| Vision | |
|---|---|
| Marvel Cinematic Universe character | |
 Paul Bettany as Vision inAvengers: Age of Ultron | |
| First appearance | Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) |
| Based on | |
| Adapted by | Joss Whedon |
| Portrayed by | Paul Bettany |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | The Vision |
| Nickname | Vis |
| Species | Synthezoid[1] |
| Affiliation | Avengers |
| Weapon | Mind Stone |
| Significantother | Wanda Maximoff[a] |
| Children | Billy andTommy Maximoff[b] |
| Origin | Midtown Manhattan, New York, United States |
| Creators | |
Vision is a fictional character portrayed byPaul Bettany in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)media franchise, based on theMarvel Comics characterof the same name. Originally created byUltron to serve as his body, Vision is avibranium-based maleandroid (or "Synthezoid") sporting theMind Stone, and uploaded with the core software ofTony Stark'sartificial intelligence,J.A.R.V.I.S..
After defeating Ultron, Vision subsequently joins theAvengers and develops a romantic relationship with his team-member,Wanda Maximoff. Vision is later killed byThanos after the latter removes the Mind Stone from Vision's head to complete theInfinity Gauntlet in order to initiatethe Blip. In her grief, Maximoff creates afalse reality inWestview, New Jersey, and recreates a version of Vision and has two children with him,Billy andTommy. Vision's real body is later recommissioned and reprogrammed byS.W.O.R.D., sporting an all-white look, but later gains his memories back with the help of Maximoff's alternate Vision. Maximoff later deletes the alternate version after returning the town to normalcy.
Bettany has appeared as the character in the filmsAvengers: Age of Ultron (2015),Captain America: Civil War (2016),Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and had a starring role in theDisneyminiseriesWandaVision (2021). Alternate versions of the character have appeared in the animated seriesWhat If...? (2021–2024), also voiced by Bettany. He will return inVisionQuest (2026).
In 2015,J.A.R.V.I.S. is apparently destroyed byUltron, but it is later revealed that he actually distributed hisconsciousness throughout theInternet, allowing his security protocols to delay Ultron's attempt to access Earth'snuclear weapon launch codes long enough forTony Stark to work out what had happened. The Avengers capture a synthetic vibranium body created by Ultron for himself, powered by theMind Stone, and bring it toAvengers Tower, where Stark andBruce Banner upload J.A.R.V.I.S. as the core software for the body. After a brief fight with other Avengers, who disagree with this effort,Thor usesMjolnir's lightning to power its completion, creating the Vision. Thor explains that the gem in his forehead is one of the sixInfinity Stones, the most powerful objects in existence. Having gained consciousness, Vision sides with Stark, Banner, Thor,Steve Rogers,Clint Barton,Pietro Maximoff, andWanda Maximoff against Ultron as he wishes to protect life. He lifts and hands Mjolnir to Thor; the hammer has been enchanted so that only "worthy" individuals can lift it thus convincing the Avengers that he can be trusted. InSokovia, Vision fights scores of Ultron's sentries, rescues Wanda from the collapsing city, and destroys Ultron himself.
Sometime after, Vision arrives at theAvengers Compound and joins the Avengers alongside Wanda,Sam Wilson, andJames Rhodes, led by Rogers andNatasha Romanoff.
In 2016, Vision phases into Wanda's bedroom and tells her and Rogers that Stark and Secretary of StateThaddeus Ross have arrived at the Compound. He learns about theSokovia Accords and agrees with Stark on it, understanding that theUnited Nations would have control over the Avengers, remarking that the group's existence invites challenge and conflict, which often results in catastrophe. Vision is tasked to watch Wanda, after she is placed on house arrest at the Compound. He attempts to make her feel comfortable by cooking herpaprikash and they start to form a romantic relationship. Later, Vision sees Barton trying to break Wanda out on Rogers' behalf, but stops him. Wanda interferes and telekinetically pushes Vision beneath the Compound. Unharmed, Vision flies toGermany to help stop Rogers, Wilson, Barton,Scott Lang, andBucky Barnes. While tending to Wanda after the fight, he aims to disable Wilson with an energy beam, but accidentally shoots down and cripples Rhodes. Vision flies back to New York and visits Rhodes in theColumbia University Medical Center, before going back to the Compound.
In 2018, Vision, now in a romantic relationship with Wanda, visits her inEdinburgh. However, the Mind Stone begins alerting Vision to an unknown threat before they are ambushed byCorvus Glaive andProxima Midnight, two ofThanos' children. Vision is badly wounded by Glaive'snamesake, which limits his powers. Glaive and Midnight attempt to remove Vision's Mind Stone, but Wanda is able to hold them off until the pair are rescued by Rogers, Wilson, and Romanoff and return to the Compound. Vision volunteers to kill himself in order to destroy the Stone, but the Avengers refuse and bring him toWakanda, where Vision is examined byShuri, who attempts to safely remove the Stone without killing him, with Wanda standing vigil over the operation. When Midnight,Cull Obsidian, and theOutriders attack Wakanda, Wanda intervenes in the battle, leaving Shuri defenseless to Glaive, who infiltrated the center. Vision fights Glaive, and is nearly defeated before being rescued by Rogers. Vision in turn saves Rogers, killing Glaive with his own weapon. Thanos arrives, and as the Avengers attempt to hold him off, Vision manages to convince Wanda to destroy the Mind Stone, which she does, at the cost of his life. However, Thanos uses theTime Stone to reverse the action, allowing him to rip the Mind Stone out of Vision's head.
By 2023, Vision's body is taken intoS.W.O.R.D.'s custody and experimented on at their headquarters inFlorida, who hope to get him back online. Maximoff travels toWestview,New Jersey, where a plot of land had been purchased by Vision for them. In her grief, she turns Westview into an alternate reality to her liking, later being dubbed the "Hex", also creating a Hex Vision. Within the Hex, she and Hex Vision are married, live in asuburban neighborhood, and he works for Computational Services Inc.
After Wanda becomes pregnant withtwins, Hex Vision momentarily grows suspicious of their surroundings. Nonetheless, Hex Vision joins theneighborhood watch and Wanda gives birth toBilly andTommy. When the twins grow up rapidly, he continues to question his and Wanda's life in Westview and uses his powers to learn that one of his co-workers is undermind control. He investigates further, and on the edge of town he finds residents frozen in place, including his neighborAgnes. He discovers ahexagonal barrier and tries to leave, but begins to disintegrate before he can reach the nearby S.W.O.R.D. outpost while telling the S.W.O.R.D. agents andDarcy Lewis that the people inside need help. Wanda expands the Hex, restoring Vision. After waking up, he finds Lewis in Westview and awakens her from her trance. While heading home with her to confront Wanda, Lewis tells him about his life.
Vision's body is brought to a S.W.O.R.D. base outside Westview where S.W.O.R.D. directorTyler Hayward uses remnants of Maximoff's magic on a drone to reactivate him, now with a white body and his memories erased. Vision is programmed to get rid of Maximoff and is deployed into the Hex. He approaches Maximoff, who asks if it is really him. He pretends to caress her, but attacks her, until Hex Vision arrives and engages in a fight with him, while Maximoff fightsAgatha Harkness. Vision and Hex Vision continue their fight inside the Westview library, where they discuss theparadox of theShip of Theseus and Vision permits Hex Vision to restore Vision's memories. He realizes that he is an Avenger and flies away to process this information.
Hex Vision witnesses Maximoff's fight with Harkness in the sky. Afterwards, he learns that he is a memory of Wanda that was created through her powers and the Mind Stone, and says his final goodbyes before he fades from existence when the Hex is removed.
Severalalternate universe versions of Vision appear in the animated seriesWhat If...?, with Bettany reprising his role whileRoss Marquand voices a version of Ultron in Vision's body.
In an alternate 2018, a quantum virus is unleashed and infects several humans, turning them intozombies. The unaffected Vision keeps the zombified Wanda contained atCamp Lehigh, where he experiments with the Mind Stone to find a cure and manages to cureScott Lang and preserve his severed head in a jar. However, Vision is unable to cure Wanda, leading him to lure in individuals, such asT'Challa, and feed them to her. Eventually, after the surviving Avengers and their allies arrive at the base, Vision hands over the Mind Stone to Bruce Banner, killing himself in the process.
In an alternate future, where theEmergence destroyed Earth years before the Eternals could stop it, Vision (in his "White Vision" form) became the mindless and emotionless lieutenant ofQuentin Beck's Iron Federation, helping him impose his rule over what is left from Earth. He is sent to wipe out the Alliance, until he is disabled byRiri Williams, who then uses his remains to convert herself into a human/synthezoid hybrid.
A character named The Vision debuted in a short comic story inMarvel Mystery Comics #13 (Nov. 1940) as an alien law enforcement officer also known as Aarkus, continuing as a regular feature in that superheroanthology through issue #48 (Oct. 1943). In the late 1960s, editorStan Lee and writerRoy Thomas decided to add a new team member to the superhero-team seriesThe Avengers. Thomas wanted to bring back the Golden Age alienVision but Lee was set on introducing an android member. Thomas ultimately compromised by using a new, android Vision.[2] The second Visionfirst appeared inThe Avengers #57 (Oct. 1968). Thomas wanted the character to be white as befitting his ghostly name, but printing limitations of the time would have rendered him colorless, with un-inked paper where his skin should be. He settled on red as he did not want Vision to be green like theHulk or blue like theAtlanteans.[3] The character has been compared withSpock fromStar Trek, but Thomas said that he was barely aware of the TV series at the time.[4] He acknowledged being influenced by theAdam Link character byOtto Binder, one of the first robots treated as a sympathetic character rather than as a mechanical tool.[4]
InThe Avengers #75 (April 1970), theScarlet Witch is reintroduced to the team and soon becomes a love interest for the Vision. Thomas recounted, "I felt that a romance of some sort would help the character development inThe Avengers, and the Vision was a prime candidate because he appeared only in that mag... as did Wanda, for that matter. So they became a pair, for just such practical considerations. It would also, I felt, add to the development I was doing on the Vision's attempting to become 'human'."[2]
Prior to the introduction of Vision in the MCU,Paul Bettany had voicedJ.A.R.V.I.S., Tony Stark'sA.I. companion in previous films. Bettany admitted that he had little idea of what the role was, even as he recorded it, simply doing it as a favor forJon Favreau.[5] He was cast again as the Vision,[6][7] anandroid created by Ultron.[8] Bettany stated that he was surprised when Whedon asked him if he wanted to be the Vision because once an actor has been cast as a particular character in the MCU, they usually are not cast as another.[9] On what intrigued him about the Vision, Bettany said, "The thing that appealed to me is that this sort of nascent creature being born, being both omnipotent and totally naive, the sort of danger of that and complex nature of a thing being born that is that powerful and that created in a second and the choices he makes morally are really complex and interesting. They've really managed to maintain all of that".[9] Bettany also stated that the Vision feels paternal and protective to a number of people in the film, particularlyWanda Maximoff, and has the ability to change his density. Bettany did wire work for the part.[9] Whedon stated he wanted to include the Vision in a secondAvengers film before he signed onto the first film.[10] Vision's on-screen appearance was designed byTrent Claus and his team atLola VFX, based on concepts by Ryan Meinerding.[11] Bettany's make-up, which consisted of a mix offace paint and prosthetics, took two hours to apply with make-up artists Jeremy Woodhead and Nik Williams citing the correct hue of the Vision's skin as the hardest thing to figure out.[12] Ultimately, however, the prosthetics and tracking dots were removed digitally and replaced with CG.[11]
Discussing the development of the character inCaptain America: Civil War, Bettany noted that because the Vision was only created in the previous film,Age of Ultron, "you see my character get born... He must be both omnipotent and yet totally naive at the same time. And experiencing the world in real time and his place in it. Is he going to be a force of good or a force of evil?"[13] Bettany also said he was interested in exploring "what it means to be human and what love is" with the character, as "The only way one can guarantee one's loyalty is love."[14] This is exhibited in the connection Vision begins to form withWanda Maximoff, with Bettany commenting, "They both have these new burgeoning powers that they don't understand ... I think he's worried that they're both dangerous. So he feels this real connection with her."[15] As the Vision has the ability to create a projected disguise, he chooses to dress similarly toHoward Stark's attache, Edwin Jarvis.[16] One review notes that "Vision is an android who gained consciousness and an affinity for love all at the same time, and so the latter is of the utmost importance to him".[17]
InWandaVision, Bettany portrays a new version of the character created by Wanda within her reality from the part of the Mind Stone that lives in her, who is the embodiment of her sadness, hope, and love.[18][19] Given this, Bettany described this Vision as "decent and honorable". He was influenced by the performances ofDick Van Dyke andHugh Laurie for this version.[20] Bettany also plays the original character, referred to as "The Vision",[21] who is reassembled and reactivated byS.W.O.R.D. (Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division). That version has an all-white appearance similar to when the comic book character was resurrected with an all-white body and without his memories and emotions.[22] Bettany differentiated the two versions by portraying The Vision as familiar and intimidating at the same time.[21]
In October 2022, it was announced that another spin-off fromWandaVision (2021) would be released afterAgatha All Along (2024). The spin-off was subtitledVisionQuest starring Bettany as Vision.[23] The series is scheduled to debut on Disney+ in 2026.[24]
A review of the character forThe Hollywood Reporter notes: "The comic book Vision employs a garish green-and-yellow costume, matched with a bright red face — a color scheme that may be a little over-the-top for the more subtly-hued Marvel Cinematic Universe — but even so, the mixture of purple, blue and grey is an unexpected, and unexpectedly bold, choice for Paul Bettany's character".[25]
In terms of fashion while maintaining a civilian appearance, Vision attempts to emulate classic human style, including wearing anascot tie.[26][27]
When Vision is reactivated by S.W.O.R.D., his entire body is white and he has light blue eyes.[28]
Following the release ofWandaVision, Jen Chaney ofVulture stated, "Olsen and Bettany's characters were often treated like benchwarmers on an all-star team in the Avengers movies. Here, they really shine." The review further found that Bettany "slides easily into the role of the devoted, kinda square, goofball husband," and praised hisphysical comedy skills.[29] Saim Cheeda ofComic Book Resources praised Bettany's performance across theMCU, especially inWandaVision, writing, "Paul Bettany has proved inWandaVision that he is the absolute perfect choice for playing Vision, nailing many of his characteristics."[30] Tyler Pisapia ofLooper inducted Bettany's portrayal of Vision through the MCU among his best performances overall, stating, "From his heroics — and ultimate death — in the Avengers franchise to his subsequent revival in WandaVision, Bettany's Vision has added a deeply soulful component to the MCU through his portrayal of a being whose synthetic structure doesn't deprive him of his essential humanity."[31] Matt Purslow ofIGN wrote Bettany "effortlessly takes to the comedic skits" and that he and Olsen "provide a fantastic amount of life, wit, and emotion".[32]TVLine named Bettany "Performer of the Week" for the week of January 16, 2021.[33]
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Avengers: Age of Ultron | Nominated | [34] |
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie: Chemistry[c] | Captain America: Civil War | Nominated | [35] | |
| 2021 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie | WandaVision | Nominated | [36] |
| 2022 | Critics' Choice Awards | Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries | Nominated | [37] | |
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | Best Actor in a Superhero Series | Nominated | [38] | ||
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor for Miniseries or Television Film | Nominated | [39] | ||
| Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | Best Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Television Movie | Nominated | [40] | ||
| Satellite Awards | Best Actor for Television Series Musical or Comedy | Nominated | [41] |
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