How Vision Can Exist After Avengers: Endgame Without The Mind Stone

The Vision is sure to return after Avengers: Endgame – and he may not even need the Mind Stone. Introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Vision is a unique character; his mind is essentially a blend of Ultron’s, JARVIS’, and even the Mind Stone itself. The Vision bears the Mind Stone in his forehead, and he’s spent years attempting to master it. “I wish to understand it,” he explained in Avengers: Infinity War. “The more I do, the less it controls me.“

Unfortunately, this meant he became a target of Thanos and the Black Order, with the Mad Titan seeking to kill the Vision in order to take possession of the Mind Stone. The Vision was badly damaged by Corvus Glaive, whose weapon was even able to counter his ability to phase, and as a result the Vision struggled to defend himself. In the end, he fell when Thanos tore the Mind Stone out of his forehead, crushing his positronic brain for good measure. In truth, the Vision’s death was inevitable, and served as the climax of Avengers: Infinity War‘s entire plot.

Related: Infinity War Director Explains Why Black Order Were So Weak

But the Vision’s story doesn’t seem to be over yet. So just how could he return – and will he still be bonded with the Mind Stone? If he is, that raises questions about whether or not Avengers: Endgame will bring a satisfactory close to Phase 3; but if he isn’t, how could it change him?

• This Page: Vision’s Future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
• Page 2: How Vision Was Resurrected in the Comics

Vision Has A Future In The MCU After Avengers: Endgame

The Vision may be dead, but actor Paul Bettany has hinted that he’s set to reprise the role in Avengers: Endgame. In an interview back in August 2017, he was asked about the experience of filming Avengers: Infinity War. “It felt like the biggest movie that I’ve ever made and will ever make,” he observed, “and we’ve still got to make the [next] one. It’s f***ing crazy!” He’s refused to spill any details, though. “I happen to know what’s going to happen to me,” Bettany told ABC News, “and … what I can tell fans is that, ‘Snitches end up with stitches in ditches.’ And I, I’ve done very well keeping my mouth shut for the last 10 years, and I’m going to continue to keep my mouth shut.” There’s said to be a single major scene in Avengers: Endgame that features every major MCU character to date, and it’s reasonable to assume the Vision is part of it.

Looking beyond Avengers: Endgame, Marvel is preparing to launch a slate of live-action TV shows for Disney Plus starring stars of the big screen. One of these is The Vision and the Scarlet Witch, with Bettany’s Vision and Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch serving as co-stars. Marvel has hired Jac Schaeffer to work on the script. It’s true that, in theory, this could be set sometime between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War; in reality, though, that would be a rather strange approach for Marvel to take, given it wouldn’t exactly push the MCU’s story forwards. So it looks as though the Vision is set to return, and that Avengers: Endgame will somehow see the synthezoid return.

The Problems With Resurrecting Vision

The Vision’s resurrection means Marvel is faced with some very difficult choices. The simple truth is that, for Avengers: Endgame to feel like a satisfying close for Phases 1-3, the Infinity Stones need to go away. They’re too strongly associated with the MCU’s past, and after the Thanos plot they’ve outlived their usefulness. The Avengers now know the unlimited power of the Infinity Stones, and they’re aware they have the potential to erase half the life in the entire universe. They’d be fools to leave the Infinity Stones out there, which naturally means that they will ultimately have to extract the Mind Stone from the Vision. Given that the Mind Stone is a part of the Vision, that would literally rewrite his character.

Related: How Thanos May Have Got The Mind Stone For Loki In The Avengers

So, how can the Vision come back from the dead? There are two possibilities. The first is that perhaps he could be rebuilt by Wakandan technology; the official Avengers: Infinity War Prelude comic teased that Wakanda have experts in artificial intelligence, while in Avengers: Infinity War Shuri was able to understand the Vision’s programming with ease and even begin the process of extracting the Mind Stone. Alternatively, it’s possible that the events of the Battle of Wakanda will be completely rewritten as a result of time travel. There’s strong evidence that Avengers: Endgame is a time travel film, with the Avengers attempting to undo or avert the snap. It could well be that, as part of the final timeline, the Vision was never killed in the first place. If that is indeed the case, though, the MCU will really still need to write the Mind Stone out of the plot somehow, perhaps by having it extracted and destroyed by Scarlet Witch.

Page 2: How Vision Was Resurrected in the Comics

About The Author

Thomas Bacon
(4897 Articles Published)

Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

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A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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