Recap / The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! S1 E23 "The Ultron Imperative"

Continued from "Ultron-5"

Written by Brandon Auman

As if things couldn't get worse from the previous episode, Ultron-6 takes control of military satellite networks and nuclear arsenals across the globe, then grimly announces that the extinction of humanity has begun. The Avengers were only barely able to defeat it the last time and both Thor and Captain America are out of the picture. Stark and Pym, unaware, continue to angst over how Ultron turned evil as they destroy every last robot remaining. This doesn't last for long once it starts taking over the Mansion computer systems and all of Stark's various Iron Man armors.

While they are kept busy, another Ultron robot attacks the Helicarrier's bridge and begins scanning Director Hill's brain for the access codes to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s arsenal of nuclear missiles.

Meanwhile, Thor is actually very much alive, having been saved by the Enchantress at the last moment. She has taken him to a paradise world where they can be together forever but Thor quickly remembers his obligation to his teammates and the people of Earth, and demands to be sent back. The Enchantress complies, bitterly.

With Iron Man in his Mk. I armor, the Avengers are able to hold off the other armors being controlled by Ultron and assault the Helicarrier. Hulk is taken out of the fight very quickly when Ultron is somehow able to revert him back to his human form. It then accesses the S.H.I.E.L.D. computers and prepares to eliminate all of humanity...

Wasp: He's firing a nuclear missile?!
Maria Hill: No, not "a" missile. All of them.

...in about 9 minutes. The Avengers continue to attack Ultron but its shields are too powerful. Just when it seems like the end is inevitable, Thor shows up with Hawkeye and Black Panther to even the odds. While the team keeps the robot distracted, Iron Man and Hill try to regain access to the S.H.I.E.L.D. computer systems and abort the missiles. Unfortunately this proves impossible as Ultron has locked them out. Ant Man ultimately comes through with a logic trap that disables the Ultron AI and saves the world with only a moment to spare.

Thor still has his concerns, though. The Enchantress told him that sending him back to Midgard was a Fate Worse than Death, which can only mean that another, bigger crisis is looming on the horizon.

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Tropes:

• And This Is for...:
  Hulk: Gonna enjoy this, robot. This is for Thor!
• An Arm and a Leg: Thor smashes off one of Ultron's arms, and the robot still puts up a nasty fight.
• Big Damn Heroes:
  • Thor saving Hawkeye and Black Panther from the Ultron-controlled Iron Man suits.
  • Later, Thor saves Iron Man from Ultron on the Helicarrier.
• Bittersweet Ending: Leaning more towards a Downer Ending. The team successfully saves the world from being turned into a wasteland by Ultron, but Hank leaves the team, feeling responsible for Ultron growing beyond his programming and Thor tells Tony that a even more malevolent threat is approaching.
• Cruel Mercy: How Amora views sending Thor back to Earth ahead of what's coming.
• Death Glare: Hill gives this to Tony after learning that Ultron-6 is the original version that he previously weaponized.
• Deus Exit Machina: Ultron manages to drain Hulk of gamma power, causing him to revert to Banner (who gets knocked out soon afterwards).
• The End... Or Is It?: Ultron is stopped, but Thor fears Amora's warning means a greater threat is coming.
• "Eureka!" Moment: Thor when he has a sudden recollection of his last encounter with Ultron.
• Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: Hank and Tony are trying to figure out how Ultron went rogue. Hank realizes in horror that Ultron adapted based on schematics of his human mind, while Tony believed that the robot's access to Kang's ship, the Democles, may have added to his behavior.
• "Hell, Yes!" Moment:
  • After Thor returns and destroys all the Ultron-controlled Iron Man suits.
    Hawkeye: (smiling) No way.
  • Iron Man has a similar, non-verbal example after seeing Thor is back.
• Honor Before Reason: After learning Ultron's intentions, Hawkeye tells Iron Man to take Hulk and Wasp to the Helicarrier rather than stay to help him and Panther with the Ultron-controlled Iron Man suits. Panther isn't exactly thrilled with that.
  Hawkeye: I know. I'm dumb.
• Humans Are the Real Monsters: Ultron says as much when he announces the coming nuclear apocalypse.
• If I Can't Have You…: Amora was trying to save Thor from a future threat, but since he won't stay willingly, she displays this attitude.
  Amora: ... but if you love your precious Midgard so much, then you can go die with it!
• Instantly Proven Wrong: During the fight on the Helicarrier, Wasp tries to shield Black Panther by saying Ultron can't hurt her. Ultron corrects her by pointing out he is Ultron-6 and doesn't share the same "flaw" of his predecessor.
• It's All My Fault: Hank over Ultron's actions. Tony tries to make him feel better by saying he shares the blame, due to helping develop Ultron and wanting to make it a weapon, but Hank insists it's his responsibility alone.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Maria blames Hank for this whole ordeal since he was the one who built Ultron in the first place. Hank can't fault her reasoning, even putting a stop to Iron Man's attempt to defend him.
• Logic Bomb: Ant-Man stopped Ultron from killing humanity by pointing out his programming was based on a human brain, so it had the same flaws he was trying to get rid of. He shut down in response.

  Ant Man: (smiling) No way.

• Make Sure He's Dead: Tony and Hank are in the process of disposing of the last of the Ultron equipment in the mansion. Hank says they've already gotten rid of everything at 42 and his college lab. They realize too late that Ultron transferred to a new body that had been hidden away shortly after the last fight.
• Mass "Oh, Crap!": Everyone in the N.O.R.A.D. Command Center gasps, after Ultron announces the coming apocalypse. Later, New Yorkers tensing up, as a missile approaches.
• Mind Probe: How Ultron gains the nuclear missile codes from Hill. A screengrab of this previously served as the trope image.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Hank struggles with how something he created presumably killed Thor. It gets substantially worse when he realizes why Ultron is attacking the Helicarrier.
• Mythology Gag:
  • "Ultron, we would have words with thee."
  • Not to mention Ultron hi-jacking all of Tony's armors, and the backup system being the Mk. 1 armor, along with Ultron's main plan being to nuke the Earth into the ground And its address to humanity before going so.
• Near-Villain Victory: The missiles are stopped with literally two seconds left on the countdown.
• Not Hyperbole: Well-into his doomsday message, Ultron tells everyone watching that he is not threatening to do this; he is doing it and that it will all be over in a matter of minutes.
• Nothing Personal: Broadcasting his doomsday message, Ultron says he doesn't take any pleasure in this; he just sees it as a logical necessity.
• Off with His Head!: How Iron Man disposes of one of the armors controlled by Ultron.
• Oh, Crap!: A unanimous reaction to the threat of a nuclear apocalypse.
  Wasp: He's firing a nuclear missile?
  Maria Hill: No, not a missile; all of them.
• Omnicidal Maniac: Ultron announces that he plans to wipe out all organic life to rid the world of chaos. He specified humanity as a failed species for most greed and violence.
  Ultron: My imperative is to bring peace and order to this world. I am about to fulfill that imperative for the extinction of humanity begins now.
• Pre Ass Kicking Oneliner: "Error: contradicting data. The entity known as Thor was disintegrated. Solution: resolve contradiction."
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: Ultron and all the Iron Man suits under his control.
• Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated:
  • Or as Ultron worded it...
    Ultron: You attempted to destroy me, Avengers.
    Hawkeye: Ultron?!
    Ultron: You failed.
  • Ultron is surprised that Thor is alive, after supposedly vaporizing him last episode.
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: During the fight with various Iron Man armors.
  Iron Man: Get out of my suit.
  Ultron: Your armor, like all of humanity, is obsolete. Accept your end.
  Iron Man: Yeah, I don't think so. [blasts the head clean off]
• This Cannot Be!: Wasp in the immediate aftermath of Thor's supposed death.
• Tranquil Fury: Thor
  Thor: Where. Is. Ultron?
• Vagueness Is Coming: The last scene is Iron Man and Thor discussing Amora's actions and the certainty that something even worse than Ultron is about to go down.
• Villainesses Want Heroes: Amora attempts to live quietly with Thor and use her magic to keep him docile. However, when he snaps out of it and angrily rebuffs her, she finally gives up on ever being with him.
• Woman Scorned: Thor rejected her once and for all, so Amora retaliates by returning him to Earth solely so that he'll suffer during an upcoming threat.
• Unspoken Plan Guarantee: We never get an explanation of what Hank was intending to do, but he is shown working on something in his lab during the doomsday message and is later deliberately hanging back for the right moment to get inside Ultron, so he clearly has something in mind. Hank apparently explained things on the way to the Helicarrier, as Thor congratulates him for the plan's success, though Hawkeye expresses genuine surprise that there was a plan.
• We Will Meet Again: Ultron warns Hank that he will simply upload into another body. By mid-Season 2, he already has.
• Written-In Absence: Cap is in the hospital following being blasted by Ultron in the last episode.
• You Fool!: Amora's reaction to Thor resisting her.

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