Who Actually Voices Ultron In The MCU?
While often cited as the least favorite of the "Avengers" movies among fans, 2015's "Age of Ultron" played a crucial part in the overarching Marvel Cinematic Universe story. For one, it introduces essential Avengers Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany). Plus, if it weren't for Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Bruce Banner's (Mark Ruffalo) wayward artificial intelligence experimentation that leads to the creation of the all-knowing villain Ultron, the Sokovia Accords would never have been written and the team wouldn't have split in "Captain America: Civil War."
While the movie's reputation has improved over the years, ultimately fans were disappointed that the trailer portrayed Ultron as darker and scarier than he ended up being throughout the film. He has a strong first scene, as an AI created to achieve world peace who quickly decides that peace can only be found by obliterating humans. With an army of interconnected drones, an ability to see across the internet in an instant, and a formidable physical form made from Stark tech, Ultron makes for a threatening foe, though his sarcastic persona threw off some fans.
Some viewers might have recognized his smarmy voice, but if it didn't quite click, here's who voices Ultron.
James Spader supplies the robot's creepiness and sarcasm
The "Age of Ultron" villain is voiced — and motion-captured — by none other than James Spader. He told Entertainment Weekly he had an interest in doing a superhero movie because of his kids, as many of his other films haven't been so family-friendly. Spader is well known for his roles in '80s and '90s movies, like "Pretty in Pink" and "Crash," but he hasn't been cast in a single movie since "Age of Ultron." Nowadays, Spader is much more into the TV scene, starring in NBC's crime thriller "The Blacklist" for eight seasons and counting. Comedy fans will remember him as Robert California on "The Office," who served as the CEO of Dunder Mifflin for a short while after Steve Carell left the series.
In the EW interview, Spader described Ultron as "very smart and very learned and very powerful, and there are moments of sort of wisdom, but it's balanced with the arrogance of youth, and that is incredibly potent, in his case." Spader said that when he was in talks for the part, director Joss Whedon "said he wanted to be able to have someone who could be irreverent and childish — not childlike, but childish. And be able to have humor and childishness married with a sort of credible gravitas." Altogether it makes for a villain who thinks he knows everything and takes extreme measures to get his way.