Warning! Spoilers ahead for Marvel's What If...? episode 8.

After failing to present him as a worthy adversary in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Marvel's What If...? finally makes Ultron a great villain. Marvel Studios' animated series on Disney+ reimagines the Infinity Saga by visualizing how it would've panned out if a certain story element in it is changed. What If...? episode 8 sets up a finale where Ultron, who is wielding all six Infinity Stones, battles it out with the Guardians of the Multiverse.

The villain made his shocking appearance at the end of Party Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) arc; it was so unexpected that even The Watcher (Jeffrey Wright), who's supposed to know everything, was surprised by it. What made it more intriguing is the fact that this version of Ultron has Vision's body and all six Infinity Stones. Marvel Studios used What If...? episode 8 to establish his origins. Apparently, in his alternate reality, the Avengers failed to stop him at his nefarious plans. After easily defeating Thanos, he acquired the powerful gems which he then used to wipe all life in the cosmos. Now, he's set his sights on the multiverse to do the same thing.

Related: How Ultron Travels The Multiverse - New Powers Explained

Ultron with the Infinity Stones is the big bad of What If...? season 1's only multi-episode narrative, and the show has effectively established the AI as a scary and dangerous villain — something the movies were unable to do. Following Loki as Earth's Mightiest Heroes' second collective antagonist, there was massive anticipation for the character's appearance in Age of Ultron. Couple that with James Spader's incredible voice acting and it's no wonder that people had high hopes for his live-action debut. The film's marketing actually did a great job selling Ultron as a worthy adversary to the Avengers, with his "no strings" speech still arguably one of the most ominous pieces of writing in the MCU to date. But, ultimately, the corrupted robot was a letdown. Following a strong introduction, the movie barely utilized his full arsenal of powers. His subsequent fights with the heroes were uninspired and uncreative, resulting in the generic third-act battle.

Ultron threatens the Avengers in Age of Ultron.

Admittedly, Age of Ultron was a bad fit for the MCU's Phase 2 and suffered from other storytelling issues, including shoehorning elements for future projects instead of focusing on the current narrative. But still, Marvel Studios could've been able to make its titular villain more interesting and memorable. It's a shame because he had so much potential to be a great adversary, even for a one-off bad guy, and What If...? proves that. This doesn't mean that the franchise had to significantly alter their Infinity Saga plans to accomplish this. The animated series presents an exaggerated version of what happened in the Sacred Timeline, hence, why Thanos' death was swift and almost comical. The point is, the Disney+ project shows that Ultron could've been a great villain, and it's a shame that Age of Ultron failed to capitalize on that.

Among What If...?'s unanswered questions from episode 8, there is still uncertainty as to how Ultron's arc will wrap up. But, even if he ultimately ends up being defeated by the Guardians of the Multiverse, Marvel Studios already made up for their mistake in Avengers: Age of Ultron with regard to his depiction. Now, he'd be remembered as a cool villain with many great moments, albeit in animated form.

More: Thanos' MCU Fight With Ultron Has An Infinity War Timeline Plot Hole

Marvel's What if...? releases every Wednesday on Disney+.

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