Vision #4
Changing Visions
The Vision has recently been haunted by dreams of a family becoming him home. In the waking world he has been plagued with a conflict between his many personalities.[1] This has caused him to believe that he is no longer worthy of his body and heads back to return it to its original owner. This is the Anti-Vision, an evil version of the Vision from another reality who, not so long ago, swapped bodies with his counterpart.[2]
The Vision then arrives at Anti-Vision’s secret base where he has been keeping Deathcry, and the addled Ultron and Jocasta prisoner.[3] Anti-Vision reminds his counterpart how he was brought to this reality by Proctor and how they swapped bodies so he could infiltrate the Avengers. Although the Anti-Vision was seemingly slain when Proctor’s base was destroyed shortly thereafter. Freeing himself from the rubble, the Anti-Vision sought to find Proctor so he could be restored to his original body, only to learn that Proctor had recently been slain.[4] Wishing to be restored, he then set this plan in motion to drive the Vision mad so he can take back his original body.
Meanwhile, Giant-Man and Crystal along with their ally Laura Lipton, are out searching for where the Vision had gone. Having deduced that the Anti-Vision is responsible, they have returned to the site of Proctor’s old headquarters. They then begin scanning the era and hit pay dirt when their bio-scanners detect Deathcry’s Shi’ar physiology.
While down below, the Vision is hooked up to a machine to swap minds with Anti-Vision. However, the Vision’s dominant personality is still fighting back. When Deathcry says this is because the Vision has the soul of a real man, Anti-Vision tortures her with his phasing powers.
As this is happening, the Vision is back in his dream with the woman reaching out to him. As he desperately tries to reach her, he is visited by the parts of his personality that are Simon Williams and Alex Lipton. They both warn the Vision not to touch the woman as the dream is nothing more than a trap. If he finally joins hands with the woman, the Anti-Vision will gain access to his mind and swap out their bodies again. The remind the Vision that he has a duty in the waking world and that Deathcry needs his help. Even though the woman in his dreams pleads with him to stay, the Vision decides that he must go even though he very much wants to remain here.[5]
Waking up, the Vision attacks his evil counter-part, saving Deathcry from his clutches. He then orders Ultron and Jocasta to deal with Tabula Rassa. In the ensuing brawl, the Vision overpowers his evil doppelganger. Enraged over how he had been emotionally manipulated this entire time, the Vision is about to beat Anti-Vision to death. Luckily, Deathcry and the others pull him off his opponent before he crosses the line. That’s when Giant-Man, Crystal, and Laurie arrive on the scene and convince the Vision to let go of his rage. Reasserting himself, the Vision thanks the others for their help. However, now that his emotions are back, the Vision needs some time alone to sort out what that means and who he will be in the future. He also has a responsibility to look after both Ultron and Jocasta.[5] Deathcry is deeply upset by this, but the Vision assures her that it is necessary.[6] As he departs with his “family”, the Vision assures Hank that when the Avengers need him again, he’ll be back.[7]
Recurring Characters
Vision, Ultron, Jocasta, Anti-Vision, Tabula, Avengers (Giant-Man, Crystal, Deathcry), Laura Lipton
Continuity Notes
The Vision’s personality crisis is a lengthy one, so I might as well get it out of the way off the top:
It starts with Wonder Man, who had a copy of his brain patterns taken when he thought he was going to die in Avengers #9.
Later, when Ultron built the Vision and used Simon William’s engrams to create the Vision’s personality. This also gave him a capacity for emotion, see seen in Avengers #57-58/134-135. Not long after his creation he met and fell in love with the Scarlet Witch, aka Wanda Maximoff, leading to their marriage in Giant-Size Avengers #4.
Years later, the government kidnapped the Vision and disassembled him. When the Avengers put him back together he was seemingly stripped of his capacity for emotion. See West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #42-45. This led to his estrangement from his wife.
Later, a software error was fixed using the brain engrams of a deceased man named Alex Lipton. While this gave him Lipton’s personality, memories, and emotions, the Vision has apparently been quashing them so that Lipton’s late wife, Laurie, could finally move on with her life. See Avengers Spotlight #40 and Avengers #348.
Since Vision #1, the Vision has been having his mind tampered with by Anti-Vision. The woman in his dream is a composite of both Wanda and Laurie.
The Anti-Vision was brought to Earth-616 by Proctor and the Gatherers in Avengers #359. This was to have him infiltrate the Avengers by swapping bodies with this reality’s Vision, as seen in Avengers #360. After being discovered, Anti-Vision was seemingly destroyed in Avengers #362, leaving the Vision stuck in the Anti-Vision’s body. Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Realities 2005 #1, Anti-Vision comes from Reality-932.
The Proctor storyarc is long and complicated. It began in Avengers #343 and ended when Proctor was decapitated in issue #375. TL:DR version: Proctor was from another reality where he was dumped by Sersi. He then went about the multiverse with a team of rogue Avengers called the Gatherers to destroy every reality where Sersi existed and kill her. Kind of excessive, but it’s comics.
Ultron and Jocasta have similarily had their personalities altered by Anti-Vision starting in Vision #1. They, and Deathcry were captured by Tabula Rasa in issue #2. This version of Jocasta is from another reality, as seen in Avengers #372-373. Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005 #1, she comes from Reality-943. Tabula Rasa was brought to Reality-616 by Proctor and the Gatherers in Avengers #359. Tabula’s native reality is unknown time of this writing in January, 2023.
The two children by the dream woman are representation of the Vision’s former children. Spawned by magic by the Scarlet Witch in Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #3, they were born in issue #12 of that series. Later, they were wiped from existence by Master Pandemonium in Avengers West Coast #51-52. However, years later, it will be learned that the children were reincarnated as explained in Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #6. We’ll see Tommy and Billy again in Young Avengers #1.
As of this writing (January, 2023), this is the last we’ve seen of Anti-Vision, Jocasta, and Tabula Rasa. Their subsequent fates are unrevealed. Ultron will be back to his homicidal ways when he appears again in Avengers (vol. 3) #10. There is no explanation as to what restored his personality back to the status quo.
Deathcry is upset that the Vision is leaving because she has been attracted to him since Avengers #367. Those feelings were not shared.
The Vision’s leave of absence will prove to be very short lived. He’ll be back on the team again in Avengers Unplugged #1.
