Every MCU project comes with at least a few Easter eggs that nod at the comic book history
that inspired them.
From Halloween costumes to big band music, here are the best Vision Easter eggs you're
going to find in the MCU.
Marvel Studios has a long tradition of simultaneously poking fun at their own characters and paying
homage by giving us glimpses of those heroes in goofier yet more comic book-accurate versions
of their costumes.
Edward Norton's Bruce Banner passes on the purple pants Betty Ross buys him in 2008's
The Incredible Hulk, Jessica Jones is less than thrilled at the idea of her more comics-accurate
attire in Netflix's Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage made its hero's science experiment garb
into his '70s comic book outfit.
Heck, in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve Rogers wears a clownish, comics-accurate
version of his costume before getting an upgrade.
In episode 6 of WandaVision, we get a similar treatment for Paul Bettany's Vision.
Bowing to Wanda's wishes, Vision dresses for Halloween as a Mexican wrestler, although
it might be more accurate to say that he's dressed as a comics accurate Vision.
In fact, almost the whole family rocks their comics-accurate looks
While comics fans might recognize the outfits right away, it's a little less obvious to
the characters on WandaVision.
The false Pietro makes a number of guesses at what Vision is supposed to be:
"Sweet costume, broham in law.
Lemme guess: A traffic light.
Half-shucked corn.
A booger!"
One of the more interesting Vision Easter eggs we've seen comes in "Don't Touch That
Dial," the second episode of WandaVision.
Wanda is in her living room when she hears something crash outside.
In her front yard, she finds what appears to be a remote control helicopter in the bushes.
Later, in the fourth episode, we learn this is actually a S.W.O.R.D.
drone transformed by the Hex.
The helicopter is one of the first things in color we see in WandaVision's black-and-white
world.
It's red and gold with some metallic silver mixed in — similar to the color scheme of
Tony Stark's Iron Man armor.
The number 57 is on its side, and the S.W.O.R.D.
symbol is painted on the front.
How is this a Vision Easter egg?
Well, the most obvious sign is the number 57 on the side of the helicopter, which matches
the number for the comic in which Vision premieres — 1968's Avengers #57.
It's also probably not a mistake that the sitcom most heavily referenced in WandaVision's
second episode is Bewitched, which premiered in 1964 and was still going strong in 1968,
when Vision's first appearance showed up on comic book spinners.
Plus, the Iron Man colors reference Tony Stark — one of Vision's creators.
It also arrives with what sounds like an accidental crash, and much of the rest of the episode
involves Vision malfunctioning after swallowing a piece of chewing gum.
We first meet Vision in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron.
But in a sense, we kind of met him four years earlier in Captain America: The First Avenger.
Before Steve Rogers goes through the experiment that makes him a super soldier, he visits
the World's Fair where — among other things — he sees what appears to be an inert man
in a red costume kept in a transparent tube.
Above the man is a sign that reads, "Phineas Horton Presents the Synthetic Man."
This is Jim Hammond, the original Human Torch.
Long before the introduction of the Fantastic Four, Marvel Comics had an earlier version
of the Human Torch who was an android created by Dr. Phineas Horton.
In fact, it's a battle between the original Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner that creates
the concept of the Marvel Universe.
When they meet and fight in 1940's Marvel Mystery Comics #8, it's the first time two
of Marvel's heroes are shown to occupy the same narrative.
In 1975's Avengers #135, the Vision discovers that Ultron created him using the brainwave
patterns of the hero Wonder Man and the body of Jim Hammond.
In other words, what on the surface seems like just a Human Torch Easter egg in The
First Avenger is also a Vision Easter egg.
In fact, before the premiere of WandaVision, some fans were theorizing this might be the
key to how Vision would be resurrected.
As soon as fans started catching glimpses of images from WandaVision, it was obvious
that the miniseries was taking part of its inspiration from a few different comics in
Vision's long history.
The two most obvious inspirations are 1982 and 1985's The Vision and Scarlet Witch, two
miniseries that see the odd couple move to the suburbs of New Jersey to start a life
together.
Another obvious inspiration for WandaVision is 2016's Vision series, which sees the eponymous
synthezoid building himself an entire family of synthetics, all with names — like his
own — beginning with "V." There's his wife, Virginia, as well as his two kids, Viv and
Vin.
With the family he builds from scratch, Vision tries to live an idyllic existence in a quiet
suburb, but it isn't meant to be.
They even eventually have their own synthezoid dog named Sparky, built from the brain of
a dog who accidentally electrocutes itself while unearthing the corpse of a dead supervillain
in Vision's backyard.
Just as WandaVision's Sparky is killed in "On a Very Special Episode...," the poor pooch
of the comic book is also killed, though by a different character.
Paul Bettany even confirmed the connection between the Disney+ show and the recent Vison-centric
series.
Speaking to Variety in January 2021, the actor said the series was pitched to him as a mash-up
between two comic book series – The Vision and the 2005 miniseries House of M.
In the mid-credits scene to episode 8, we find Director Hayward standing triumphantly
before a reassembled Vision.
There's one major difference though — the synthezoid is white from head to toe.
While the visual is striking, it isn't the first time the world has seen White Vision.
During his time as Avengers chairman, Vision secretly develops a plan to take over all
of the world's computer systems, using them to force peace and security on the world.
After being confronted by his teammates in 1985's Avengers #254, Vision relents and soon
afterwards leaves the team.
But some people aren't happy with the synthezoid roaming free.
In 1989's West Coast Avengers #44, Vision's colleagues learn that he's been kidnapped
by a team made up of rogue government agents from different countries, that his body has
been disassembled, and his memory has been erased to ensure that he doesn't retain any
of the sensitive information he had access to in the 1985 Avengers story.
Hank Pym is able to reassemble Vision in the following issue, but he's nothing like the
Avenger his teammates remember.
Because of extensive damage to his circulatory system, his skin is bone white.
More importantly, he's lost all sense of emotion and humanity.
The White Vision of WandaVision isn't the only callback to the time when the synthezoid
becomes a lot less colorful in the comics.
Towards the end of Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos completes his quest by ripping the
Mind Stone from Vision's head, killing the Avenger.
As soon as he does, all the color drains from Vision's body, turning him gray.
While, obviously, gray and white aren't the same, in both cases, we get all other color
leaving the synthezoid's form.
Along with being a White Vision Easter egg, this was one of many references in Infinity
War to one of the comics that most heavily influenced the film — the 1991 miniseries
Infinity Gauntlet.
When the small army of superheroes assault Thanos in Infinity Gauntlet #4, Vision is
among them, and it's the emotionless White Vision who Thanos kills in the battle.
Perhaps the most emotionally powerful Vision-related Easter egg in the MCU comes in one of the
flashbacks of WandaVision's eighth episode.
Barging her way into S.W.O.R.D.
headquarters, Wanda demands her right to claim Vision's body.
As she approaches his disassembled form and tries to get some sense of his presence with
her powers, Wanda says
"I can't feel you."
This is a callback to the first of Vision's two deaths at the end of Avengers: Infinity
War.
With time running out and Thanos on his way, Vision convinces Wanda to use her powers to
destroy the Mind Stone in order to keep it out of Thanos' grasp, but there's no way to
do this without also killing Vision.
As Wanda begins the process, Vision tries to comfort her.
"You could never hurt me.
I just feel you."
Sadly, these turn out to be some of Vision's last words to Wanda.
While Thanos turns back time in order to restore the Mind Stone, it's only to rip the Stone
from the synthezoid's head and kill him a second time.
As soon as Vision came to life in Avengers: Age of Ultron, comic book fans were wondering
about whether or not they'd see a big screen adaptation of Wanda and Vision's romantic
relationship.
It wouldn't be until the following year's Captain America: Civil War that we got to
see any kind of real romance developing between the pair, but Age of Ultron gave us an enticing
hint at more to come.
Having left her post to destroy Ultron toward the end of the film, Wanda misses her chance
to board the Helicarrier and is still on the airborne chunk of Sokovia when it hurtles
toward Earth.
Luckily, Vision flies through the debris to rescue her.
The visual of the synthezoid grabbing Wanda and carrying her away had to give plenty of
fans chills.
It's particularly meaningful when you realize there's a good chance Vision already has some
semblance of attraction toward her.
In order to have any idea where she is among all the rubble and flying debris, he must've
been keeping tabs on her.
And why would he be doing that unless there's something there that catches his eye?
In a list of Vision Easter eggs, it would be criminal to forget the faux TV ads featured
in WandaVision, and the one that most heavily references the synthezoid is the very first
of the commercials we see in the miniseries.
In episode 1, the story of WandaVision's black-and-white world is interrupted by a commercial for the
Toast Mate 2000, made by Stark Industries.
Granted, Vision is definitely not the only character being referenced here.
When the ad's housewife starts the Toast Mate, we hear a sound identical to the noise that
Iron Man's repulsors make in the films.
Plus, the matching pieces of toast are one of the episode's many references to the twins
who will soon arrive — Billy and Tommy.
But Vision is the character who brings them all together.
Like the toaster, he's part machine.
He's Wanda's "mate," and, like the Toast Mate 2000, one of his creators was a Stark.
One Easter egg in Avengers: Age of Ultron doesn't reference the synthezoid directly,
but instead, it's a little nod to one of his real-world creators.
When the Avengers clash with the combined forces of Ultron and the Maximoff twins, Wanda
uses her telepathic powers to force the heroes into a nightmare world.
In the case of Captain America, the super soldier finds himself sent back to a World
War II era dance hall, where we get flashes of a celebration.
It's tough to spot, but the band keeping everything hopping is named after a Marvel Comics veteran.
On the bass drum is the name "the Roy Thomas Players."
Among other things, Roy Thomas was the Marvel Comics editor-in-chief after Stan Lee, and
he's one of the two people, along with the late artist John Buscema, responsible for
creating both Vision and Ultron.
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