Thanks to Paul Bettany's portrayal of the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe,
Vision is now known to the moviegoing masses as a full-fledged member of the Avengers — but
the super-powerful synthezoid hasn't always been a friend to Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Since his introduction in the late '60s, Vision has been the focus of some truly memorable
arcs.
From his undeniable similarities to a certain DC character, to his penchant for taking over
the planet, here's everything Marvel doesn't care for you to know about Vision.
Not that Vision
The version of the Vision made popular by the MCU has been around in the comics for
several decades now, but he wasn't actually the first character to use the name.
In November 1940, four weeks before Captain America made his debut, an alien lawkeeper
by the name of Aarkus was introduced to the Marvel Universe, appearing through a smoky
portal in the pages of Marvel Mystery Comics #13.
After freezing a mobster alive, he introduced himself as "The Vision" and explained that
he'd come to Earth to fight crime.
His vigilante spree didn't last very long, with the character making his last appearance
for some time in 1943.
In 1968, Marvel scribe Roy Thomas approached Stan Lee about adding Vision to the Avengers
lineup.
He'd grown frustrated at not being able to use Marvel's heavy hitters, and wanted to
bolster the ranks with the neglected alien hero.
When Lee said no, Thomas sort of went ahead and just did it anyway, using Aarkus as an
inspiration for a character with a strikingly familiar name and look.
Thomas spoke to the magazine Back Issue in 2014, saying,
"'[Stan] wanted the new Avenger to be an android, though he never said why.
[...] I split the difference and called the android the Vision and adapted the old costume,
but little else, for the new character."
Red Tornado watch
The similarities Vision has with Aarkus were intentional.
The things he has in common with DC's Red Tornado?
That's a different story.
If you aren't familiar, Red Tornado made his debut appearance in Justice League of America
#64 in August 1968, two months before Marvel introduced the new Vision to Avengers readers.
In the issue, the Justice Society of America is shocked when a robotic version of the hero
they once knew as a different Red Tornado arrives at their headquarters.
At first, they're skeptical of his motives, but a mutual trust emerges as they realize
the big red guy is on their side.
The parallels between the Red Tornado and Vision were striking.
Both had red skin and a high-collared costume, and both were created by a supervillain to
destroy a team of heroes that they would promptly end up joining.
Even weirder, both characters were android-inspired reworkings of older comic book characters
of the same name.
We'll never be 100 percent certain which of the characters was created first.
For whatever reason, robots with emotions was one of 1968's weird vibes.
Double Vision
While the Aarkus version of Vision may have inspired the Vision we know, the original
didn't stay gone.
In the early '90s, Roy Thomas got his wish and was finally given permission to bring
Aarkus back into the Marvel Universe.
The Golden Age alien returned to action in the third issue of The Invaders, coming back
to do what he does best — fight Nazis.
The original Vision continues to pop up from time to time in modern Marvel comics, helping
out his allies from the Golden Age whenever they need a hand.
Confusingly, he's often still called Vision instead of Aarkus.
Even by comic book standards, that makes things a little complicated.
"I suppose we're both disappointments."
Logic and emotion
While Vision comes off as one of the most original of the on-screen Avengers, his original
creation was heavily informed by contemporary sci-fi.
According to Thomas, Vision's personality and temperament was inspired by the character
of Spock, the half-human, half-Vulcan first officer of the USS Enterprise.
Despite their superficial differences, both characters serve the same function — they're
wells of knowledge that, in spite of their outward coldness, have deep wells of compassion
and long for acceptance.
Another inspiration for Vision was "I, Robot", a 1939 short story by Otto and Earl Binder
With that story, which pre-dated Isaac Asimov's version by decades, the brothers introduced
the character of Adam Link, a self-aware robot that Thomas calls "one of the first sympathetic
robot stories."
Over a series of ten tales, Adam went to war, participated in sports, was put on trial,
and fought to be recognized as a sentient citizen.
His arc helped paved the way for countless sci-fi stories that followed, from Age of
Ultron to, well, I, Robot.
"Robots don't feel fear.
They don't feel anything.
They don't get hungry they don't sleep."
"I do.
I have even had dreams."
Vanishing act
Filmgoers already know the adorable romance between Vision and Scarlet Witch.
They're two outsiders with a romantic connection, and it's a relationship with roots in the
comics, making them much more than just Avengers with benefits.
Taking some time off from saving the world, the comic book couple married, moved to the
suburbs, and most puzzlingly, made twins together.
That's right, and Doctor Strange even delivered the babies — seriously.
But how?
Turns out, when superpowers are involved, life finds a way.
Scarlet Witch's pregnancy came about through a combination of her probability-altering
hex powers and — literally — "magick".
The fact that Vision and Scarlet Witch were able to conceive at all was a little far-fetched,
even for comics, and their domestic bliss quickly turned to psychological horror.
As it turned out, little Tommy and Billy weren't real children, but magical/demonic hybrid
constructs fueled by Scarlet Witch's powerful subconscious.
The ordeal, somewhat understandably, temporarily turned Scarlet Witch completely insane, and
her marriage to Vision deteriorated in the aftermath.
The two separated and started operating on different Avengers teams, the clearest form
of superhero divorce there is.
While the event tore the young family apart, there was some semblance of a happy ending
years later when Young Avengers introduced the mutants Wiccan and Speed, reincarnations
of the twins who would eventually meet their mom for real.
Visions of evil
Vision's absurd power set makes him a formidable hero to contend with.
Able to fly, shoot lasers, control technology, shapeshift, phase through solid matter, heal
himself and more.
He's the sort of character who could probably take over the world if he wanted.
So in classic What If? fashion, Marvel's writers have occasionally had him do just that.
In 1985's Mighty Avengers #253, Vision abandoned his physical form so he could assume control
of the world's entire computer network and create a new paradise on Earth.
The Avengers had started to become wary of his odd behavior over the previous few issues,
and were forced to stop him before he got too powerful.
Vision's actions led to the synthezoid being dismantled by government officials, but he
wouldn't stay bits and pieces forever.
Vision has also been teased as a powerful monster, like when he was recently compelled
to join up with the Hydra Avengers, the team of heroes-gone-bad that was featured in the
2017 crossover event Secret Empire.
Under the control of an A.I. virus, Vision helped a Hydra-aligned Captain America as
he set out on a mission to take over the world on the evil organization's behalf.
It's a scary situation for the heroes when Vision turns bad, and hard enough to deal
with that it doesn't happen often.
Fortunately, Paul Bettany's Vision seems much too purehearted for that — unless, of course,
your name is Hawkeye or War Machine.
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