58 Years Ago Today, Marvel Debuted Vision, and His Biggest Story May Still Be Ahead

The Avengers are Marvel’s biggest superhero team. That’s arguable in terms of popularity, but in terms of active and past members, it’s no contest. The Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are constantly and continuously swapping members and entire rosters to best fit the scenarios they find themselves in. They are always evolving as a team and heroes, mixing and matching for the greatest possible cohesion and stories. Of course, there are some characters better known for being Avengers than others, and one of the most iconic members of all is Vision. The robotic hero has one of the strangest histories in Marvel, but despite it all, he’s risen to become one of the world’s best heroes.

Vision debuted on August 8, 1968, in Avengers (1963) #57. The synthezoid was created to destroy the Avengers by one of their greatest enemies, but wound up becoming a valued, trusted hero. It’s been fifty-eight years since the Vision first appeared in his ghastly debut, and in that time, he’s starred in some of Marvel’s most thought-provoking storylines, but his biggest story of all might be yet to come. The titular android will star in the upcoming TV show VisionQuest, releasing on Disney+ this October 14, and we’re going to talk about the stories that it could be drawing its inspiration from.

A Complex History Rooted in Marvel’s Roots

The Vision’s first appearance immediately threw the audience into his default themes, being those of freedom, a struggle between his human and robotic natures, and a philosophical approach to his problems. This particular debut cold-opened on the Vision attacking Wasp’s apartment, although his struggle between his mission and his own thoughts made him pass out. The Avengers gathered, and Vision confessed he was sent to kill them by Ultron. The team counterattacked, with the heroes actually falling into a trap, leaving Vision to battle his creator on his own. In the end, Vision overcame his programming to defeat Ultron, but learned there was much about his origins that he didn’t know.

That history would be revealed later, and actually directly tied him into some of Marvel’s lost heroes. His body was constructed with the parts taken from the original superhero android, the first Human Torch. His mind, meanwhile, was based on the brainwaves of Wonder Man, who actually died in his first appearance in Avengers #9. The Vision was made from the remnant of fallen heroes, imagined as a way to give them new life. He took the broken, leftover parts from other heroes and became something entirely new, which has informed his character for his entire tenure. He’s always been a man struggling to define himself, lost between worlds, but he’s always made the choice to be more than the sum of his parts and do them proud.

A Quest to Rediscover Who the Vision Is

VisionQuest will follow the Vision after his revival and factory reset. He’s regained his memories, but lost his emotions and his connection to the things he experienced. Reborn as White Vision, he’ll go through the world to find his place and face challenges, physical and emotional, set by a returned Ultron. Along the way, he’ll also interact with various other AIs popular and present in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and comics alike. This series is definitely set to take heavy inspiration from the fallout of the comic arc it takes its name from, which saw Vision dismantled and reassembled without memories or emotions. It’s different this time, as he’s already lost his marriage but regained his past, yet will still struggle to understand who he once was.

It’ll likely also take heavy inspiration from the Vision (1994) miniseries, which saw the titular synthezoid rapidly develop and fall victim to human emotions at the same time Ultron did. Jocasta is meant to play a role as well, and she was a major character in Vision’s development during this series. This will likely be an intimate, psychological story that deals with the philosophy and impact of an inorganic man living with the memories of feeling alive, but never quite understanding what that feels like. It will see Vision come to terms with who he is, and who he wants to be.

Of course, a major side of this adventure will also be how Vision tackles being a father, as at least one of his reborn children will be present during this season. Tommy will be present, which will allow the show to dig into Vision’s complicated history as a father and his desire for a family. This was best explored in Vision (2016), but it’s likely that this show won’t introduce elements beyond themes from that series. Of course, there will also be quite a few Tony Stark-based AIs in this show, which could mean that they’re taking inspiration from some of his comics. The most likely is Dan Slott’s 2019 and 2020 runs, which featured an AI revolution as they came to terms with their inherent humanity.

Overall, the Vision is a wonderful character with a deep, nuanced perspective on life and existence that not many other heroes can touch. I’m very excited to see what the MCU does with his character, and hopeful for another great fifty-eight years of the strangest Avenger!

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