EDITORIAL: Why 'Vision' Was The Most Refreshing Thing In AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

EDITORIAL: Why 'Vision' Was The Most Refreshing Thing In AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

The second instalment of the Avengers franchise has been out for a while now and the primary consensus among fans in regards to Paul Bettany's Vision is that he was one of the best parts of the movie. Hit the jump to read my thoughts on why I found the character to be a breath of fresh air.

Editorial Opinion
By NovaCorpsFan - May 09, 2015 04:05 AM EST

With Avengers: Age of Ultron cleaning up at the box office right now, it's no surprise that it's being heralded as a great, fun film. The action sequences were large in scope, the jokes struck home and the romances made everyone uncomfortable, as is the want of the world. One thing that truly stood out to me on both occasions when I watched this movie was the character of the Vision, played by Paul Bettany.
 

Pretty much everyone, other than my friends that I saw the movie with, thought Vision was a great, interesting character and I for one cannot wait to see more of him. We recently learned, not to any surprise, that Vision would be returning to the big screen next year in Captain America: Civil War. Now, I anxiously anticipate another encounter with the character. What was it though that made this character such an interesting one? Well my friends, for me, there are quite a few factors that key into my answer to that question.

1. His Characterisation

One of the standout moments of the film for me was Vision's "birth". Seeing him come out of the cradle, looking confused and his immediate instinct being to attack Thor was reminiscent of an animal's fight or flight response to danger. Upon his introduction, we're led to think he's either scared, or already evil. Then there was that lovely brief moment where he looks out on New York and Thor makes the other Avengers hold off. Then he starts monologuing and by Lucifer's beard, was it a hell of a monologue. Within those first few moments, I just understood him. Obviously, he's a character I've understood for years in the comics, but that monologue flowed so naturally and came to such a nice conclusion that you just immediately get Vision's entire purpose. My favourite line of Vision's is when he says, "I am not Ultron. I am not J.A.R.V.I.S. I am... I am." I don't know if it's just because I'm a writer or whether it had this effect on everyone, but that line just put a massive grin on my face. It's the sort of character-defining line you hope everyone can have and it turns a character into a person, which is what Vision really needed, being an android and everything.
 

2. His Power Set


 

Vision's powers weren't made entirely clear to us going into this film. We all expected the usual stuff like density control and the super strength that comes with that and thankfully enough, that's exactly what we got. The best part about that for me was that these are powers we haven't really seen explored all that much. We've seen Shadowcat running through walls and phasing through people, we've seen plenty of super strength, energy blasts aren't anything new either, and flight is Comic Book Hero 101. For some reason, Vision's power set just stuck out more than all of those things on their own. They're not exactly powers that we've seen explored in the Marvel Cinematic Universe yet. Flight, in terms of how Vision does it, hasn't been seen before outside of brief moments in Thor's movies and Iron Man's method of flight is pretty different from Vision's too. In terms of strength? He lifted Mjolnir for crying out loud! We're not really sure whether it was because he was worthy or whether he density controlled it, but still, he lifted it and it was amazing. His density control was expertly portrayed too. Having him tearing Ultron drones apart by phasing his hands through them and just reverse bear hugging that shit was awesome to see. Lastly, the energy blast stuff. That moment when he, Thor and Iron Man are all blasting the hell out of Ultron. Need I say more? I think not!

3. His Philosophy

By far my favourite aspect of the Vision was his philosophy. Finally, all these years after we got Dr. Manhattan, we have an on screen super hero that thinks! His scene with the last remaining Ultron drone was probably my favourite scene of the film too. Purely because of the little discussion the two of them share. We got a real insight into his mind and just how different these two characters are, polar opposites in every respect. One an agent of life, the other an agent of chaos and death. Sidenote: chaos and death are aspects of Entropy, the idea that all things decay in accordance with time's arrow and also one of the four cosmic beings on the mural in Guardians of the Galaxy. Yeah, I just suggested Ultron was Entropy, what of it?! Back on topic, this scene also has my favourite dialogue exchange in all of the MCU.
 

ULTRON
They're doomed.

VISION
Yes. But then something isn't beautiful if it lasts.

ULTRON
You're unbearably naive.

VISION
Well... I was born yesterday.

 

That was another grin-inducing moment. Vision has never been much of a witty character in the comics, which I think is a missed opportunity but at least now, in the MCU, there's room for him to use his superior intellect to crack wise. If you think about it, Vision should be witty in the comics too, intellectuals are renowned for being incredibly funny people. Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Stephen Hawking, Brain Cox and Bill Nye are four guys who're essentially pillars of the scientific community; some of the funniest and most well-humoured men on the planet. That all spawns from a deeper understanding of things and an acceptance that we're pretty much the most insignificant thing in the universe. Despite that likely being something Vision knows, he still advocates for life and believes there's something worth saving about the human race. I admire his character for that.
 

4. His Design

In terms of looks, I think Vision has been one of, if not the best adaptations from comic book to movie screen in the MCU. Obviously it's not a one hundred per cent accurate adaptation, but he still looks ridiculously cool. Him taking his fashion cues from Thor's attire was a nice little moment. Just seeing him look Thor up and down before conjuring a cape and gauntlets for himself was pretty satisfying to see. In the comics, I never really saw the point in Vision having a cape. I was just glad there was something of a reason for him to have one this time around. The wrist gauntlets don't bother me that much. After all, the green parts of him are technically his clothing and so it comes as no surprise to me that they wanted there to be something red on him that wasn't skin, and if that had to be the boots and the gauntlets, then so be it. I can't complain at all, I think he looked absolutely boss and definitely brought a new aesthetic to the MCU's costume department.
 

5. His Importance

One of the first things my friends said when we left the theatre after seeing the movie was that Vision did nothing to help the team or move the plot along. He cut Ultron's connection to the internet during the final battle! What could have been more important than that? Why was Vision's importance a breath of fresh air, you may be wondering? Well, let's face it, Marvel have a tendency of introduing characters that everyone expect to do something great but then they do practically nothing. Like Collector in Guardians of the Galaxy, or better yet; Thanos. I was just glad to see Vision wasn't just there to provide exposition for Ultron's plans and whatever else. In a way, he's also the one who brought the team together and got them ready for the final battle. He did two very important things, and you can't ignore that.


6. His Future

Not too surprisingly, the gem in Vision's forehead turned out to be the Mind Stone, something a lot of people had already speculated, or otherwise just believed it was an Infinity Stone. That means he's going to have a lot of interesting things going on for him as his arc continues in the MCU. Especially once Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 rolls around. We have to wonder, can Vision even survive without the Mind Stone in his forehead? Will Thanos just remove it, or will he full on decapitate everyone's favourite synthezoid? Only time will tell. Also, we got the little hint that Vision and Scarlet Witch may develop something of a relationship. I felt there were two hints really. One being when Scarlet Witch said she could read his mind in the cradle and then the other, the one everybody picked up on, was when he saved her from the train carriage as the city fell back to Earth. Needless to say, he's one of the few characters whose future is layed out before him and we can say with honesty that we know more or less where he's heading. Unlike some other characters I could mention...
 


 

Seriously, why would they even bother introducing Howard the Duck? It aggrivates me that I sat through the credits of my favourite movie of all time to see this little pleb sipping down a martini with the Collector. I was so hopeful! When they showed Collector sitting there with Cosmo, every fibre of my being was willing for Adam Warlock to be there with them. But no. We got Howard the [frick]ing Duck.

 


Anyway, those are my reasons for thinking Vision was a breath of fresh air in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Who was your favourite character in Avengers: Age of Ultron? Are you looking forward to seeing more of Vision in future instalments to the MCU? Be sure to let me know in the comments section below.

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DrKinsolving
DrKinsolving - 5/9/2015, 6:20 AM
Agree 100%

The Vision was a major highlight for me, he rocked, they nailed it. Everything from the dialogue and the look, to the action. His "Birth" was such a cool moment for me

I'm really wondering what this means for Warlock's future in the MCU or if Warlock will ever get the soul gem.

Awesome article
Greengo
Greengo - 5/9/2015, 6:29 AM
*Spoiler*

Vision picking up Mjolnir to hand it to Thor was such an awesome moment. The whole theater collectively gasped.
MichaelIvanLowell
MichaelIvanLowell - 5/9/2015, 6:33 AM
Well said! Great points all around!

I would add one more Vision - Wanda moment: after his big speech and they are all getting ready to go, Pietro sees her having googly eyes at Vision while he is talking with Thor. It seems to irritate Pietro so he throws her jacket at her to take her out of her trance.

Agree about Hard the Duck, as well.
Castiglione
Castiglione - 5/9/2015, 6:37 AM
Awesome article.
DrKinsolving
DrKinsolving - 5/9/2015, 7:10 AM
I liked the look of Vision, cape and all
kinghulk
kinghulk - 5/9/2015, 7:50 AM
i loved the vision in the film and i cant wait to see him again, i also liked how he saved wanda at the end to me that felt like just a tiny set up for their future.
NovaCorpsFan
NovaCorpsFan - 5/9/2015, 8:02 AM
@AlexanderLykins
At the risk of sounding like a total idiot, what does FTFY mean?
NovaCorpsFan
NovaCorpsFan - 5/9/2015, 8:09 AM
@AlexanderLykins
Oh okay.
TheBritAvenger
TheBritAvenger - 5/9/2015, 8:31 AM
Nicely done! I agree, I loved Vision in this movie, and can't wait to see more of him. His design, his personality, his powers- all were awesome, and Paul Bettany knocked it out of the park playing this character. Well done Nova. Thumbed!
Starfox
Starfox - 5/9/2015, 8:32 AM
Great article Nova! Another quote I loved from Vision was when he said: "Humans are odd.. they think chaos and order are somehow separate, and try to control what won't."

Makes me even more excited to see this character going forward. Easily the most interesting & Intellectually badass
JacuzziJoe
JacuzziJoe - 5/9/2015, 8:35 AM
A Nova article!!!

Will read shortly.
JacuzziJoe
JacuzziJoe - 5/9/2015, 8:53 AM
Didn't wait. Very nice points. I honestly didn't catch that he based his costume off of Thor, though.

And I feel like Howard the Duck was sort of a fun nod, idk lol. After Thor TDW, I thought we might see that big thing appear on SHIELD since it was running around Earth chading birds, but I guess he gets free reign.
JacuzziJoe
JacuzziJoe - 5/9/2015, 8:55 AM
Also, Nova, I have three questions for you.

You love talking about the Infinity plot line and you love Marvel Cosmic, what are your thoughts on Civil War and where everyone will fall?
JacuzziJoe
JacuzziJoe - 5/9/2015, 8:55 AM


And lastly, do you write your own material?
JacuzziJoe
JacuzziJoe - 5/9/2015, 8:56 AM
As in other than editorials On CBM.
Lhornbk
Lhornbk - 5/9/2015, 8:59 AM
I liked Vision, but Scarlet Witch is easily my favorite new character. She has the potential to be the most powerful of all the Avengers. She has the ability to control the Hulk, to either totally unleash him or, I would bet, to actually bring him back to being Banner. But, beyond her mind control abilities, look at what else she did in the movie. She stopped a speeding train (and without being sure if she had that much power), she ripped apart Ultron-bots without even touching them. And, after Pietro is killed, her anger and despair actually just totally obliterates several Ultron-bots that were moving towards her. If she learned to control and harness that power, she'll be almost unstoppable. And, at the end, it showed her basically using her telekinesis to fly, as she lands by the other new Avengers. And besides her powers, she is just an interesting character. She knows that experimentation isn't always good, and that power corrupts. I can't wait to see more of her. (I will say that I hope they do NOT have her and Vision fall in love. I just don't think that's right. She deserves a human, not an android. And it would probably serve his character arc better to have him have a crush on her, but realize that it can't go anywhere.)

As for the Mind Stone, I think Thanos will remove it, causing Vision to die. But, Scarlet Witch and/or Dr. Strange will find a way to bring him back to life without it (he doesn't have the Mind Stone in the comics, so there must be some other way for him to live.) Since she got her powers from the Mind Stone, maybe Wanda finds a way to put another crystal in his head and give it similar characteristics by channeling her powers into it.
NovaCorpsFan
NovaCorpsFan - 5/9/2015, 9:04 AM
@JacuzziJoe
I feel like Civil War is going to try and shock us, so people will likely end up on the side you least expect them to in that movie.

I hope to be a writer in the future. I'm only on the brink of leaving school right now, so I'll be sending scripts and pitches to 2000AD and the like this Summer and with any luck and enough persaverence, they'll pick me up.
JacuzziJoe
JacuzziJoe - 5/9/2015, 9:18 AM
I wish you luck! I so far have only self-published novels but I do hope to be picked up as well.
Brainiac13
Brainiac13 - 5/9/2015, 9:19 AM
Agree 100%

The Vision was a major highlight for me, he rocked, they nailed it. Everything from the dialogue and the look, to the action. His "Birth" was such a cool moment for me

"Having him tearing an Ultron drone apart by phasing his hands through it and just reverse bear hugging that shit was awesome to see."
NovaCorpsFan
NovaCorpsFan - 5/9/2015, 9:31 AM
@JacuzziJoe
That's awesome, man! I just want to be out there trying rather than being stuck in school.
SauronsBANE
SauronsBANE - 5/9/2015, 11:15 AM
Awesome, awesome editorial Nova! Couldn't agree more, Vision was absolutely glorious to see fully-realized on the big screen. I can't even begin to articulate my thoughts on him...he's just so graceful, so noble, so pure, ya know? The opposite to Ultron in every single way, even though he's technically Ultron's "son" and Tony's "grandson".

And Whedon gave him some of the absolute best lines of dialogue in the whole movie. Just awesome stuff all around.
TheBritAvenger
TheBritAvenger - 5/9/2015, 11:21 AM
@SauronsBANE- I have this hilarious image in my head of Stark, Ultron and Vision on the weirdest family road trip ever.
SauronsBANE
SauronsBANE - 5/9/2015, 11:26 AM
@TheBritAvenger Sounds like the perfect premise for a spin-off...I would watch the SHIT out of that haha.
TheBritAvenger
TheBritAvenger - 5/9/2015, 11:30 AM
@SauronsBANE- I also remember someone on Badass Digest who had an idea about Widow and Hawkeye recruiting Bucky in Civil War and then those three having a really awkward trip.
'So, who are you then?'
'I'm Natasha. You shot me in the stomach once.'
'Oh.'
SauronsBANE
SauronsBANE - 5/9/2015, 11:41 AM
@TheBritAvenger Lol!

I kind of really want to see those two interact now haha.
MisterSuperior
MisterSuperior - 5/9/2015, 4:27 PM
The Vision already became one of my favorite characters in the MCU and my favorite character in AoU. He was so.....freaking perfect. Too bad he's going to most likely endure a painful death because someone needs that Infinity Stone...
staypuffed
staypuffed - 5/9/2015, 4:38 PM
Another excellent article, my man! I definitely agree that the Vision was one of the strongest elements of the movie, and you articulated and analysed him brilliantly here. I can't wait to see more of him.
Mrsinister
Mrsinister - 5/9/2015, 5:35 PM
I grew up loving Howard The duck, so it was a very cool moment for me.
GenreFan
GenreFan - 5/9/2015, 5:54 PM
The Vision was a thing of BEAUTY in every way. Absolutely fantastic. I would see this movie a third time just for seeing the Vision again. So damn awesome.
MarkyMarkRises
MarkyMarkRises - 5/9/2015, 6:17 PM
1: man, goal, mission, heart, soul, solution, god, Vision

willyburz
willyburz - 5/9/2015, 6:21 PM
All I know is the Vision was awesome, annnnd I have seen this movie 4 times now...gets better every time. This movie is tricky for the amount of things taking place, and heroes it has to work with...Joss pulled it off, AMAZING MOVIE!
MindQuad
MindQuad - 5/9/2015, 6:33 PM
TLDR:

Q: Why 'Vision' Was The Most Refreshing Thing In AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

A: Because his character was most similar to the comics.
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