MCU Phase 6’s Golden Moment to Confront a 9-Year Old Villain

The MCU is poised to finally pay off a villain tease that has been 9 years in the making following a fleeting scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

9 years ago, Marvel presented a villain tease that could finally be paid off in MCU Phase 6 with Armor Wars. So far, MCU Phase 6 confirmed projects include The Fantastic Four, Blade, and two Avengers movies, though there are plenty of other projects presumed to be occurring within this phase, including Doctor Strange 3. Armor Wars is also expected to be released within this window, with the most recent developments revealing that it has changed from being a series to being a movie.

With not so much as a release window, Armor Wars details are relatively scarce apart from one confirmed cast member: Don Cheadle. With the movie’s title alluding to the Marvel Comics run in which Tony Stark wrestled with the misappropriation of his tech, audiences can expect the series to follow a similar narrative in the MCU timeline. The conspicuous absence of Tony Stark means that the movie will likely follow his best friend, Rhodey, navigating the implications of Iron Man’s MCU legacy in his stead. One perfect villain could therefore emerge out of the ashes of one of Stark’s greatest mistakes yet.

Avengers: Age Of Ultron Teased An As-Yet Unseen Marvel Villain For The MCU

Avengers: Age Of Ultron Released In 2015

While it is largely believed to be the worst Avengers movie, Avengers: Age of Ultron had a significant impact on the wider MCU. It was during this movie that Scarlet Witch and Vision – two of the most powerful Avengers – joined the eponymous roster. During his creation, Tony Stark uploaded J.A.R.V.I.S. into Vision’s synthezoid body, which was initially created by Ultron, necessitating a replacement for Tony Stark’s AI assistant, who would become F.R.I.D.A.Y. During the scene where Tony selects F.R.I.D.A.Y. as his new A.I. personality, another labeled J.O.C.A.S.T.A. can be briefly seen in the background.

This Age of Ultron Easter egg is a direct reference to the A.I. of the same name in Marvel Comics that would become Ultron’s “bride” after Janet Van Dyne’s mind was transferred to an android shell. Like Ultron, Jocasta would undergo several revivals and spend the majority of her comic book career on the side of the Avengers, working against the A.I. that commissioned her creation. But that wasn’t before she served under Ultron, as per her programming at the time.

Featuring Jocasta in the context of Avengers: Age of Ultron is in keeping with the creative liberties taken by the movie, as both Ultron and Jocasta were created by Hank Pym instead of Tony Stark in Marvel Comics.

Why Jocasta Is A Perfect Villain For Armor Wars

Armor Wars seems likely to explore the implications of Tony Stark’s tech being practically unguarded (unless Rhodey has something to say about it) in the wake of his demise in Avengers: Endgame. So far, Stark’s legacy has already caused damage after his jaded former employee, Quentin Beck, manipulated his way into possessing E.D.I.T.H. in Spider-Man: Far From Home. With such weak security already having been established (thanks partly to Peter Parker’s naivety), no precedent would preclude Jocasta, who seems to be uploaded onto a card, from also falling into the wrong hands.

Anyone with access to Tony Stark’s tech could relatively easily get their hands on the Jocasta A.I. This could still work in tandem with the hopeful return of Justin Hammer as he attempts to recreate/perfect Tony’s mistakes now that his rival is out of the picture. Jocasta could then end up posing a serious threat to humanity before following a similar trajectory to her comic book counterpart, which could also go some way to redeeming the legacy of Ultron himself, whose depiction in Avengers: Age of Ultron was disappointingly frivolous for such a fearsome arch-villain.

How Armor Wars Using Jocasta As A Villain Is The Perfect Tribute To Iron Man

As another Stark-created AI, Jocasta would be a painful callback to one of Tony’s biggest miscalculations, and a stark reminder of how damaging his creations can be. Ultron, who came close to eradicating humanity, was foremost among the tech that Tony got wrong, as it did not involve a third party’s intervention to prove dangerous. Jocasta represents a similar being to Ultron, as Stark’s brilliance is the thing that gives rise to her genesis as a villain in her own right.

With that being said, Jocasta’s shift into heroism would also be a fitting tribute to Tony. While it seems unlikely that Tony would have continued working on Jocasta after her fleeting debut in Avengers: Age of Ultron, it would make sense for him to have created a suitable failsafe to combat Ultron ever happening again. Should this occur in Armor Wars, it would help to illustrate Tony’s growth as a character even after his death, bringing a poignant end to his legacy.