Many fans think very highly of the MCU franchise and love all of the movies and series. However, there are some who nitpick and feel some movies fall short of the MCU standard, such as Age of Ultron. Though upon rewatching the film with everything that has happened since then, it actually holds much more significance than people realize.
The impact of the second Avengers film is still felt and seen in the MCU. There was a lot of information learned in Age of Ultron that proved to be critical and the introduction of certain characters set the stage for the MCU to be as big as it is today.
8 James Spader & Paul Bettany Come To Life As Ultron & Vision, Respectively
While Ultron was a one-and-done villain (for now), Vision was also born during this film. However, Ultron may actually still be alive, this is indicated by the glowing red eyes of the Sub-Ultron in Spider-Man: Homecoming, though it's unknown if or when he will return. With James Spader delivering such an incredible performance as the naive, maniacal, murderous A.I. program, fans are certainly hoping to see more of Ultron down the line.
Vision has been incredibly important in the MCU and after his character was significantly developed in WandaVision, many fans considered him to be one of their favorite Avengers. Even before Vision came to be, Paul Bettany lent his voice as the hilariously sarcastic A.I. known as J.A.R.V.I.S. who fans also loved. It's even been heavily rumored that the newest version of Vision (White Vision) is set to appear in future properties. None of this would have been possible (or had the potential to be possible) if it wasn't for Ultron's spontaneous creation and Vision's chaotic birth during Age of Ultron.
7 The Mjolnir Scenes Are Fan Favorites
When talking about Age of Ultron, one can't forget to mention the classic afterparty scene where the Avengers are sitting around the table, taking turns attempting to lift Mjolnir. Everyone comes up hilariously short except for Steve who manages to slide it ever so slightly. It's later revealed in Endgame that Cap was indeed worthy at the time, he was just sparing his buddy's feelings.
Additionally, after Vision's birth, he accidentally does the one thing that makes everyone instantly trust him and that is lift Mjolnir with ease. He and Thor also both use Mjolnir during the final battle on a few occasions. Tony and Steve later argue that his worthiness doesn't count as he is a machine and compared Vision wielding Mjolnir to placing it in an elevator and the cab moving up.
6 Dives Deeper Into Wanda & Pietro
While Wanda and Pietro were technically introduced in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, they were only shown very briefly in the end-credits scene. Wanda and Pietro are front and center in this film and are a major nuisance for the Avengers until they decide to change sides after learning about Ultron's real plan.
Unfortunately, Pietro was killed due to real-world legal issues a la Fox already having a version of the character in their Marvel universe. However, Wanda's popularity soared after this film. She quickly became one of the most powerful Avengers and WandaVision provided fans with some answers about her life. Though the series asked plenty of new ones as well which fans are hoping will be answered in future series and films.
5 Ultron Reveals Where The Mind Stone Had Been Hiding
When Ultron is in South Korea, he plucks a yellow glowing gem from the end of Loki's scepter and places it in the forehead of his new Vibranium body. Fans later learn that this glowing yellow stone is none other than the Mind Stone which is one of the six ancient and powerful Infinity Stones.
When Ultron broke open the gem on the end of the scepter to reveal an Infinity Stone, fans immediately began speculating about other MCU relics that could possibly be housing other Stones. Fans were already aware of the Power Stone hiding in the orb on Morag at this point. It was later revealed that the Tesseract, the Eye of Agamotto, and the Aether were all concealing other Infinity Stones as well.
4 Thor Learns About The Infinity Stones & Tells The Rest Of The Team
Some fans forget this part of the film, but Thor actually met up with Dr. Selvig at one point and experienced an intense vision of the Infinity Stones. This is incredibly important because this is when the Avengers officially learn about the Infinity Stones. Thor doesn't see all of the Stones in his vision, but he does see all of the Stones that had been introduced at that point and where they were all hiding, confirming fans' speculations during the previous scene with Ultron and the scepter.
This scene reveals that the Tesseract, which was introduced in the MCU in the 1940s, had housed the Space Stone the entire time. It also confirmed that the Aether was in fact an Infinity Stone, solidifying in Thor's vision. Thor arrives back at Avenger's Tower in the nick of time to blast Vision's cradle with a massive bolt of lightning which brings the Synthezoid online. Thor then mentions the Mind Stone to the group, quickly glossing over the other Infinity Stones, which is the first time the others learn of the ancient relics.
3 We Get To Meet Clint's Family
Many fans assumed that Clint and Natasha were in a secret romantic relationship. However, Age of Ultron proves the contrary in more ways than one. Not only is an awkward romance between Natasha and Banner set up, but fans also end up meeting Clint's wife and two children, all of whom Nat was apparently aware of all along.
While Clint's family doesn't play a huge role in the main plot, they provide Clint with something to fight for. They also provide a grounded moment for the Avengers in the countryside after most of them saw their worst fears courtesy of Wanda. His wife also does a nice job of explaining why his super-powered teammates need him.
2 Foreshadows Future Avengers Films
The second Avengers film was much better than people realized because upon rewatching it, fans notice how so many other storylines were set up during this film. The biggest storyline it sets up is the third installment of the Captain America franchise, Civil War. The Battle of Sokovia is one of the deciding factors behind the UN drafting the Sokovia Accords. Age of Ultron also sows the seed of a rift between Steven and Iron Man when Tony keeps tinkering with things he knows too little about, such as Vision, and Cap tells him he needs to stop.
This fallout comes to fruition in Civil War and sets the stage for the division between them in Infinity War, the two not having spoken in years when the Children of Thanos arrive on Earth. The theme continues in Endgame when Tony returns to Earth and has a meltdown, calling Cap a liar, and they part ways until coming back together for the time heist. Additionally, if Ultron were to return in the future, this movie did a great job of keeping things vague in respect to how Vision finally defeated him when they were one-on-one in the forest.
1 Adds A Deeper Layer Of Significance To Infinity War & Endgame
While many fans look at Infinity War and Endgame as a one-two punch from Marvel Studios, some fans have come to respect Age of Ultron as the beginning of a trilogy followed by the third and fourth Avengers movies. Vision's chaotic birth, short life, poetic death, and painful avenging are all summarized over the course of these films, making these Avengers movies also somewhat of a Vision-themed trilogy.
Without Vision's birth, it would have been much easier to destroy the Mind Stone before Thanos arrived and it would have saved fans and the Avengers the heartache of Vision's tragic final hours. Additionally, it was Vision's short-lived romance with Wanda that caused her to inadvertently torture the people of Westview, New Jersey, ultimately unlocking her full potential as the Scarlet Witch. While this isn't part of the trilogy, Wanda is positioned to be a major player in the MCU's future. Vision's death also allowed Thanos to complete his plan and his death inspired Wanda to not only recreate him but also fight to avenge him with such ferocity that she nearly took out Thanos all on her own.