The second crossover film featuring Earth's mightiest heroes, Avengers: Age of Ultron was, in many ways, a cornerstone of Phase 2 and a pivotal moment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was the culmination of its predecessors and would feature the direct causes of the crucial MCU events that would follow.
Of course, the major draw of the film was seeing the characters who make up the Avengers team united again, not to mention the two new additions to the mix. What took place in Age of Ultron introduced new characters, revealed more about ones we already knew, and changed others in big ways. Here are the characters who spent the most time on screen.
Vision: 6 Min. 15 Sec.
Along with the return of some essential characters, like Hill and Fury, Age of Ultron also sees the debut of Vision, a product of Ultron and the Mind Stone. Thought to be a threat when the Avengers first swiped him from Ultron's grasp after Wanda saw death and the total destruction of Earth in his mind, he eventually proves that he has no loyalty to the villain.
He also proves to be incredibly powerful, being the only character at the time aside from Thor to be able to wield Mjolnir. He joins in the fight alongside the Avengers and, at the end of it all, is the one to finish off Ultron.
Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff): 10 Min.
The Maximoff twins also make their formal debut to the MCU following their brief time on screen in the end credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Of the two, Pietro seemed to be having the more difficult time locked in his cell in that initial scene, but he seems to be the most adjusted to his powers by the time of Age of Ultron, running circles around the Avengers at during their first run-in.
While he remains skeptical and antagonistic even after they ally themselves with the team, he ultimately sacrifices himself in Sokovia. His death not only saves Clint Barton but also fuels Wanda's rage against Ultron, her grief prompting her to deliver a severely weakening blow.
Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff): 12 Min.
While her brother's abilities are showcased during the Avengers' attack on the HYDRA base at the beginning of the movie, the full extent of Wanda's powers are not revealed until their encounter with them on the ship, where she renders almost all of Earth's mightiest heroes incapacitated.
Later, her peeking into Vision's mind reveals Ultron's intentions to destroy the world, which fuels the siblings' decision to join the heroes of the film instead. Her decision to step onto the Sokovia battlefield changes the course of the fight and marks the beginning of her journey as an Avenger.
Thor: 13 Min. 15 Sec.
Fans may have noticed that Thor has the least screen time in Ultron of any of the original Avengers. This is, in part, due to all of the new characters introduced and backstories that were explored, but the film also acted as more of an in-between film for the Norse god.
That is, the majority of his Ultron story led into his next solo film, Thor: Ragnarok, starting with the vision that Wanda gave him and visiting the Water of Sights. Still, Thor was responsible for bringing Vision to life and played an essential role in defeating Ultron's robots in Sokovia.
Hawkeye (Clint Barton): 15 Min.
Deciding that he'd had his fill of mind control during his experience with Loki in The Avengers, Clint evades Wanda's attempt to do to him what she had done to the other Avengers. The only one still cognizant after the battle on the ship, he takes the team to safety at his house, revealing that he has been hiding the existence of his wife and children, a secret Fury helped him keep off S.H.I.E.L.D. files.
Of the 5 total MCU films that feature Agent Barton, Age of Ultron is probably the most revealing about his character. That he has a family to safeguard makes understanding the decisions he makes in his later films easier.
Ultron: 17 Min.
Although not all fans were quite satisfied with this Avengers sequel, ranking it lower than almost every other Phase 2 film, its main villain is the subject of a great deal of interest.
The idea that a computer program can cause a world-threatening level of destruction makes the premise of the film not just thrilling - it makes it haunting. In this age of technology, where we aren't far from achievements like the Iron Man suit, an Ultron-ian dystopia might be closer than the movie's sci-fi genre and bounty of CGI may suggest.
Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff): 18 Min.
Following up on her post-Winter Soldier hiatus, Natasha regroups with the Avengers to take down what was left of HYDRA. She seems to have been hit the hardest by the team's encounter with Wanda's mind powers, which provides some of the only glimpses at her life prior to joining S.H.I.E.L.D.
The film is also the only entry of the MCU to explore the flirtation between her and Dr. Banner. Despite their attempted relationship being considered misguided by fans, it was a vehicle used to reveal more about Natasha and her time in the Red Room. What is learned about her past in this film is expected to lead into her upcoming film, Black Widow.
The Hulk (Bruce Banner): 20 Min.
Although the film addresses the world's first glimpse at the Hulk, Dr. Banner's main contribution to the story is his work on Ultron and the Scepter. He plays a critical role in the way the Avengers understand both the magical and scientific elements at work in the film.
Although he spent almost two minutes less on screen in Age of Ultron than he did in The Avengers, the sequel offers a deeper level to his character through a romance, or, rather, the possibility of one, with Natasha and proposes the possibility of the kind of future he sees for himself, revealing he has a much darker outlook than was previously believed.
Captain America (Steve Rogers): 21 Min. 45 Sec.
With his entire career as a superhero, including the dismantling of S.H.I.E.L.D. in his previous film, having been in service of taking down HYDRA, the retrieval of the Scepter and defeat of Von Strucker early in the film was no doubt a big moment for the Captain.
Along with some of the other Avengers, the Scarlet Witch's powers gave fans a glimpse into Steve's mind, seeing what his life would look like if he hadn't gone under the ice. The scene foreshadowed the end of his character's story in Avengers: Endgame, where he went back to live a life with Peggy Carter.
Iron Man (Tony Stark): 27 Min. 15 Sec.
Seeing as his actions led to the creation of the title villain of the film, it's fair to say there wouldn't be a movie to speak of without Tony. After using the newly recovered Mind Stone to power his idea of Ultron, a program he intended to use as a tool to achieve "peace in our time," he realized it had take on a mind of its own.
The events of Age of Ultron mark a turning point in Iron Man's story. It's the last we see of his impulsive, free-wheeling personality as he becomes more aware of the consequences surrounding the decisions that led to Ultron. This would later lead to safer, more thoughtful decisions on his part, like his choice to sign the Sokovia Accords, for instance.