Marvel Debuts Official Villain Design for Ultron's Son

Published Aug 19, 2026, 9:59 AM EDT Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words. Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II. Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno. The son of an iconic Marvel villain just revealed his full-grown villain form, revealing the evil-doer he was created to become. From the Red Skull to Thanos to Loki, most classic Marvel villains have at least one kid loose in the Marvel Universe. And despite his mechanical nature, Ultron is no exception. Indeed, Ultron is part of the most tangled family tree in Avengers history. Created by Hank Pym's Ant-Man, Ultron went on to create Vision, Jocasta and Victor Mancha, using Wonder Man and the Wasp's engrams in the process. Throw in Vision's marriage to Scarlet Witch and Wonder Man's villainous brother, and Ultron's family tree is a who's who of superhuman might. Indeed, it's one of those interconnected heroes who just received a major villainous glow-up, as Marvel reveals a timeline where he became the villain Ultron always intended. Victorious' Villain Form Revealed in Runaways In today's What If...? Runaways #1 - from Rainbow Rowell, Zulema Scotto, Frank William and Travis Lanham - fans see what would have happened if the titular heroes had never run away from their villainous parents - the criminal cult known as the Pride. Groomed by the villains, the young heroes follow in their path, eventually releasing Ultron's son Victorious on the world. In this reality, Victor wears a version of his original villain costume, minus the mask shown in Runaways Volume 2 #2, by Adrian Alphona and Brian K. Vaughan. The older Victorious wears a black costume with a large 'V' logo and a billowing cape, his hands crackling with electromagnetic energy. Who Is Runaways' Victorious? In mainstream Runaways canon, Victorious (aka Victor Mancha) is a cyborg designed as a contingency plan by Ultron. Ultron programmed Victor to be obsessed with superheroes, with the mission of using his magnetic powers to eventually join the Avengers and destroy them from within. Thankfully, the Runaways' discovered Victor's true nature, and he joined the group of teen heroes, swearing off Ultron's influence and attempting to prevent his evil programming from ever emerging. What If...? Runaways reveals that if the heroes hadn't taken Victor in, he would have succeeded in killing Captain America. Freed by the Pride, Victorious takes off to kill the rest of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. However, his malevolence finally inspires the Runaways to turn against their parents in the Pride. They set off to capture Victorious, restoring the team's heroic status quo that fans know and love. The Runaways' Heroic Destiny Is Clearer Than Ever Custom Image by Robert Wood What If...? stories tend to go one of two ways - either total destruction, or the original timeline reasserting itself. In the case of Runaways, it seems that the Pride's children were always destined to become heroes, albeit taking a longer road to get there in this reality. Sadly, that isn't as true for Victor Mancha, who in this timeline found himself living out his worst nightmare as Ultron's weapon. In recent Runaways comics, Victor was so terrified by his villainous potential that he opted to live without a body for months, feeling safer without the ability to hurt others. Sadly, this look at what could have been for the Runaways shows he's right to fear his villainous potential. What If...? Runaways #1 is available from Marvel Comics now.