Ultron

Ultron () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the character first appeared as an unnamed character in '' The Avengers'' #54 (July 1968), with his first full appearance in '' The Avengers'' #55 (August 1968). He is a highly intelligent self-aware artificial intelligence in a robot body who develops a god complex and a grudge against his creator Hank Pym. His initial goal to destroy humanity in an attempt at creating world peace has brought him into conflict with the Avengers. Stories often end in Ultron's destruction, only for new offshoot iterations of the robot to be built of varying morals, including the superhero Ultron-12 (Mark Twelve).

Ultron's physical body is made of a durable alloy (typically either Adamantium or Vibranium), and he has manifested various superpowers. These vary between different stories but generally include superhuman strength, speed, and agility, flight, and energy projection. The character usually operates alone or accompanied by legions of copies of his own robotic form known as Ultron Drones. Ultron is notable for being the first character in Marvel Comics to wield the fictional metal alloy adamantium and for his (in-story) creation of the Vision.''The Avengers'' #57 (October 1968). Marvel Comics. In the alternate continuity of ''Old Man Logan'', Ultron-8 is the morally good stepfather of the supervillain Ashley.

Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Books, Ultron has since featured in Marvel products across different media, such as animated television series and video games. Tom Kane and Jim Meskimen are among the actors that have portrayed the character via voice acting. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), James Spader portrayed Ultron in his first live-action appearance in the Marvel Studios film '' Avengers: Age of Ultron'' (2015), while Ross Marquand voiced alternate universe versions in the Disney+ animated series '' What If...?'' (2021) and the film '' Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'' (2022).

Publication history

The character Ultron initially appeared as an unnamed character in a cameo in '' The Avengers'' #54 (July 1968), with a first full appearance in '' The Avengers'' #55 (August 1968). Ultron was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema. Thomas, who has acknowledged he finds naming characters difficult, said he liked the -tron suffix and went from there. The use of the suffix and the prior appearance of a group of robots named Ultroids led him to the name Ultron. Thomas said the idea of the character and his appearance were heavily based on Makino, an obscure robotic villain who appeared in an issue of the '' Captain Video'' comic book. He liked the robot's malicious looking smile, showing this to Buscema.

Jocasta, a robot created by Ultron featured in a number of Ultron storylines, was created by Jim Shooter and George Pérez for '' The Avengers'' #162 (August 1977).

Fictional character biography

Creation and early appearances

Created by Hank Pym by basing the robot on his own brain patterns, the robot (dubbed "Ultron") gradually developed its own intelligence and rebelled. After gaining sentience, Ultron hypnotises and brainwashes its "father" into forgetting that the robot had ever existed, and begins to improve its design and rebuild itself, upgrading several times from Ultron-2, Ultron-3, Ultron-4, and finally Ultron-5.''The Avengers'' #58 (November 1968). Marvel Comics. Ultron creates the synthezoid Vision as a weapon to destroy the Avengers.

Later, Ultron-5, the Living Automaton leads his own version of the Masters of Evil (consisting of Black Knight, Klaw, Melter, Radioactive Man, and Whirlwind) against the Avengers, having hypnotized Edwin Jarvis into working for him as the first Crimson Cowl. While planning to blackmail New York, they were betrayed by Black Knight.

Now referring to himself as Ultron-6, he uses the alloy adamantium to upgrade his body for an almost indestructible state and takes the name Ultimate Ultron. Its plans to destroy humanity are again thwarted by the Avengers. Ultron-7 is later created by Maximus with the body of the android Omega, attacking the wedding of Inhuman Crystal and Avenger Pietro Maximoff / Quicksilver, and battling the Avengers, Inhumans and Fantastic Four before being destroyed again. Ultron-8 is responsible for Jocasta's creation as a robotic bride, before being destroyed shortly afterwards.

Battleworld and Ultron-12

Ultron-9 and Ultron-10 brainwash heroes into recreating the robot, before turning and being defeated. After being recreated as Ultron-11 by the Beyonder and battling in Battleworld, the Thing brings Ultron's head back to Earth as a souvenir, and is forgotten when there is an attack by the alien Dire Wraiths.

Ultron-12 enters an alliance with the Grim Reaper and his allies ( Nekra, Erik Josten, Man-Ape, and Black Talon) in a bid to destroy Wonder-Man. Although the villains are defeated by the West Coast Avengers, Ultron-12 begins to form a relationship with his "father" Hank Pym. Rebuilding itself, Ultron-11 comes into conflict with Pym and Ultron-12. With Wonder-Man's assistance, they destroy Ultron-11 and Ultron-12 begins to deactivate. Ultron-12 tells Pym it was glad it could help save him.''West Coast Avengers'' (vol. 2) #7 (April 1986). Marvel Comics.

Amalgamation and the Ultron Imperative

Victor von Doom rebuilds Ultron using a combination of all of its previous personalities with a particularly strong dose of the previous Ultron, believing this mix will make Ultron subservient. However, all 12 iterations co-exist as separate personalities, resulting in a form of madness which culminates with Ultron-12 mutilating himself in an attempt to remove some of his other personalities. After its defeat, Ultron-13 attempts to obtain a new form of vibranium called Nuform, but it is repelled by the combined efforts of Iron Man, Black Panther, and Spider-Man. Ultron escapes from prison and upgrades into the Ultimate Ultron, capturing West Coast Avenger Mockingbird to use her brain patterns to create the new robotic mate Alkhema. Alkhema aids Ultron but both are eventually jettisoned into space through a ruse by Vision. Vision finds Ultron-15 but is discovered to have been "infected" by human emotion and is seriously deteriorating, displaying symptoms that resemble alcoholism. Ultron-16 and Ultron-17 successfully slaughter the population of Slorenia, having perfected a process that allows it to control a vast army of Ultron drones.

2000s

The Avengers discovered that Ultron's creations (Vision, Jocasta and Alkhema) have a secret program included—they are subconsciously compelled to rebuild Ultron. In this case, it is Alkhema who unintentionally rebuilds Ultron when attempting to create a new species of bio-synthezoids. However, Ultron-18 is composed of steel not adamantium, and is destroyed when Alkhema's subterranean base exploded after Hawkeye shot Alkhema with a vibranium arrow at Alkhema's request. Ultron's head was recovered by Antigone, an artificial girl and one of the synthezoids.

Iron Man encounters a version from an old version of his armor and Ultron-18's head that leads the cult known as the Sons of Yinsen in an attempt to conquest via religion. The character is defeated by Iron Man and Jocasta. Another version (possibly Ultron-13) creates the cyborg

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