Vision’s New Ultron Twist Makes No Sense Without The Avengers

Warning: This article contains spoilers for What If…? episode 7.

Vision takes on an Ultron twist in Marvel’s What If…?, but the moment doesn’t make sense in the Marvel Cinematic Universe without The Avengers. What If…? episode 7 introduces some sillier moments to Marvel’s animated Disney+ series. In the episode, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is an only child, and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) lives life on Jotunheim as a Frost Giant. Because of the drastic story change, Thor becomes Party Thor, and Loki seemingly becomes one of his best friends. While Thor’s mother, Frigga (voiced by Josette Eales), is away, the pair of friends party on Earth with a unique roster of characters, including Howard the Duck (Seth Green), Nebula (Karen Gillan), and Korg (Taika Waititi). However, Thor’s party could have world-ending results, so Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) eventually contacts Frigga, and the celebration ends.

In the MCU, Ultron (James Spader) is Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.’s) plan for bringing global peace. “What if, next time aliens roll up to the club, and they will, they couldn’t get past the bouncer,” Starks says in Avengers: Age of Ultron, trying to convince Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) that an Earth defense system is a good idea. Unfortunately, Ultron has other plans. Stark’s global defense system becomes sentient and believes it needs to eradicate humans, the greatest threat of all. Ultron creates a synthetic body for himself, but his plans are interrupted. The Avengers eventually turn the body into Vision (Paul Bettany), and the new character helps Earth’s Mightiest Heroes defeat Ultron.

What If…? seemingly changes Vision and Ultron’s story, though there may be some issues. In episode 7, Thor and Jane set up their first date, and the Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) believes they will live “happily ever after.” However, the god-like narrator of What If…? spoke too soon. “Wait, what?” the Watcher says as Ultron, inhabiting Vision’s body and possessing all six Infinity Stones, arrives to confront Thor with robot troops. It’s a shocking twist and a potentially universe-ending threat. It also doesn’t make sense in the MCU without The Avengers.

The Avengers is the reason Stark creates Ultron, but the events of the film don’t occur in Party Thor’s timeline. Loki is Jotunheim royalty in What If…? episode 7, and the God of Mischief never attacks New York with the Chitauri aliens. Jane Foster even notes that Thor’s arrival on Earth is one of the first times aliens visited the planet. So without Loki’s attack, Stark doesn’t become obsessed with creating a global defense for Earth. Therefore, he’d never help create Ultron, and Ultron would never help create Vision. So the twist featuring Ultron inhabiting Vision’s body would never happen in Party Thor’s universe.

However, there is another explanation for the Ultron twist. Though the twist wouldn’t happen in Party Thor’s timeline, that doesn’t mean it couldn’t occur in another one. Because of that, the only explanation is that Ultron came from another universe. If that’s the case, he could present a Multiversal threat the likes of which What If…? hasn’t seen. With What If…? episode 7 erasing the events of The Avengers, it appears Ultron’s evil Vision and the Infinity Stones are wreaking havoc on the Multiverse. It’s that, or it simply doesn’t make sense.

Marvel’s What If…? releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+