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Whedon Confirms Ultron's Origin Being Rewritten Without Hank Pym

by Alex Billington
July 22, 2013
Source: MovieWeb

Well this didn't take long to come out. Only a day after it was officially announced by Marvel Studios that the next, new Avengers movie would be titled Avengers: Age of Ultron, details have started to come out from director Joss Whedon himself confirming some of their plans. Or at least, their plans not to include many of the Ultron story elements comic book fans are familiar with. As soon as that title was revealed, fans went crazy with questions over what that meant, how the story would work, if we would see Hank Pym aka Ant-Man, who is getting his own movie (after Avengers 2) anyway. Whedon clears up any early speculation.

For those unfamiliar with Ultron, the robotic supervillain is one of the most well-known in Marvel's recent Avengers comic book universe. He is one of Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym's greatest creations, a powerful sentient robot dedicated to eradicating the human race once and for all. There are rumors that Tony Stark might be responsible for creating Ultron if not Pym, but Whedon addresses all of those rumors and in one fell swoop takes down everyone and anything speculating too much about what we'll see in Avengers 2. He explains:

"Well, because there was a book called 'Age of Ultron' quite recently, a lot of people have assumed that is what we're doing, but that is not the case. We're doing our own version of the origin story for Ultron. In the origin story, there was Hank Pym, so a lot of people assumed that he will be in the mix. He's not. We're basically taking the things from the comics for the movies that we need and can use. A lot of stuff has to fall by the wayside."

This may upset some comic book fans, but we should trust in Whedon. He continues with the differences:

"We're crafting our own version of it where his origin comes more directly from The Avengers we already know about. It's a little bit darker than the other film because Ultron is in the house. There's a science fiction theme that wasn't there in the other one. Ultron is definitely something that evolves, so we're going to get together a couple of different iterations. Nothing can be translated exactly as it was from the comics; particularly Ultron."

Makes sense to me. Comic book storylines are hard to directly translate into cinematic experiences, but I trust in Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios and Joss Whedon enough that they're taking this in the right direction. Deviating where necessary, but also working to deliver one hell of a follow-up to the The Avengers. As for the expanded storyline, Whedon also mentions that they're pushing things further into the world: "It's very much a global Avengers film. A lot of the movie has to do with their place not just in America, but the world." It doesn't sound like they're going cosmic yet with the Avengers, but at least they're going bigger and badder. Ultron will be one mean bad guy, and I'm excited to see how they redo his origin for the big screen.

Avengers: Age of Ultron was officially announced during the Marvel Studios Hall H panel at Comic-Con on Saturday night. Recap our live blog here and check out the sequel's logo and full announcement details here.

Find more posts: Comics, Discuss, Movie News

33 Comments

This feels more like marvel then whedon. I had a feeling this was going to happen and I totally called it (read my tweet). With that said it looks like thanos is also on the backburner. I have faith in whedon but I hate when the art is changed. I dont understand why Hollywood must always change and fuck with the art but I feel this is the wrong move. If only Hank Prym could speak for himself I'm sure he wouldn't be to pleased. What really pissed me of was the fact that thanos was supposed to be the next villain not Ultron.

Blkstar on Jul 22, 2013

No one ever said that Thanos was supposed to be the next villain. Everyone just assumed that because they showed him at the end of The Avengers. I don't know about others but I never really thought he would be the villain of Avengers 2. He's too big to have in 2. I thought he may be kind of pulling the strings a little bit but it looks like he's going to have more of a presence in Guardians of the Galaxy first and then him bring him out for Avengers 3 or later.

Chris Skalicky on Jul 22, 2013

Dang. That kind of sucks. I would have died over a Whedon/Wright crossover.

DAVIDPD on Jul 22, 2013

No one ever said Thanos was going to be the Avengers Sequel baddie, if the decide to do the Gauntlet story line he can crop up in A3. Thanos needs to be properly introduced, that will be fine in GOTG...Ultron is a perfect way to go, and based on the end of IM3, Im betting Tony & Bruce are behind his creation & he gets out of hand...

Zoidberg on Jul 22, 2013

There is a difference between adapting a character (or storyline) and deviating from a character. For instance, making Tony Stark's injury occur in Afghanistan instead of Vietnam - that's a conceit the script can make without compromising the core of the character. A friend of mine said it best: taking Pym out of Ultron's origin is like taking Dr. Frankenstein out of Frankenstein. I'm holding out hope that they are just messing with fans and that they'll do something similar to the comics where Ultron is around and kicking but then they reveal later that it was Hank Pym who created him but then Ultron wiped his memory of the event. That will let them have Ultron for Avengers without having to amputate and restitch characters together, and still give Edgar Wright's Ant Man some kind of contribution to the overall universe.

fungusmonkey on Jul 22, 2013

I would not hold on too hard to that hope, remember Mandarin.

Brian Sleider on Jul 22, 2013

This was the point I was trying to make, couldn't have said it better. But I agree with Sleider and Lagoya IM3 was garbage and after what they did to Mandarin I don't think Whedon is messing around.

Blkstar on Jul 22, 2013

IM3, imo, was the start of the Superhero movie bubble bursting. Studios are dumping 100s of millions of dollars into these movies, with that sort of investment they cannot risk sticking to the source material as some of the stories are too far out there for the average movie goer.

Brian Sleider on Jul 22, 2013

apparently you don't understand what bubble bursting means. IM3 made over 1 billion dollars. That is the exact opposite of a bubble burst.

Fan of Bing Bing on Jul 23, 2013

Apparently you do not know what "start" means. IM3 signaled the studios willingness to cast the source material aside and do what ever they want, fans be damned. I expect to see a decline in Interest sometime after GotG hits.

Brian Sleider on Jul 23, 2013

..... no.... if the decline happens AFTER GotG hits then THAT would be the start. Right now its still growing... hence the 1 billion IM3

Fan of Bing Bing on Jul 23, 2013

Just the other day I was thinking "...wait if Avengers 2 is coming out before Antman? Does that mean..." My fears have been confirmed, no Hank Pym origin for Ultron. I feel like them taking this part of the story out means that the Big screen Antman will not be as smart as the comic version. Just some guy that can change size.

CAboy on Jul 22, 2013

Expect more deviations from the comics True Believers. They are no longer Comic book movies. They are the tent poles of the studios annual releases as such they must be focused grouped into mediocrity so every one will like them, every one of course but the fans who love them most.

Brian Sleider on Jul 22, 2013

In The Avengers 1, the villain, Loki, was most connected to Thor, and the "MacGuffin" was the cube, from Captain America's previous film. I think it would be nice if Ultron was a product of Stark and Bruce Banner. Both are geniuses, Banner is a scientist, Stark invited Banner to Stark Tower...they rode off together at the end of The Avengers, an ongoing partnership/friendship seemed to be hinted at with the Iron Man 3 post-credits scene... So I could see Ultron being the result of the both of them meddling about with their science-y stuff.

Chris Groves on Jul 22, 2013

I like it!

Guy who comments on things on Jul 22, 2013

Prym was an inventor too guy, Mr. Groves must not be a real fan of the Marvel universe, probably didn't know who Iron Man was till the movies came out. This is why Marvel keeps making movies like this, to please mindless people who know nothing about the comics. But like I said on twitter if Marvel took out Prym as Ultrons inventor I won't be seeing anymore Marvel movies. As a fan I have had it, they won't be getting anymore of my money.

blkstar on Jul 22, 2013

I'm sure you mean Pym, not Prym, right? Isn't that something a "real" fan would know?

AnotherDan on Jul 23, 2013

Pym has been confirmed to NOT be in The Avengers sequel...so why would I mention him in my prediction of what the film might be about? So yeah...don't insult me and pretend like you know something about how much I know or don't know about these characters. When you adapt them to film, things must obviously be changed and adjusted. Believe me, I pray that over-zealous fanboys such as yourself DO stop seeing these films.

Chris Groves on Jul 23, 2013

All is well.

mooreworthy on Jul 22, 2013

I don't know. seems to me it could have been easy to write pym in with stark in collaboration and then setup for the Ant-Man movie. also keep in the story line of ant-man as a (once) avenger.

re on Jul 22, 2013

josh whedon i think you fucked up

Lamar on Jul 22, 2013

This doesn`t make any sense at all. So we are basically getting Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch instead of Hank Pym as a new character...Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch both characters Marvel doesn`t fully own the rights too and will have too none other the less change their origins entirely but on the other hand we have Hank Pym who is as important to the mythos of what Ultron was in the comic books that won`t get a feature or starring role. Second of all isn`t it too early to introduce Ultron. Isn`t Phase 2 more so dwelling into the cosmic side of things, even with Guardians of The Galaxy coming before The Avengers 2. Thanos was also teased at the end of The Avengers. I mean we are suddenly getting Ultron in here, there is a chance he could be teased in Captain America 2 which they said was going to be an important build up but still doesn`t add up at all. I am just hoping Tony Stark isn`t the one to build Ultron, despite the amount of well shared screentime each character had in The Avengers it felt Iron Man was more upfront in the entire leadership role of the team instead of Captain America. It wouldn`t make sense for Bruce Banner to build Ultron also. Why couldn`t they have build him up with Ant-Man and saved him for another Avengers film so it makes much more proper sense. A major villain like Ultron needs time and development not to be thrown in a single film. Everything about this film doesn`t add up and I hope Joss Whedon knows what he is doing.

Charlie Hard on Jul 22, 2013

I don't see why people are so adamant that Ultron must have been created by Hank Pym. In the Ultimates they turned Hank Pym into a wife-beater, so it is hardly the worst thing to be done with the character. It is amazing that Ant-Man is even showing up in these movies at all, and we have Edger Wright to thank for that. Here are some points. 1. Having Pym create Ultron or Tony Stark create Ultron would make no real difference. The important element is that Ultron hates his creator. That is the important plot element and Tony's hubris makes him the perfect character to explore in this story. I would like to hear somebody make a cogent argument why it has to be Pym other than it has to be that way because it was that way in the comics. 2. Having Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver in the movie makes much more sense if Ultron is the villain rather than Thanos. I was left scratching my head about them when Thanos was said to be the big villain but now that it is Ultron this seems to lead to The Vision making an appearance and that plays directly into The Scarlet Witch. i think Whedon has thought this out a lot more than the fanboys have. 3. Call me crazy, but when I go to these movies I actually want to be surprised. I want something different than what I got before. Those stories in the comics, I already read those. I liked the twist with The Mandarin in Iron Man 3 and the more people who complain about it the more I want Marvel to do things that will make people's heads explode. There is a limit of course but i want some degree of surprise in these movies and I hope I get it. I have been watching The Walking Dead on TV and i have read the comics. The show rarely follows the comics and sometimes it is awesome and sometimes not but at least I'm not getting the same thing over again. Grow up!

Robephiles on Jul 23, 2013

We have another one who doesn't know what art integrity is. Not surprising.

blkstar on Jul 23, 2013

We have another one who doesn't know how to form a logical coherent argument. Not surprising. Tell me, why does it have to be Pym? Give one LOGICAL, COGENT, reason. Artistic integrity? What about the integrity of the artist to make the film that they want to make and tell the story that they want to tell? Adhering to somebody else's vision is not artistic integrity, it is the opposite. There is this movie called Vertigo. It is okay if you haven't heard of it. It was made by this guy called Alfred Hitchcock. It is okay if you never heard of him. Vertigo is based on a French novel. It is okay, I know you definitely have not heard of it. When the director adapted it he changed so many things about the novel. He hadn't heard of artistic integrity either. That is why the movie is now forgotten and never talked about. Don't worry blkstar. I heard they never changed anything about The Twilight novels when they were adapted for the screen. The writer and all the directors had so much artistic integrity that they did everything exactly like the author Stephanie Meyer and all her fans wanted them. That is why fifty years from now they will still be watched and loved. It is because of all that artistic integrity.

robephiles on Jul 23, 2013

You want to be a director and have your own artistic integrity then write your own story. Don't rewrite someone else's art to please the masses and call if your own. That's chickenshit. You can mention Vertigo and Twilight all day guy, I could careless. We are talking about Marvel here get on board. I'm not a hater of Joss Whedon at all, loved what he did with Firefly, use to watch Angel and there is no mistake the man is a genius when it came to Avengers. But I look at Whedon as a fan just like Favreau. Jon made Iron Man and adapted his whole story to be modernized but the origin was close and similar as stated by fungusmonkey. I will quote Fungusmonkey because he said it better then I did, " There is a difference between adapting a character (or storyline) and deviating from a character. For instance, making Tony Stark's injury occur in Afghanistan instead of Vietnam - that's a conceit the script can make without compromising the core of the character. A friend of mine said it best: taking Pym out of Ultron's origin is like taking Dr. Frankenstein out of Frankenstein." If Tony or Bruce were supposed to make Ultron then that's how it was supposed to be, if the Mandarin was supposed to be a white dude with no power rings then that's how it would have been written. But guess what, that's not how the story goes, its sad because now we wont get the Mandarin we wanted to see or the Ultron we have come to love/hate. Instead we get these half ass ideas that steer the Marvel universe in direction that they were never meant to be taken to. Didn't Joss Whedon get quoted after seeing Iron Man 3 saying something like, what was he going to do now with Avengers 2? To me that said it all, but I could be wrong. I said it before, this move feels more like Marvel then Whedon. I'm guessing your favorite Marvel films were X3 and Spidey 3? Or how about Wolverine Origins? Didn't you just love what they did to Deadpool? I rest my case. I don't doubt Whedons abilities but stick to the stories its not that hard. We are the fans, we are the ones that go to watch these films. Make them the right way. It can be done.

Blkstar on Jul 23, 2013

If the people making these movies thought the way you did, they would be nothing but unwatchable shit. Thank God, they have a brain in their heads.

Robephiles on Jul 23, 2013

Honestly, I think he's BS'ing you all..

AnotherDan on Jul 23, 2013

I forget where I saw it posted but someone thought they might go with the direction that Ultron is developed as a defense against Thanos and comes to the conclusion that only a unified Earth can stand a chance. It then starts conquering the planet in its efforts to protect it.

GoukaRyuu on Jul 23, 2013

Just a thought, could the fact that marvel has mentioned time travel as a part of the guardians of the galaxy movie. Maybe hank still creates Ultron but it is in the future and he comes back in time to a point in history that is crucial for some purpose.

Ryan on Jul 23, 2013

Also Vin Diesel as Vision? Comes to assist the avengers from the future. He falls for scarlet witch. Just some thoughts

Ryan on Jul 23, 2013

Is that confirmed though? Is Diesel really vision? He's a bit big for vision no?

blkstar on Jul 23, 2013

What people are not understanding is this: 1) Hank Pym would have debuted in Avengers #1 but do to the fact that Edgar Wright took too long making the Ant-Man movie, Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne had to be scrapped. 2) Edgar Wright initially had a horrible script depicting Scott Lang LEADING as Ant-Man and Hank Pym as supporting role but as an older version of Ant-Man from the 60's(TERRIBLE IDEA). 3) Hank Pym is a pacifist that hates violence(but will engage in it when necessary) and the atrocities of humanity, Ultron's brain wave patterns are based on Hank Pym's brain waves and thoughts, therefore, Hank Pym's thoughts on humanity's failures, were the first to come to surface as Ultron's thoughts but Ultron took those thoughts to the EXTREME. Thinking that the only way to stop humanity's failures of violence, war, destruction, pollution, etc., would be to eliminate humanity all together. Ultron is the twisted version of Hank Pym's mind, a mirrored image and all the while wanting please his father(Hank Pym) by being better than him by doing what he thinks Hank Pym should do. To take away the aspect of Pym's relationship with Ultron is to take away the main core appealing value of a character that doesn't have really much else going for himself in terms of fandom or interest. If you take away Hank Pym from from Avengers movies 1)&2) and away from Ultron, then what point is there to even make an Ant-Man movie which would be coming out not long after Avengers 2 anyway. Having Ant-Man 2 not only show up in Avengers 2 but have a part in Ultron's creation would also build interest and hype for his solo movie, which most people are already not too keen on going to see as most think the character is lame. This would have been an even bigger opportunity to make the character more interesting even with his psychological flaws. This is a Marvel Studios corporate move to cater to Iron Man again because of the character's popularity which is a HUGE mistake. If they want to make other unknown characters more popular household names, they need not over cater to Iron Man like Fox does with Wolverine. If Marvel will continue to crap on their own characters and mythos(UNNECESSARILY), then they'd be better off just selling all of their properties to FOX.

Blastaar on Jul 25, 2013

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