(CBR) Thanks to Hollywood fueled rumors and speculation, the Vision — a character the majority of the moviegoing public has never even heard of — has become of the most buzzed about characters in comics. With word that actor Paul Bettany is making the shift from voicing Tony Stark’s computer A.I. (aka J.A.R.V.I.S.) to playing the Vision in “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the synthezoid hero is poised to experience levels of popularity like never before. Of course, even though the public at large may not be aware of him (yet), the Vision has had a long and storied career that stretches back to Marvel Comics‘ Golden Age, and Marvel Studios has many great story elements to choose from when it introduces the Vision into the Cinematic Universe.
An “Avengers” mainstay since he was introduced by Roy Thomas and John Buscema in “Avengers” #57 in 1968, the Vision started his life as a tool of murder and mayhem for the evil robot Ultron, and intended to use his ability to alter the density of his body to completely eradicate the team from the face of the planet. However, he quickly sided with the Avengers, becoming one of the most important Assemblers in the team’s history. Over the decades, a number of major Avengers stories have centered on the Vision, from his unlikely marriage to the Scarlet Witch and his familial bond with Hank Pym, to his strange, sibling-like connection to Wonder Man, the Vision has become an indispensable part of Avengers lore. In recent years, an incarnation of the Vision was a major player in the fan/Tumblr-favorite “Young Avengers,” and he can currently can be found in the pages of “Avengers A.I.” The Vision is arguably the most well-developed and deeply layered artificial life form in comics, and under Joss Whedon’s watch, it’s a fair bet that millions will soon discover what comic fans have known for decades: that the Vision totally rocks.
Here are just some directions Marvel can go with the Vision, plot points and story elements that will show the rest of the world just how rich and cool the Android Avenger truly is.