The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has no shortage of colorful characters in its arsenal. Tony Stark (Iron Man) is a “genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist,” a tech wizard who turned in a lifetime of producing and selling weapons to become Iron Man. Natasha Romanov (Black Widow) was raised practically from birth to be a programmed assassin. T’Challa (Black Panther) is the king and protector of the fictional African Kingdom of Wakanda.
Then, there is Vision. A humanoid created haphazardly to be a countermeasure against the robot supervillain Ultron. Vision becomes a valuable ally, a lover, a martyr, and a family ‘man’ in his tenure as a member of the Avengers — and in that order. Because of how he came to be and his wide range of roles in the MCU, Vision is possibly the best character in the entire franchise. Furthermore, Vision might yet make an appearance in the MCU down the line and further evolve his mythos.
AGE OF ULTRON: A CRUCIAL NEW AVENGER IS CREATED
In the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Iron Man wants to prevent further alien incursions to Earth like the one that took place in The Avengers. He envisions a shield around the Earth to protect it from foreign threats. However, like the genius billionaire he is, Iron Man lets his ambition and ego get ahead of his skis. He accidentally creates Ultron, an artificial intelligence program that calculates humans are the Earth’s disease, and need to be eradicated.
Ultron is too powerful for the Avengers to handle on their own, especially once he gets his hands on Wakandan Vibranium. In an act of sheer desperation, Iron Man and Bruce Banner (The Hulk) work feverishly to create a countermeasure to Ultron. This desperation takes form in the creation of Vision.
Vision was programmed using Iron Man’s AI personality, Jarvis. Unlike Ultron, he decides to fight for mankind as opposed to eradicating it. Vision possesses superhuman strength, supreme intelligence, the ability to fly, the ability to phase through physical objects and make himself intangible, and more. This power set makes him an invaluable member of the Avengers, and Vision is the one who ultimately destroys Ultron.
CIVIL WAR: THE BRAINS AND BRAWN OF IRON MAN’S ENSEMBLE
After multiple cataclysmic events in previous MCU films, the governments of the world come down hard on the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War. The Avengers are split down the middle in terms of how they should handle the world’s demands. Iron Man thinks the Avengers should listen to the United Nations and take a more cautious approach. Captain America thinks that regimes and agendas change, and therefore the steadiest hands are their own.
Vision falls squarely on Iron Man’s side of the debate. He fairly easily dismantles Captain America’s jingoistic logic by stating that the mere existence of the Avengers invites confrontation. Vision makes the most succinct and convincing argument for why Iron Man’s argument is the correct one. He also serves as the enforcer of Iron Man’s squad. Vision essentially becomes a glorified babysitter for Wanda Maximoff, the magic-wielding Avenger who is extremely powerful but not necessarily in control of her abilities.
INFINITY WAR: THE MARTYR
In Avengers: Infinity War, the Marvel universe’s chief villain takes center stage: Thanos. The Mad Titan is on a mission to cleave the universe’s population in half. His logic is that resources are finite and populations only grow, and therefore he is the herald of a universe that will only know happiness and full bellies going forward. In order to achieve his goal, Thanos must possess all six Infinity Stones, and it just so happens that the Mind Stone has been embedded in Vision’s head since the Avenger’s inception.
Vision is gravely wounded early in the film. Whereas he was a powerhouse to be reckoned with in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War, Thanos’s Black Order makes quick work of the humanoid. Only an assist from Captain America, Black Widow, and The Falcon prevent Vision from an early exit in the film.
However, the audience learns that not all Disney movies have happy endings. In an emotive and powerful scene, Wanda (who has become Vision’s lover) destroys Vision so Thanos cannot use the sixth and final Infinity Stone to enact his genocidal plan. However, by this time, Thanos already possesses the Time Stone, and rewinds time so that he may murder Vision while keeping the Mind Stone intact. Vision is brutally killed twice in the time span of two minutes, before half of the universe is blipped out of existence. He is the first of many Avengers martyrs that fateful day.
WANDAVISION: THE RESURRECTED FAMILY MAN
During the events of WandaVision, a grieving Wanda creates a manufactured happy ending for herself and Vision. In so doing, she mind-controls a small New Jersey town and becomes the villain of her own story.
Wanda has endured more trauma than perhaps any Avenger. Her parents were murdered using Tony Stark’s weapons. Her brother was murdered by Ultron. Lastly, Vision was murdered by Thanos. Then she was snapped out of existence for five years, thanks to Thanos.
In creating the family she has yearned for since she was a child, Wanda locates Vision’s body and essentially resurrects him. She also creates two children for them to take care of. In doing so, Vision plays the part of both doting husband and father. Not a bad gig for a character that was artificially created.
Vision has worn many hats during his six years in the MCU. He is a surprisingly emotive character for a humanoid, and is constantly trying to figure out where he fits in with the Avengers and in Wanda’s life. This range is what has made him a fan-favorite, and why he is the best character in the MCU. He has proved to be resourceful, the voice of reason, a force to be reckoned with, and the perfect companion for Wanda. Here is to hoping that he makes a return to the silver screen in a future Marvel project.