WandaVision hits Disney+ this Friday, so it seems fair to dub this "WandaVision Week" here on CBM. After all, it's been far too long since we've paid a visit to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so the series is long overdue. We'll have a review for you (and much more) as the week goes on, but today, we're putting the spotlight on everyone's favourite MCU android: Paul Bettany's The Vision.
Starting off as Tony Stark's A.I. assistant J.A.R.V.I.S. in 2008's Iron Man, The Vision was given life in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and went on to have prominent roles in Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. It feels like his story is only just beginning, however, and despite having only a few movies behind him, this is a character who has done an awful lot since he debuted back in 2015.
All of these moments have led us to WandaVision, and we think you'll have fun revisiting them!
As we head further into Phase 4, we don't know what role The Vision will play in the MCU, but before watching WandaVision, these are particularly noteworthy. Click the "Next" button below to find out!
10. Saving Wanda
Distraught over the death of her brother Pietro, Wanda tracked Ultron down and used her impressive powers to tear the "heart" from the villainous android's robotic chest. However, he managed to transfer his consciousness into a drone that sent Sokovia plunging into the Earth below.
The Scarlet Witch hasn't mastered the ability to fly at this point, so chances are she would have met her maker here. Instead, The Vision flew into action to rescue Wanda and take her to safety.
The look they share was a great way of teasing their future romance, and the fact that The Vision put himself in harms way to rescue the Scarlet Witch helped create a connection and bond between them.
9. Taking Down Corvus Glaive
With Shuri in the midst of trying to remove the Mind Stone from The Vision while keeping him alive, the Scarlet Witch had no choice but to make her way to the battlefield to hold off Thanos' forces.
While that was happening, Corvus Glaive attacked the android, who, still wounded from that earlier battle in Scotland, was very nearly taken out by this member of the Black Order. Captain America arrived to help, but just as he too found himself overpowered by this villain, The Vision leapt back into action to plunge Glaive's own weapon straight through his chest.
They may have been on different sides of the conflict in Captain America: Civil War, but The Vision clearly appreciated the lengths Steve Rogers was willing to go to in order to keep him alive.
8. He Lives!
The Vision was meant to be the ultimate body for Ultron, but when the Avengers managed to secure it, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner decided to merge the Mind Stone and J.A.R.V.I.S. to create a whole new type of superhero. Some of the other Avengers object, of course, but it's Thor who makes the final decision.
Using his powers to give this A.I. body the boost it needs to live, a "naked" Vision emerges from his cocoon.
Despite initially attacking Thor, The Vision sees the beauty of the world as he looks out at the New York City skyline, and transforms into a superhero before the eyes of his future teammates.
7. Making The Ultimate Sacrifice
A true hero at heart, The Vision knew that he would have to make the ultimate sacrifice when the time came.
Unfortunately, that happened in Wakanda as Thanos and his forces closed in. Determined to stop the Mad Titan getting his hands on the Mind Stone, The Vision implored Wanda, the woman he loves, to destroy him. It was heartbreaking for them both, and truly horrific to watch "Viz" get blown apart.
After all, it was really just hours before this that he and Wanda had finally found happiness together, and to see him throw all that away to do what was right proved exactly how heroic he is.
6. A Grave Mistake
The Vision may be an android, but even he's not immune to making mistakes. Clearly struggling to come to terms with his feelings for the Scarlet Witch, the #TeamIronMan member comforted her while attempting to take out The Falcon (who was engaged in a mid-air battle with War Machine).
Unfortunately, the hero missed, and instead ended up shooting Colonel Rhodes out of the sky.
That left him with devastating injuries which he still hasn't recovered from, and it's only thanks to Tony Stark's intervention that he's able to walk. This was a big learning moment for The Vision, and one we wish had been covered in a little more depth in the movies that followed this one in the MCU.
5. J.A.R.V.I.S., No More
Once the Avengers realised that The Vision wasn't a threat to them, a difficult conversation followed.
Insisting that he doesn't have the same evil intentions for the world as Ultron, this newly born android explains that he's not Ultron or J.A.R.V.I.S. Instead, he's something entirely new, and while even he isn't sure what that is, he knows that he wants to do what's right to protect the world.
Paul Bettany's calm, measured performance here really served as a perfect introduction for The Vision in a movie that had already introduced a number of new characters, including Wanda Maximoff.
4. Making The Ultimate Sacrifice (Again)
Man, Avengers: Infinity War sure wasn't an easy time for poor old Vision.
Moments after the love of his life had blasted him to smithereens, Thanos arrived on the scene and used the Time Stone to reverse what she had done. Grabbing the newly resurrected Vision by the throat, the villain mercilessly tore the Infinity Stone from the Avenger's head, leaving him a greyed out shell with a hole where the gem had previously been. It was a brutal moment.
However, it was also one that left fans with a long list of questions; could it be that The Vision will return in his greyed out form from West Coast Avengers? We still don't know how he's back in WandaVision, but this is quite easily one of the hero's most memorable moments in the MCU.
3. Wielding Mjolnir
During Avengers: Age of Ultron's final battle, The Vision proves himself a true ally to Earth's Mightiest Heroes. He'd completely earned Thor's trust, and that was evident from the final battle.
While the God of Thunder distracted Ultron, it was The Vision who swooped in to save the day, using Mjolnir to send his creator reeling. "It's terribly well-balanced" was one hell of a one-liner, and a moment that proved The Vision lifting Thor's hammer was because he was worthy, and not just because a machine can lift it (despite what Steve Rogers and Tony Stark might think).
This was just a really cool moment, and one that established The Vision as a legit badass.
2. Destroying Ultron
What a moment.
Despite being defeated in Sokovia, Ultron managed to flee in one of his robotic army's broken down bodies. However, what he didn't anticipate was coming face-to-face with The Vision. What follows is a philosophical discussion about their humanity, with the Avenger defending mankind despite their flaws.
The Vision clearly doesn't want to kill his "father," but is left with no choice. He does, however, give him a moment of quiet before delivering that fatal blow. Of course, the ambiguous way this scene was shot means that we don't really know if The Vision did kill Ultron, which leaves the door open to the villain to return.
1. Worthy
This was one of those scenes we never could have seen coming, and one which drew audible gasps in theaters. As The Avengers bickered over whether to trust The Vision, the android interrupted them by passing the God of Thunder his hammer (which each member of the team had earlier attempted to lift in a bid to prove themselves as worthy as Thor himself).
In a matter of seconds, the team realise The Vision is someone they can trust, and the fact that he was worthy of lifting Mjolnir probably isn't something we talk about anywhere near as much as we should.
This definitely helped put The Vision on the map as a legit hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and justified his place in the Avengers. More moments like this in future would be no bad thing, that's for sure.