Somehow, he decided that humans are the biggest threat to the planet and began his journey of taking over the Earth. He went against the Avengers (ultimately, losing out to them, going against his ‘twin,’ the Vision). The premise of the story burdened Tony Stark to deal with the consequences of yet another bad decision.
So, the MCU version of Ultron is vastly different from the one in Marvel Comics. Which one do you prefer?
