Vision #2
Impaired Vision
The Vision has gone missing for weeks. Concerned about his well being, Crystal and Deathcry begin searching for their missing teammate. The trail leads them to Chicago, Illinois, where a new private detective calling himself Simon Williams has opened up his agency. Crystal and Deathcry suspect that “Simon Williams” is actually the Vision, since his original personality was based off of Williams.[1]
Inside, they are surprised to see Jocasta working as a secretary at the front desk. They are also caught off guard by the fact that she is speaking in the vernacular of someone from the 1930s.[2] Allowed to meet with “Simon”, the two Avengers confirm that it is the Vision, who has inexplicably set himself up like a 1930s detective. Deciding to play along with this delusion, Crystal tells “Simon” that she wants to hire him to locate their missing friend, the Vision. “Williams” is more than happy to take the case because his business is struggling to pick up clients, as most people — for reasons he can’t understand — usually run out of his office screaming after they meet.
When Crystal asks “Simon” if he ever experiences any strange dreams, the Vision takes this an opening to flirt with her. Crystal responds by jolting him with electricity generated from her elemental powers. Hearing the commotion, Jocasta comes running into the main office with a gun, but is quickly subdued by Deathcry. When Crystal tries to get the Vision to remember who he really is, he refuses to listen and wings Deathcry with a solar blast fired from his eyes. This entire incident starts to deeply confuse the two synthetic beings. Crystal tries to explain that they aren’t humans by an android and robot respectively, and — even more — Jocasta is also from another reality all together. “Simon Williams” continues to deny the reality of the situation until he suddenly collapses.
Although rendered incapacitated, the Vision’s true personality reasserts itself. He suddenly remembers who Crystal, Deathcry, and Jocasta really are. He also recounts that this whole fantasy came to be after his bizarre encounter with his creator, Ultron in New Orleans a few weeks back.[3] That’s when the Vision blacks out and has the same recurring dream that has been haunting him for some time now. It’s a vision of a woman and her two children waiting outside their farmhouse for the man of the home to return.[4]
When the Vision wakes up he is back to his old self and tries to convince Jocasta of the truth. Needing to get some fresh air, the synthezoid changes back into his usual costume and compares notes with Crystal on the roof of the building. The Vision believes that someone is trying to reprogram himself, Jocasta, and Ultron for some reason. When Crystal is relieved that the Vision is back to normal, he says he isn’t certain that’s entirely true either. Still, he is glad Crystal is there as a friend to help him out. Their private council is watched by Deathcry who takes it the wrong way as she is romantically interested in the Vision.[5] Getting jealous, she heads back downstairs to vent to Jocasta. She tries to put on a tough girl act, saying that she hates Earth and wishes she was home. However, when it comes out that she is hurt that the Vision doesn’t feel the same about her than she does about him, Jocasta to console the saddened youth.
When the Vision and Crystal return to the office, they have decided to head back to Avengers Mansion to find out who has been tampering with him. However, before they can leave, both the Vision and Jocasta are suddenly stricken by a sonic attack. Moments later, the wall to the office is blown open. From it hovers in Tabula Rasa, another android brought to this reality by Proctor, like Jocasta.[6] They have come after capturing Ultron, however, Tabula isn’t there to take the Vision but those he cares about and kidnaps both Jocasta and Deathcry before retreating.
When the sonic attack finally wears off, the Vision lets out a cry that sounds like it belongs to a madman. When Crystal asks if he is ok, he tells her is not and isn’t sure he ever will be again as he has come to believe that nobody ever really cared about him. He tells her that he has had enough of it and vows that there will be payback!
Recurring Characters
Vision, Jocasta, Crystal, Deathcry, Tabula, Ultron
Continuity Notes
When Simon Williams seemingly died due to a perceived side effect of gaining his Wonder Man powers, the Avengers made a copy of his mind, circa Avengers #9. This brain engram was then stolen by Ultron who used it to create the Vision’s personality as explained in Avengers #57-58/134-135. At the time of this story, it is believed that the traits and emotional range of Simon Williams were erased from the Vision’s mind during an incident where he was briefly disassembled by the government, see West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #42-45.
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. As we’ll learn in Vision #4, Jocasta and Vision’s change of personalities are the machinations of the Anti-Vision, an evil version of the Vision from another reality.
Last issue, the Vision encountered Ultron who had been reprogrammed into a mostly harmless drunk who speaks in a Louisiana accent who wanted to mend fences with his creation.
As we’ll learn in Vision #4, these dreams are the product of manipulations of Anti-Vision, the Vision’s evil counterpart from another dimension. The dream wife and children are composites created from the Vision’s past personas. The woman is an amalgamation of the Scarlet Witch and Laurie Lipton, while the children are based on Billy and Tommy, the children he had with the Scarlet Witch. Allow me to explain:
The Vision and the Scarlet Witch had been married for years, starting in Giant-Size Avengers #4. The marriage came to an end after the Vision was disassembled and put back together. The process erased his capacity for emotion, estranging the android from his wife. See West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #42-45.
Billy and William were the product of the Scarlet Witch’s magic creating the twins in Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #3. Wanda gave birth to them in issue #12 of that series. The twins were later erased from existence during a battle with Master Pandemonium in Avengers West Coast #51-52. The two will later be reincarnated, as explained in Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #6 and will turn up alive again in Young Avengers #1.
Nancy Lipton is the wife of Alex Lipton. Following his death, Alex’s brain engrams were used to correct a programming error in the Vision’s operating systems. This gave him access to all of Alex’s memories and (apparently very briefly) his emotions. See Avengers Spotlight #40 and Avengers #348.
Deathcry had recently joined up with the Avengers in Avengers #363. Her interest in the Vision stems from an attraction she has had for him, which was revealed in Avengers #367.
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.
Topical References
Because the Vision and Jocasta have been intentionally reprogrammed to think that they are characters out of a 1930s Film Noir detective story, their anachronistic manner of speech and dated pop-culture references would not be considered topical in this sense.
