Remember Ultron? The AI Frankenstein’s monster birthed by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) was the frighteningly powerful nemesis of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s second Avengers movie, but once his primary body was eliminated by Vision (in a surprisingly moving scene), he ceased to be a factor in the superhero franchise. 10 years after the release of “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the character has been completely MIA in the movies and TV spinoffs. Yes, he’s due to return in next year’s Disney+ series “Vision Quest,” but that’s an awfully long time to put a fascinating, once-titular villain on ice.
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Though it’s not officially canon, Ultron has actually been a tangential part of the studio’s muddled Multiverse saga for nearly three years now. And if you’ve spent a few days aboard the Disney Wish cruise ship, you’ve almost certainly gotten reacquainted with the AI baddie via the dinner theater-esque “Avengers: Quantum Encounter.”
This experience is strictly for MCU completists, but it’s not a throwaway piece of entertainment cynically designed to please vacationers who are just (strangely) thrilled to be lodged on a massive ship that launches from Port Canaveral, Florida, into the Atlantic Ocean. Major MCU players like Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), The Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), and Captain America (Anthony Mackie) factor into the story. If you’re curious to know what goes down in “Avengers: Quantum Encounter,” imagine you’re on a ship at sea and read on.
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Ultron takes on the Avengers and the passengers of the Disney Wish
“Avengers: Quantum Encounter” opens with an amusing intro from Rudd and Lilly where the former tactfully references the old fan theory about how Ant-Man could quite messily kill Thanos by penetrating the villain’s backside and turning himself into Giant-Man (a theory debunked by “Avengers: Endgame” co-writer Christopher Markus). The duo then segues into a demonstration of Pym Technologies’ astonishing Quantum Core invention, which is so mind-bogglingly powerful that our old friend Ultron must simply have it for himself.
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Ant-Man and the Wasp can’t possibly defeat Ultron and his robot minions on their own. We know this because it took the entirety of the Avengers to neutralize him in “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” So this duo calls in the available cavalry, which includes the aforementioned superheroes. It’s still not enough. The only way this crew can conquer Ultron is to enlist the assistance of the Disney Wish passengers who are shoveling dinner down their gullets.
You can watch the entirety of “Avengers: Quantum Encounter” on YouTube, but it’s probably more fun if you’re in a dining room full of cruise-goers who’ve spent the better part of the day sipping on fruity alcoholic drinks. Actually, the best part is probably watching kids hurl themselves into the drama, which should be the whole point of booking a ride on the Disney Wish. Spoiler: Ultron is defeated. For now. We’ll have to wait and see how he fares in “Vision Quest” next year.
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