Tony Hale Is ‘Jealous’ of Iron Man in Marvel’s New Children’s Show (Exclusive)

His characters have been described as dysfunctional, meek, fearful and even plastic, but Tony Hale is now getting to switch things up and play the role of villain, albeit in an animated form. 

“I love it. It’s so fun,” he tells PEOPLE when speaking about his newest project, Marvel’s Iron Man and his Awesome Friends. “It’s such a beautiful show. To play just the kind of guy who’s causing challenges for these Iron Friends is so fun.”

On the animated Disney series aimed at children, Hale, 54, plays the sinister Ultron, one of Iron Man’s chief rivals. He sees his character, who is a child, in the same vein as The Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or even The Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.

“He’s kind of a harken back to classic villains who twist the mustache,” the two-time Emmy winner says. “It’s kind of just fun. It’s fun villains.”

Hale likes the simplicity of these animated characters and “would have loved” if his now-19-year-old daughter, Loy Ann, had a show like this at her disposal as a tot.

“For preschoolers, to see kids their age with these superpowers, to see these friends solving challenges together, working together, I mean, what a great lesson at that,” he adds.

Although the series offers a childhood glimpse at Iron Man, Hale admits he’s “very jealous” of the tech-savvy, ultra-wealthy fictional superhero portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. in the Marvel Universe.

“How great would that be just to have that tech room, right?” he laughed. “Just to walk in there and have somebody just place cool technology on you. That would be pretty great. I’m very jealous, actually. I mean, I can barely work my iPhone, so to have all those machines do it for me, I’d be into it.”

Marvel’s Iron Man and his Awesome Friends premiered on Disney Jr. on Aug. 11 and is available to stream on Disney+.