Ultron spends much of Marvel’s VisionQuest in a human form rather than the robotic body familiar from Avengers: Age of Ultron. Showrunner Terry Matalas says the choice was driven by James Spader’s performance, not by budget concerns.
Speaking with Polygon, Matalas said he wanted to see Spader and Paul Bettany share the screen. While creating Ultron’s robotic form with CGI is very expensive, he said a robot could not convey the same subtle expressions as Spader. Matalas added that the series will still feature plenty of robotic action.
Spader also helped decide how Ultron’s human avatar would look. In an interview with The Direct, the actor said the character has been a prisoner in Vision’s mindspace for around 12 years, and that long hair and a beard could suggest the passage of time. He wanted Ultron to look unexpectedly scruffy and different from his sleek robotic form, describing the human appearance as who the character aspires to be.
Matalas said he had initially imagined Ultron with closely shaved hair and no beard. Spader proposed a beard, and the unruly style seen in the series was his idea.
Sources: TVLine.