After my recentMCUrewatch, I realized just how important the lowest grossing Avengers movie actually is.Avengers: Age of Ultronwas released on July 06, 2025, andfailed to live up toThe Avengersjust three years prior, both critically and financially. Despite all of that, looking back on how farthe MCU timelinehas come, it’s impressive just how much heavy liftingAvengers: Age of Ultronactually did for the universe.
Marvel has a big release slate in 2025 and beyond, but it is nice to look back on when the universe was trying to find its footing. There were growing pains trying to figure out what direction to take it, but when Phase 3 hit, and the MCU saw success after massive success, all the groundwork laid before is a big reason why.Avengers: Age of Ultronis one of those movies that had to weather the growing pains, and revisiting it reaffirms its place as not only one of the best MCU movies, but one of the most important.
Astonishingly, A Billion Dollars Was A Comparative Disappointment
WhenThe Avengerscame out in 2012, it shattered all expectations, making over $200 million in its opening weekend for a then record. It then went on to make over $1.5 billion worldwide, cementing it as one of the high grossing movies of all time.Avengers: Age of Ultronactually made less in its opening weekend, which typically doesn’t happen with Marvel sequels,bringing in $191 million to an eventually worldwide total of $1.39 billion.
2015
$1,395,316,979
2012
$1,515,100,211
2018
$2,048,359,754
2019
$2,748,242,781
That number stands out even more afterAvengers: Infinity Warmade over $2 billion, andAvengers: Endgamebriefly became the highest grossing movie of all time with over $2.7 billion worldwide. One movie had to be the lowest and that fell toAvengers: Age of Ultron. Despite the financial downturn from The Avengers, the sequel’s box-office is still incredibly respectable as it sits asthe fifth highest grossing MCU movie, behind the other Avengers films andSpider-Man: No Way Home.
It Set Up So Much Of The MCU Going Forward
The Shockwaves Of Ultron’s Attack Are Still Felt In Phase 5
At the time, one of the big criticisms ofAvengers: Age of Ultronwas that it tried to set up too much going forward, with various members of the Avengers splitting off to set up their own films. Looking back on it now, it actuallyset the stage for a lot that the MCU would explore in Phase 3and the lead-up intoAvengers: Infinity War, with arguably the most important being the initial seeds being planted forCaptain America: Civil War. In fact, most of Tony Stark’s motivations going forward come from his vision that Scarlet Witch showed him.
I’ve Been Arguing For Ultron’s MCU Return For Years - Here’s Why It’s The Best Marvel Decision
I’ve always believed that Ultron would come back, and reports that Marvel Studios is reversing his apparent demise is one of the best MCU decisions.
Although the tone of the film ended up being much different, Thor’s motivations to return to Asgard to stop its destruction sets upThor: Ragnarokalongside Bruce Banner deciding to leave Earth at the end of the film. Hawkeye’s family is introduced, which leads into one of the most heart-wrenching scenes in the MCU during the opening ofAvengers: Endgame, and it at least attempted to give Natasha Romanoff some more depth.It’s messy, but it did a lot to shape the MCU as a whole.Wanda Maximoff and Vision became a significant part of the universe after appearing here.
Age Of Ultron Is Better Than People Remember
Time Has Been A Lot Kinder To The Avengers' First Sequel Than You Might Imagine
As time goes on, I personally feelAvengers: Age of Ultronis one of the strongest MCU movies overall, at least when it comes to Avengers films. It easily looks the best of the Avengers franchise, as well, with some of the most gorgeous looking CGI the universe has ever had. What really helps elevateAvengers: Age of Ultronis all the interactions the characters have with each other. They all feel distinct, and the party scene is one of the best things to ever come out of the MCU.
10 Best Avengers Scenes Across The Team’s 4 MCU Films
As the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s premier heroes, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes has had several memorable scenes across its four headlining movies.
The biggest flaw ofAvengers: Age of Ultronis the titular villain. The trailers for the film promised something much darker than what came before, but the final product felt different in tone, especially Ultron, whose personality was essentially modeled off Tony Stark, but it was his actions in Sokovia that helped shape some of the conflicts in future installments.
Avengers: Age of Ultronsits at 76% on Rotten Tomatoes, behindAvengers: Infinity Warat 85%,The Avengersat 91%, andAvengers: Endgameat 94%.
Avengers: Age of Ultronhonestly feels underrated at this point in the MCU, with fantastic performances, mostly great character interactions, and thrilling setpieces that truly help to set it apart, while also being so important to the MCU overall.
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Cast
Avengers: Age of Ultron, released in 2015, follows Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man and Captain America, as they contend with Ultron, a rogue AI with plans for global annihilation. This Marvel sequel sees The Avengers form uneasy alliances and embark on a perilous global adventure to thwart Ultron’s schemes.
