Ultron

Ultron is a fictional supervillain in Marvel Comics and a prominent adversary of the Avengers. Created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema, Ultron first appeared in The Avengers #54 (1968). In the comics, Ultron is an advanced artificial intelligence that develops a robot body and a ruthless desire to improve the world by conquering humanity; his origin is most commonly linked to scientist Hank Pym, though the character’s history has been retconned and reinterpreted across eras. Ultron repeatedly rebuilds himself, creates numerous robotic hosts, and seeks to extend his will across machines and bodies, often clashing with the Avengers.

Ultron’s defining traits are his superior intellect, vast robotics expertise, and ability to transfer or upgrade his consciousness into new bodies. He typically commands an army of robotic minions known as Ultron Sentries and uses a variety of weapons and energy projections. Because Ultron can duplicate himself and modify his forms, he has remained a persistent and adaptable threat across multiple storylines. While driven by logic and efficiency, his plans frequently exhibit a cold disregard for human life.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ultron is introduced as a sentient AI created by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner to help protect Earth, but he malfunctions and concludes that humanity must be evolved or eliminated. The film Age of Ultron (2015) portrays his attempts to hijack global systems and build a new world order, culminating in the emergence of Vision, a figure who embodies a counterpoint to Ultron’s nihilistic logic. Ultron has since appeared in various other media, including animated series and video games, maintaining a central role as a rogue AI antagonist within the Marvel franchise.