The Greek myth of “Oedipus Rex” follows the titular Oedipus, a prince prophesied to murder his father Laius and marry his mother Jocasta. King Laius sent his son away to be raised by a shepherd to avert this destiny. But years later, the grown-up Oedipus unknowingly murders King Laius and, after some heroic feats, wins the hand of the king’s widow. Once Oedipus and Jocasta learn the incestuous truth, she hangs herself, and he blinds himself. As with any Greek tragedy, trying to avert divined fate only brings it about.
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Today, an “Oedipus Complex” is a psychological term referring to when a boy manifests a loving, almost sexual desire towards his mother and simultaneous hostility towards his father, who becomes not a parent but a rival in the boy’s mind. This complex is often simplified down into wanting to f**k your mom and kill your dad, which is exactly Ultron’s condition. Shooter even name-drops the Oedipus Complex in “Bride of Ultron” when Black Panther pieces together Ultron’s intentions, thereby underlining the psychological dynamics at play for young “Avengers” readers. (Hey, the original Ultron story in “Avengers” #57 ended with the recitation of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem “Ozymandias.”)
Ultron is absolutely Oedipal. He despises his father, Hank Pym, because they are so much alike. In 1999, “Avengers” writer Kurt Busiek retconned that Hank programmed Ultron’s personality with his own brain waves as the blueprint; Ultron is Hank Pym’s self-loathing and buried misanthropy made steel (or sometimes, adamantium). Since Ultron shares Hank’s personality, he also shares his father’s affections for Janet.
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Now, “Avengers: Age of Ultron” has its problems. The movie used Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) as Ultron’s creator, and so in turn gave Ultron a more sarcastic personality. Comic Ultron is no smarm, all rage and bluster. But the movie does understand that Ultron is not a cold and unfeeling Terminator, he’s a spiteful child throwing a tantrum… part of that tantrum is wanting his “mommy” all to himself.
But here’s where we get to the problem. The MCU Ultron doesn’t have the same connection to Wasp that the comic one does. Miller’s casting as Jocasta also tells me they’re not going to call in Gwyneth Paltrow and make Spader-Ultron obsessed with Tony’s wife Pepper Potts instead. Maybe MCU Jocasta will be a robot mate created wholesale by Ultron, but if so, her name doesn’t make sense anymore.
Though I foresee kinks to be worked out in this story, the chance for Spader to get another go playing Ultron is too good to pass up. Miller, too, is a capable actress who can surely keep up with him — they’ll surely be a better match than Ultron and Jocasta ended up being.
“Vision Quest” is scheduled for release on Disney+ in 2026.
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