Over the past month, we’ve gotten a lot of casting news for a few huge superhero movies coming up in the next few years. First, we learned that Ben Affleck would be playing Batman in the sequel to ‘Man of Steel’. Then, later on we found out that Bradley Cooper would be playing Rocket Raccoon in James Gunn’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’. But neither bit of news was as well received as James Spader being cast as Ultron in Joss Whedon’s ‘The Avengers: Age of Ultron’.

Emerging a day after rumors began about Paul Bettany’s JARVIS potentially evolving into the angry AI, Marvel announced that former Brat Packer would be the one stepping into the role of one of the most dangerous enemies Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have ever faced. Now, the director of the sequel to 2012’s ‘The Avengers’ opens up about his choice of villain.

While speaking to the fine folks at Marvel’s weekly internet show  ‘The Watcher’, Whedon had this to say about the veteran actor joining his cast:

“Spader was my first and only choice. He’s got that hypnotic voice that can be eerily calm and compelling, but he’s also very human and humorous. Ultron is not Hal (from ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’). Spader can play all of the levels. He’s the guy to break The Avengers into pieces.”

If you’re interested in the whole episode, you can check it out below:

If I recall correctly, Whedon said the same thing about Mark Ruffalo when he was cast as the Hulk. The actor’s portrayal of the Jade Giant and his depowered alter ego Bruce Banner went on to be one of the highlights of the epic superhero team up film. Could he do the same with Spader as Ultron? And how far from the source material do you think the director will take the character after he’s made all these changes to it? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

‘The Avengers: Age of Ultron’ assembles in theaters on May 1, 2015.