Some say that robots could eventually take over the world! Well, if the news from the recent San Diego Comic Con is right, they will at least be an important part of the return of the West Coast Avengers!
A NEW AND IMPROVED ULTRON?
So, you can’t keep an Avengers team down for long! As Marvel announced at SDCC this year, the West Coast Avengers will indeed be returning this November. One of the most interesting facts revealed was that one of the members of this team will be one of the Avengers’ biggest baddies—Ultron!
Here’s the newS from Marvel’s recent release:
“Ultron returns… redeemed? Iron Man and War Machine have put together a new team of Avengers—one that includes villains seeking a path to redemption. Their case study? Ultron—who, against all odds, seems to be walking the straight and narrow…for now. But does the success of one guarantee the success of all? Spider-Woman and Firestar have their doubts. And can any amount of heroics really absolve Ultron of his past?”
Seems like a lot of robots and metallically garbed heroes in this revived team! And it seems that the Avengers have taken a leaf out of the Star Trek playbook—adding a villain to the team! Klingons and other formerly adversarial races have been on the Bridge of the Enterprise for years!
Of course, we’ve seen several versions of Ultron around, and that includes the recent Avengers movie. Not all of them have been of the villainous variety, if memory serves. However, this is the first time someone considered a foe of the Avengers has actually joined a team, they tell us!
One can only imagine that Ultron will butt heads with War Machine and Tony Stark as they go on missions. Ultron is not usually one to take orders! How long before Ultron feels he’s the smartest one in the room and should be leading this team?
It is nice to see this team coming back, I have to say! I enjoyed the initial incarnation of the West Coast Avengers from way, wayyy back in the day! Seeing them return is fun. But will Hawkeye be able to keep his nose out of their business very long? And will Iron Man return to wearing his old Coke-can armor again?
I’m also intrigued that redemption seems to be a major theme of this comic. The solicitation for this debut issue states: “Iron Man and War Machine have put together a new team of Avengers – one that includes villains seeking a path to redemption. Their case study? Ultron – who, against all odds, seems to be walking the straight and narrow…for now. But does the success of one guarantee the success of all? Spider-Woman and Firestar have their doubts. And can any amount of heroics really absolve Ultron of his past?”
Color me intrigued already!
THE ROBOTS ARE HERE!
Of course, you don’t have to look far to see how popular robots have been in fiction! One of the most popular comics out today is a revival of the Transformers, “more than meets the eye.”
However, my mind races back to the animated Jetsons, of all shows, which had a robot maid by the name of Rosey. Also, Lost in Space had their own robot as part of the crew, and that was a rocky relationship with the rest at times!
Of course, Star Trek has had their own bumps and bruises when it came to mechanical creations. Data is probably the most famous, but his “brother” Lore has been causing all kinds of havoc in the new Star Trek comic out currently from IDW. I highly encourage other Trekkies to pick up this monthly comic if you enjoy seeing things like Worf interacting with Spock, among other interesting pairings!
Then, too, there was the Vision, who joined the Avengers a long time back. Marvel also had Machine Man, who had his own comic for a time. DC produced a Metal Men comic back a long time back, and I enjoyed it—I wish they’d bring them back! They also have Red Tornado to fill that robotic quota. The third Hourman was a robot, too!
Other companies had great robots, too! Atomic Robo is a favorite of mine! And all this is just scratching the surface when it comes to machines and artificial intelligence!
MORE ULTRON!
So, what kind of character “growth” can we expect from Ultron in this new situation? Will he eventually be discovered to be a traitor in the ranks of the WCA? Or will he become a particularly strong good guy? We need to read the books to find out just what Gerry Duggan has in mind! “Redemption has been on my mind this year, and we’ll see who can be redeemed on the West Coast,” he said. “It’s a fun action story, but it’s also an Ultron tale – and one of my biggest Marvel swings yet,” he said in that initial news release.
Now, I know that he won’t be going to route of the Vision back decades ago! Vision married Scarlet Witch, among other things, which I think will be entire too “human” for today’s fans to buy when it comes to Ultron!
Will his appearance alter over time? The current look for Ultron is known for his evil experiences, so he may need to look more heroic if he wants to be accepted by the fans. But he shouldn’t get TOO human, after all! Maybe he should take a more human look so people wouldn’t be quite so terrified when he’s around!
CAN ULTRON ULTIMATELY BE REDEEMED?
As much of a fan of Star Trek as I am, I don’t particularly like it when all the “villainous” baddies actually JOIN the Federation. Real life teaches me that not everyone who has evil tendencies can be turned into a hero… or even lean into “good” enough for me!
Will he eventually decide he needs to split into two beings, one good and one bad? Nahh, Star Trek did that one, too! Still, with artificial intelligence being all the rage these days, maybe that could be the message of the Ultron event!
So, the challenge is there for Mr. Duggan to come up with a conclusion, if comics EVER has that anymore, to the Ultron story in the West Coast Avengers. I’ll be interested to see what kind of tale or yarn he comes up with!
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