‘What If…?’ Writer & Director On Why James Spader & Paul Bettany Didn’t Voice Infinity Ultron

Ross Marquand killed it!

Infinity Ultron James Spader Paul Bettany What If...?

The What If…? head writer and director revealed why James Spader and Paul Bettany didn’t voice Infinity Ultron.

In one of the most exciting arcs from Marvel Studios’ animated series What If…?, we see what happens with Infinity Ultron, who emerges as a massive threat to the rest of the Multiverse. The intimidating villain was voiced by actor Ross Marquand instead of Ultron actor James Spader and Vision actor Paul Bettany.

Both James Spader and Paul Bettany were acclaimed in their roles as Ultron and Vision respectively in Avengers: Age of Ultron. With the character of Infinity Ultron in What If…?, some fans were surprised that neither of the two voiced the villain, especially given their connection to their characters that are closely tied to him. Head writer A.C. Bradley explained:

“We wanted Ultron to be as terrifying as possible, because he’s terrifying, and Paul Bettany is the loveliest man on earth. He is such a sweetheart. We felt that, if Paul Bettany using Vision’s voice voiced Ultron, it would be too much of a disconnect, because we’re asking the audience to believe that this is Ultron in Vision’s body and not Vision. So by having Ross step in and give an incredibly chilling performance helped us make that clear to the audience, especially people who aren’t as familiar with Age of Ultron, Vision, and that whole canon as we are.”

What If…? director Bryan Andrews also explained further:

“It just seemed to make sense. Because in Age of Ultron, they get some version of Jarvis A.I. into Vision so it makes sense that it’s that A.I. with that voice that comes out of that body. But the body can be whatever voice it wants because it’s this amazing thing of tech. So if a pure Ultron A.I. gets in there, there’s no reason why it would sound like Jarvis. It’s Ultron injecting himself into this shell, so it’s his personality. He could probably choose to sound any way he wants.”

Here is the synopsis for Marvel Studios’ What if…?:

“Exploring pivotal moments from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and turning them on their head, leading the audience into uncharted territory.”

Marvel’s What If…? features the voices of Josh Brolin, Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd, Mark Ruffalo, Michael B Jordan, Chadwick Boseman, Jeffrey Wright, Hayley Atwell, and other major stars from the MCU.

Every episode of What If…? season one is now available on Disney Plus. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content!

Source: ComicBookMovie.com

Noah Villaverde

Noah Villaverde

Cinema lover. Saxophone player. Coffee consumer. Chronic complainer. Oh, I also write. #TeamHeroic