His Master's Vision

"Ultron created me to be perfect.  He thought that meant less human. I do wish to be perfect, but I believe that is to be more human"

bit of an early warning here. 

I am about to write a post about one of my most favorite of favorites of Marvel characters.  You are forewarned of much fangirling, occasional spazz attacks, and sentences that serve no purpose but to discuss how perfect I think Vision is. 

You are warned and...I apologize. 

So, Who IS this 'The Vision'?

Vision is an android.  But to explain further, I will need to go into the depths of the Marvel Comic History to explain.

The Vision is a sentient robotic life form created by, originally, Ultron.  His purpose was to use as a weapon against The Avengers, and most importantly, Hank Pym (Ant Man and a lot of other names)  and his wife, Janet van Dyne (The Wasp).   in the comics, it is actually Janet who gives Vision his name, as she is the first to see him and describes him as 'a vision'.  And I guess, everyone likes to have a name, so Vision stuck with it. cute. 

Vision was created using the brain patterns of the deceased Wonder Man (Simon Williams) and after learning how he was brought about, he switches sides and joins the Avengers in the fight against Ultron. 

Vision goes on to become a full fledged Avengers member (he is again controlled by Ultron again at one point in order to rebuild the maniac. but he over comes that. so mere trifles), and, the best part?

Vision and Wanda Maximoff become a real deal. 

and in case that name doesn't ring a bell, Wanda is, The Scarlet Witch.  

I know! I'm super excited too, and have made it aware to many people (aka: my family who are probably sick and tired of hearing about me talk about Vision and Wanda nonstop...) that I will be exceedingly happy if there are ship scenes in Age of Ultron. and exceedingly disappointed if there are not.

back on topic. 

Wanda and Vision ultimately end up having two boys (Wanda creates them using her hex powers) and I can only imagine how happy that makes our android who considers humans to be perfection.  being a father is a huge step closer to being a human. 

Unlike many of marvel characters, whose relationships can bunny trail in so many different directions depending on the writer (I'm looking at you, Natasha), Wanda is the only person paired up with Vision that I know of.  I find that remarkably endearing. they were so perfect, why change it up at all?

What is his super power?

Vision has a solar gem on his forehead that absorbs solar energy that he uses as his power to function.  He can dispel radiation as beams for when he is fighting, and the gem can also be used to dispel even an even greater beam with a greater destructive power. but it naturally drains more energy that way, and therefore depletes him quicker.  

He can control his own density (which I find to be the most fascinating skill he possesses).  He can use it to fly, as a phasing ability that means he can walk through solid matter, as well as make it difficult to injure him.  How are you suppose to attack a thing with little mass?
But by also using his ability to change density, a fairly signature move is his ability to half re materialize, or as wikipedia puts it, he can cause a "physical disruption" to his enemies.  It causes great pain and, eventually death, as he can use it to stick his light density (ghostly form) through an enemy, and rematerialize through them.
Besides those, Vision is given the normal super human abilities such as heighten senses, strength and speed even at low density. Being an android, his ability to process information is heightened, but that is to be expected. and, he is well versed in his own repairs. I mean, you kinda have to be, when your creator is dead.  Its not like he can walk into a mechanic shop with a broken arm and say, "fix this".

What can we expect for Vision in Age of Ultron?

It is too early to pinpoint all the differences, but there are a few things we can definitely expect to see. 

• Paul Bettany, previously the voice of the much beloved Jarvis,  was given the role.  I find this hugely satisfying. and think his voice and skill will do the role much much justice!

• I've heard it rumored around, and it seems very notable considering we haven't yet met Janet or Hank Pym, that Vision is not Ultron's creation in this go around.  I actually was kinda looking forward to seeing Vision as a baddie for a brief while, but I'm also interested in seeing how his fresh story pans out.  Starting Vision out as a good guy seems very tasteful, and adventurous, and the story can go in so many different ways (just as long as it always leads back to Wanda, I will be happy).

• The new look! While still dwelling greatly on the original, Vision's new look is much cleaner, and modern. And I think Janet would approve. She did disagree with his original colors a bit. Vision now looks much more put together, and less like his creator was color blind and just threw shades of colors together.  (is Ultron color blind?)

• His relationship with Wanda. actually...I don't know that. But a fan girl can dream, right?

To sum up, when Age of Ultron started getting production work, I was excited. Who wasn't?

I followed up with the news, had the opening night penned on my calender, all the works.
and then. That two second preview at the end of the trailer.

It was so short. but those few quick seconds were all I need to launch me from the 'yay age of ultron so excited' group into the 'SJKFSDAKGHKGAHKFDGA AGE OF ULTRON' group.

and so, yes. my excitement level went from 100% to 3000% within two seconds, and if thats not a roller coaster ride of emotions, I don't know what is.

Also Vision has beautiful eyes. What girl couldn't fall for an adorable (but very very powerful) android with blue gear eyes? 

Who are you most looking forward to seeing in Age of Ultron?

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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 2x19: The Dirty Half Dozen [Recap/Review]

In which Ward is back on the team, Lincoln and Mike are in trouble, Raina's up to no good, Gordon gets stitches, and Cal is surprisingly non-violent.

At SHIELD 2.0, Coulson tries to charm Gonzalez into agreeing to an extremely ambitious rescue mission to get Mike Peterson and Lincoln away from HYDRA. He comes up with a crazy plan which Gonzalez actually agrees to (cue suspicious alarm bells), but May is still pretty ticked at Coulson for going behind her back. Coulson explains that he was visiting May's ex, Garner, to help cope with his 'alien writing' breakdown, and she should be able to understand that. She doesn't.

In Afterlife, Raina has a vision of a wounded Gordon and Lincoln strapped to a table somewhere. Just minutes later, Gordon shows up, wounded, telling them that HYDRA took Lincoln. Cal is pacing around in his time-out room but is showing a shocking amount of self-control, and none of the furniture is in splinters. Jaiying takes him out for a walk, and almost loses her composure when Cal announces (loudly) that Jaiying, Cal and Skye are all family. Oops.

Meanwhile, Coulson is dealing with a practical revolt - not everyone is keen on Ward joining the team for this mission. Ward tries to get them to soften toward him by pointing out what Good Times they had Before, but they aren't exactly won over. They need him, however; as he has Bakshi as his inside man working at the HYDRA base.

Simmons proves uncharacteristically violent, and tells Fitz that she's planning on possibly killing Ward with a splinter bomb at the earliest possible convenience. Only, of course, after they rescue Mike and Lincoln. Gordon refuses to take Skye to the HYDRA base but agrees to teleport her to the Bus, and the when she shows up, Ward cheerfully says "We're getting the team back together!"

They head out for Operation Long Shot, which involves HYDRA shooting the Bus out of the sky while the team (inside the quinjet, piloted by a grumpier-than-usual May) does their best debris imitation and just barely lands before crashing.

HYRA assumes that the SHIELD team is DOA, when they're actually infiltrating the base with Bakshi. Meanwhile, Simmon's attempt to wipe Ward from planet earth backfires a bit when Bakshi tries to stop her and ends up the one dead. Ward, rather than shooting Simmons in retaliation, only says sadly, "I'm disappointed in you." (I'm so proud of Ward. SO PROUD.)

They're not the only awkward conversation taking place - May discovers that Coulson took a page from Fury's book and compartmentalized his own objective, which was to download something from a HYDRA computer before they skedaddle.

Basically, Coulson:

"Well, this is awkward."

 

They rescue Mike and Lincoln and make it back to SHIELD 2.0, but we discover that the only reason Gonzalez was on board with Operation Long Shot was because he wants Skye, Lincoln and Mike (the 'powered freaks') for a shady, probably-sinister reason. I knew it. Coulson calls Maria Hill (lovely to see you, Hill) and they confirm that HYDRA's plans include Loki's scepter and the Maximoff twins in a place called Sokovia. Cue Raina at Afterlife having a discussion with Jaiying (who is rightfully suspicious of her) and being seized with a vision of an apocalypse caused by men made of metal.
Um...
Ultron, anyone?

Other Stuff

• While I actually enjoy Agents of SHIELD's sometimes over-the-top cheesiness, I was impressed with the deft way they handled the Ultron tie-ins. It was a great plot twist with other subtle hints thrown in, and kept the episode from feeling like one big preview for Age of Ultron.

• How about Skye's fight scene, huh? HUH?? It was like May, only (dare I say it) - better.

• I almost had a heart attack when I saw Gordon injured, but fortunately all he needed was a few steri-strips. Thank goodness.

• What's the 'secret' that Gonzalez (Mr. THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO SECRETS HERE Gonzalez) is keeping? Any guesses?

• What does Gonzalez what powered people for?

• Hunter's part was small, but thoroughly precious and adorable. I'm relieved he forgave Mack and that their relationship can move back into the friendzone. However...

• WHAT THE PADDYWHACK IS GOING ON IN JEMMA'S MIND? It's like the more Fitz puts himself back together, the more Jemma falls apart - except she's more violent, more dangerous, and schemes a whole lot more than Fitz ever did.

• While he was Under the Influence, I still teared up at Bakshi's death. Did I ever expect Bakshi would make me feel any emotion other than 'ew go away'? No. But he did.

• HOW ABOUT A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR WARD'S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! Ward's driving instinct has always been two things - he wants to survive, and he wants to belong - and yet, once he found someone he loved (i.e. Kara/33) he loved her enough to let her go, to return her to a life he knew was better for her. Ward, I love you and I can never stay mad at you.

• I'm going to see Age of Ultron tonight. If you don't hear from me for a while, it's because I'm in an emotional coma.

 

Also, as an apology because this is a day late (there were extenuating circumstances yesterday) I drew my girl Wanda as a peace offering.



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If the Avengers Attended Hogwarts…

     I realize that I’m not usually one to condone ridiculous crossovers, but in the spirit of this website (aka: a blog for fangirls)…

     …and in preparation for the massive Marvel tidal wave that is going to come crashing down on theaters on the first of May (or the thirtieth of April, if you’re super-lucky like me)…

     …I have decided to review and examine the personalities of our favorite superhero team by using not the C. Jung or Myers-Briggs method of psychology, but rather the J.K. Rowling method.

     Translation: I’m going to be sorting the Avengers into Hogwarts houses.

     Now before you either scream in delight or in irritation at my decision, allow me to explain the interesting challenge and potential validity that Rowling’s categories can offer. As I mentioned in my April post regarding the Harry Potter franchise, “Rowling gave her audience a universe where they could identify with at least one of the four Hogwarts houses and find a sort of family.”

     (And if by chance you are unfamiliar with Hogwarts houses, they are more or less four 'teams' or 'families' within the magical school, and each house values differing personality traits. The houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. For more details, I refer you to my first article of April.)

     Gryffindors are brave. Ravenclaws are intelligent. Hufflepuffs are honest. Slytherins are ambitious.

     Though at first glance (especially for children) the four houses seem very clear-cut and easy to stereotype, that all changes as the characters (and readers) grow. We soon learn that there are almost no singularly good or bad houses, but only the good and bad people themselves.

     Courage can lead to arrogance or even betrayal.

     Wisdom can produce pride to the point of detesting or wishing to destroy anyone with lesser minds.

     A desire to trust others can leave one vulnerable to attack.

     Ambition can lead to stepping over others on the journey to greatness.

     As we see in the books, just because someone is placed in a certain house at age eleven does not mean that their destiny is set. Peter Pettigrew and Neville Longbottom, for example, both started off as insecure, awkward little Gryffindor boys… but both chose very different destinies as men.

     Almost any adult can fit into each of the four houses, but Rowling’s sorting process doesn’t take place with over-complicated adults. Growing and malleable eleven-year-olds are the ones divided into houses; they’re old enough to understand themselves, yet young enough to still view the future with innocence.

     So while each of the Avengers could be considered for at least two or three houses each, it’s important to consider their childhoods in regards to where the Sorting hat would have placed them.

     The next obstacle set before us is the actual Sorting process. There are countless online quizzes that you could use to try and sort the [young] Avengers’ personalities, with the Pottermore.com test by Rowling herself being the most accurate. However one poem on Deviantart.com has made the Sorting process about as quick and elegantly-simple as possible:

     If a war were to break out, what would you rather be?

     1. Leader of the winning side

     2. Adviser to the leader of the winning side

     3. Warrior for the winning side

     4. Unnamed soldier for the right side, whichever side that is

     Obviously, one can (and should) hope that the winning side is also the right side, but when push comes to shove, it really does come down to what or who you hope to be when all is said and done.

     So… shall we begin?

1. Slytherin

     Slytherin is categorized by ambition, and the ability to manipulate situations to one’s advantage. (Also, its main color happens to be green...)

     Tony Stark (aka: Iron Man)

     Before you Iron-Maidens throttle me for putting Stark in the “evil” house, remember what I said above: for one, house choices do not clearly define a person’s destiny. And for another, no house is all bad — it’s just that some personality qualities can be more easily-misused than others (I think Hufflepuff is the only house without actually evil wizards on its record, but it has its fair share of weaknesses all the same).

     Before the life-altering experience where he became Iron Man, Tony Stark was a rich young boy with a famous father and an incredible IQ. One could argue that he should be in Ravenclaw for that, but if asked at age eleven, I get the feeling that even young Tony would have opted for movie-star fame over a Nobel Prize.

     His smarts were (and are) well-used, but for the first half of his life, they were more a means to money and margaritas and easy women than to any sort of ‘enlightenment’ or improvement of the human race. In fact, Stark seemed to have so little regard for human potential that he garnered most of his fortune by inventing increasingly deadlier weapons over the years.

     Obviously, Stark has since changed and uses his abilities to protect humanity, but he still possesses a high opinion of himself.

     Natasha Romanoff (aka: Black Widow)

     Raised in the Soviet Union as a deadly assassin and unquestioning spy, Natasha would have been placed in Slytherin at age eleven because of her incredible ability to manipulate others and come out on top of any situation presented to her.

     Having been used by her captors and taught to blindly obey, she would have no desire to invest in relationships because she believed that all people were either puppets or puppeteers, and not worth investing in. So while she may not have initially possessed the personal ambition of a Slytherin, per sé, she still maintained the attitude and unattached ability to step over others that the house can be known for. Even as an adult, she can use her training to manipulate others and keep a cool exterior.

2. Ravenclaw

     Ravenclaws are chosen for their intelligence, and for their desire to pursue knowledge above all else.

     Bruce Banner (aka: the Hulk)

     This choice is a bit easier to understand, seeing as Banner didn’t receive his powers until he’d already spent years as a leading scientist in the field of radiology.

     He dedicated his life to research and never desired personal glory or a role as a superhuman. Even nowadays, when he’s not accidentally moonlighting in green, Bruce prefers to explore the world through a microscope and wants to leave a lasting impact on science rather than on the faces of his enemies. Though he's still quite good at that, too.

     Clint Barton (aka: Hawkeye)

     As one of the less clear-cut members of the Avengers team, Barton could be placed in nearly any of the Hogwarts houses without much of a stretch. As a boy, he grew up under an abusive, alcoholic father. After that drinking problem led to the death of both his parents, Clint and his brother ran away from the foster system and grew up with a traveling circus, where Barton trained under a master archer and swordsman.

     Seeing his father’s decline into madness may have had an effect on Hawkeye, training him not to give into his impulses without thinking things through: a trait that belongs both to the children of alcoholics who are determined not to repeat the cycle of their parents… and to archers taking aim. 

     After coming under the tutelage of the circus master marksman, it’s clear that Clint then dedicated himself to learning the craft of archery with great discipline. Being a Ravenclaw doesn’t necessarily require a love of book-learning; it can just as easily be about a drive to master one’s physical self: habits, mannerisms, and physical capabilities. Plus, Barton's alias refers to a bird. So…

3. Gryffindor

     Gryffindors (wreathed in red and gold) are brave and tenacious, unafraid to dive into battle and stand to the end.

     Thor

     This selection is another no-brainer; Thor was born to succeed his father Odin as a king, so he was raised as a warrior.

     For a long time, his bravery was combined with an overly-rash temper.

     He has since been humbled in his time as a mortal in New Mexico, but he’s no less courageous and ready for a fight when the need arises.

     Nick Fury

     I very nearly put Fury into Ravenclaw, because he is a brilliant strategist and runs (or should I say, ran?) S.H.I.E.L.D. on incredibly-intricate webs of intelligence. However, Nick didn’t start off as the sort of kid who tried to out-smart his enemies: he was a wild spitfire living in Hell’s Kitchen, New York, and he got into frequent fights with policemen and local gangs.

     When he was old enough, he enlisted in the military and fought overseas, beginning the long and winding journey to becoming head of S.H.I.E.L.D. (even though he didn’t originally have the desire to possess such a powerful role of command).

     Fury may indeed have a shady past and a less-than-cuddly personality, but some Gryffindors often do. He’s still tenacious and never willing to back down from a fight.

     (Fun fact: I just noticed that my two Gryffindors feel no need to protect themselves by hiding behind any sort of alias or alternate identity.)

4. Hufflepuff

     Hufflepuff is perhaps the most misunderstood and disregarded house, because hardly any of its inhabitants play major roles in the events of the Harry Potter series. However, as it turns out, the house isn’t as stupid as many (including myself) might have previously thought. Hufflepuffs value goodness above all else — meaning that if Ghandi, Mother Theresa, or perhaps even Martin Luther King Jr. had somehow wound up at Hogwarts, they would have been in Hufflepuff. These students can easily be brave and ambitious and intelligent and so forth. But if they can only choose one thing to be, then they will choose to be good… even if that means they may die more easily.

     Steve Rogers (aka: Captain America)

     For the first half of his life, Rogers grew up in the Great Depression: as a result of both genetics and possible malnutrition during that recession, he was physically frail and far below the average height and weight of someone his age. However, he grew up with a strong sense of honor and morality that he was willing to stake his life on.

     Only after he was enhanced with super-serum did he become the near-invincible Captain America, and the serum enhanced not only his physical self but also his inner qualities: loyalty, honesty, and humility.

     Rogers grew up as an often-overlooked weakling, but as a result he came to value righteousness even above the ability to fight successfully. Being on the winning side of a battle means nothing to him if that side is the wrong one, and he’s not afraid to confront his trusted friends when he thinks that they’re stepping out of line. As a result, at age eleven Steve may have very well ended up in Hufflepuff.

     Phil Coulson

     While not known by most movie fans as one of the Avengers, viewers of Marvel’s highly-popular television drama Agents of Shield know that Nick Fury himself considered Coulson to be a member of that elite team from the beginning.

     Even though Phil started out as relatively unknown and under-appreciated by his superhero counterparts, he has since become the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and is rebuilding the organization from the ground up so as to keep from repeating Fury’s mistakes. He’s honest, sincere, and willing to take responsibility for his shortcomings.

     Coulson’s humble beginnings and his admiration of integrity-driven Captain America can be clues into where the Sorting Hat might have placed him as a child. He grew up fascinated by superheros, and he knows their strengths and weaknesses enough to arrange their teams like nobody else.

     Power like that could easily go to someone’s head, but Phil’s goal is to combine heroes for good and not for evil. He’s not only used to being disregarded, but can even use his invisibility to his advantage by being a positive influence on others from the sidelines, even if it takes a lot of patience for his plans to pay off.

~

     Needless to say, this entire “Sorting” has only been the result of one perspective: mine. I’m sure many of you think that certain Avengers should be elsewhere, and you’ve got an equally-long essay to back up your theory. If that’s the case, then fire away, dear readers! Lecture me in the comments about who I’ve misjudged, and sort the Avengers for yourself! While you’re at it, what about those other valuable characters like Loki (coughSlytherinwinstheHouseCupcough), Maria Hill, Leo Fitz, and Rocket Raccoon? Show those Marvelous heroes some love!

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