Avengers #58
Even An Android Can Cry
The Black Panther has been summoned to Avengers Mansion for an important meeting. There he is surprised to see that even Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor have answered the call. This is because the Avengers are considering making the Vision a member of the group.
However, the android’s mysterious past raises a lot of questions as to if they should accept him into the ranks. Unfortunately, the Vision does not remember much of his past. Captain America decides to attack the Vision to test and see the range of his powers. The Vision is easily able to evade Cap’s attacks by changing his density. This is followed by attacks by both Iron Man and Thor. The Vision proves resistant against Iron Man’s respulsor rays, and can match Thor’s strength in hand-to-hand combat. This convinces the Star-Spangled Avenger that the Vision at least has powers that would benefit the Avengers. With that, the Avengers get down to business to discuss if they will accept the Vision’s application for membership.[1]
Still, the Vision is unable to recall his origins until he really focuses on trying to get past the mental blocks. Suddenly, he remembers that he was created by Ultron, who had hoped to use the Vision and his density changing powers to destroy the Avengers. Considering his creation nothing more than a disposable slave, Ultron refused to give the Vision a name.[2] When he tells the gathered Avengers all of this, Hawkeye can’t help but recall hearing Goliath talking about working on such technology not long ago. Hank suddenly realizes that he does not remember why he stopped working on these experiments. To try and find answers, the Avenger all decide to head to Hank Pym’s suburban lab. There, they discover the building has been boarded up. Inside, all the equipment had been repaired following Goliath’s battle with Dragon Man.[3]
Hank then has the Wasp hook him into a memory bank device to try and jog his memories. He suddenly remembers that he was the one who created Ultron. However, back then the robot was a primitive automation. Once he was finished building the robot, Hank was shocked when Ultron activated itself and its intelligence began to increase at an alarming rate, going from calling him “da-da” to “father” in moments. Deciding that he wishes to destroy his creator, Ultron began to attack. Overpowering Goliath with his ultimo-ray, Ultron decided that he needed to come up with a more fitting way to destroy his father and the Avengers. Putting Hank under a hypnotic trance to repair his lab then abandon it and forget all about his creation, Ultron then fled to begin upgrading himself. When the Wasp later returned to see the lab in shambles, Hank no longer remembered Ultron and had decided to shut down his private lab in order to work directly at Avengers Mansion.[4][5]
By the time this is all revealed to the Avengers, Iron Man has discovered one thing missing from Pym’s lab: the brain imprint they took of Wonder Man before he died. He reminds everyone gathered that Wonder Man was once Simon Williams, a business rival of Tony Stark was was given superhuman powers by Baron Zemo. This was so Williams could infiltrate the Avengers and betray them. However, because the process that gave him his powers was also killing him, Williams saw the errors of his way and helped the team defeat Zemo’s Masters of Evil, even though it cost him his life. Before Wonder Man died, Iron Man and Goliath (then Giant-Man) copied his mind in the event they might bring him back to life again somehow.[6] They deduce that Ultron must have used Wonder Man’s brain patterns to create the Vision.
When they all return to Avengers Mansion, the Vision has concluded that his origins make him nothing more than a mockary of human life. However, the Avengers point out that they measure one’s humanity by their deeds, not by their composition. They then happily announce that the Vision is being welcomed into their ranks. However, while the Vision accepts this with cold acceptance he excuses himself and goes into another room where he privately cries tears of relief that he now has a place in the world as a member of the Avengers.[7]
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Goliath, Wasp, Hawkeye, Black Panther, Vision), Ultron (flashback),
Continuity Notes
As Thor is giving his speech about membership in the Avengers being a sacred thing blah, blah, blah, there is a one page splash of past Avengers members and applicants. They are:
Giant-Man and the Wasp: Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne were founding members of the Avengers in Avenges #1. At the time, Hank was Ant-Man. He later became Giant-Man in Tales to Astonish #49. He and the Wasp later took a leave of absence in Avengers #16. They later returned in Avengers #28, with Hank changing his name to Goliath.
The Hulk: Another founding member, the Hulk quit the team in Avengers #2 when he learned how much the rest of the group distrusted him.
Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch: Were founding members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from X-Men #4 through 11. They joined the group in Avengers #16. More recently, they quit to rejoin Magneto’s Brotherhood again, but abandoned Magneto in the end and are subsequently on the lamb. See Avengers #47-49, 53 and X-Men #43-45.
The Black Widow: Natasha spent time with the group starting in Avengers #30 and was considered for Avengers membership in Avengers #38. She ultimately decided to turn it down in favor of working for SHIELD. She will not formally join the team until Avengers #111.
Iron Man: Another founding member of the group who went on a leave of absence in Avengers #16. At this point, he has only returned briefly for important duties in Avengers Annual #1, and Avengers #45 and 51. He will formally rejoin the team in Avengers #66.
Thor: His current position with the Avengers is virtually the same as Iron Man.
Hercules: He was made a guest of the Avengers in issue #38 when he was exiled from Olympus by Zeus. He was later granted full membership in Avengers #45. He ended up leaving the group in issue #50 once this exile was lifted. He will return to the Avengers. He will briefly return to the group when all past and present members rejoin in Avengers #98-100, but he will not return to active duty until Avengers #173.
Hawkeye: Has been a long standing member since he joined the group in Avengers #16. He will remain on the team until he quits in Avengers #111. But he’ll be back by issue #130. (and we’ll stop there for now before we get too far off track)
Spider-Man: Was offered membership for the first time in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #3, but intentionally failed the initiation test when he felt sorry for the Hulk’s alter-ego, Bruce Banner. He will try out for the team again in issues #236-237 and 314-318 before settling on reserve status in issue #329. Spider-Man will not become a full and long-time member of the Avengers until New Avengers #1-5.
Captain America: The first new recruit onto the team after the team revived him from suspended animation in Avengers #4. He took a brief leave of absence between Avengers #38 and 41 to battle the Red Skull in Tales of Suspense #88-91. He later left the team in Avengers #47 because he wanted to retire as Captain America. However, Steve was pulled back into heroics in Tales of Suspense #95-96. He has returned to the group briefly since then in Avengers Annual #1, as well as Avengers #56 and Annual #2. He will rejoin the team on a regular basis in Avengers #69.
The Black Panther: At the time of this story, he was the most recent recruit on to the Avengers having joined in issue #52. He will remain an active member until he takes his first leave of absence in issue #87.
Missing from this list are Wonder Man and the Swordsman, who both infiltrated the group in order to betray them and, as such their memberships were short lived. See Avengers #9 and 19-20. Wonder Man will rejoin the ranks of the Avengers in issue #150, while Swordsman will return in ish #114
2. The Vision’s origins are far more complicated that what is revealed here. It’s later revealed in Avengers #134-135 and Avengers Forever #6 and 8, that the Vision was recycled out of a chronal duplicate of the android Human Torch of World War II.
3. The battle with Dragon Man took place in Avengers #41-42 and was Goliath’s first dabbling with artificial life.
4. What’s not revealed here is that Hank’s creation of Ultron was interrupted by a time traveling Wolverine and Invisible Woman who were trying to prevent an apocalyptic future where Ultron decimates humanity. Ultimately, they realize that they can’t prevent the creation of Ultron and instead have Pym program a failsafe that stops Ultron at the moment of his ascension. Pym was then made to forget all of this. See Age of Ultron #1-10.AU
5. It’s later revealed in Avengers (vol. 3) #22 that the reason why Ultron went mad was because Hank used his own brain imprint to create it’s personality. This was a period in which Hank was not mentally well, suffering a mental break down next issue.
5. This all happened in Avengers #9. However, Simon Williams did not die but entered a death-like trance. He will turn up alive again in Avengers #131.
6. The Vision’s admission onto the Avengers will have some serious repercussions, particularly with SHIELD. See Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (vol. 2) 1-4.
Topical References
Iron Man states here that Wonder Man’s brain imprint was recorded on tape.
