Saturday Showcase: the Vision ("White" Version)

 

    We all know that the Marvel Studios projects veer from the original comic storylines in some shape or form.  So, with the bombshell that WandaVision dropped with episode 8, fans are asking why is there a "White" Vision at S.W.O.R.D. and what they will do with it?  Well, I hope after you read this post you may have some kind of idea.

    The "White" Vision storyline took place during a story arc known as Vision Quest and it took place in issues #42-45 in the West Coast Avengers(March – June 1989) and was created by writer/penciller John Byrne to take the character away from his earlier depictions as a "synthetic human" and emphasized his android nature. The story had the Vision's memory and human brain patterns wiped out, severed his relationship with his wife, revealed their children to be essentially imaginary constructs, and included a two-page spread showing a dismantled Vision. Can you see some of the similarities going on now?

    Here's how it could tie into the show.  In the "Vision Quest" storyline, rogue agents of the United States government, abduct the Vision and dismantle him. This much is the same, however instead of the Avengers rebuilding him it could be S.W.O.R.D. They rebuild Vision, but with a chalk-white complexion (symbolizing that his human side is dead, a ghost if you will). This, along with damage to Vision's synthetic skin when he was dismantled, results in the synthezoid's resurrection as a colorless and emotionless artificial human.

   Not exactly how it went down in the comics, but you get the gist of it.  I know, it's a mouthful as well as a brain freeze to try to relate comics to film.  What you basically need to know is, S.W.O.R.D.  will send their Vision into Wanda's reality to try to stop her.  With only so much time left it's hard to say if Vision will gain emotion with the help of chaos magic or if the Vision we all love will remain dead.  There are countless ways this series will end, but I think we can all agree that it will lead us into the adventures of Phase 4.

Saturday Showcase: Agatha Harkness

 

    Well for those of you watching WandaVision, it appears the cat is out of the bag.  If you have not been a Marvel fan since the '70's, you maybe a little lost right now. So, let me explain exactly who Agatha Harkness is with my Saturday Showcase.

    Agatha Harkness was first introduced as the governess of Franklin Richards.  She easily fended off the Frightful Four when they came to abduct Franklin Richards, and admitted to the Fantastic Four that she is a witch. She then aided the Fantastic Four in battle against Annihilus. (Fantastic Four#109-110)

    Through the actions of her son Nicholas Scratch, she was revealed as being a member of the previously unknown New Salem, Colorado, a colony of witches of whom she had been the leader. Scratch had taken control of the town and had persuaded its inhabitants that Agatha had betrayed the community's secrets by working for the Fantastic Four. She was abducted and taken back to the community with Franklin so that she might be put on trial. (F4 #185) The Fantastic Four followed and came into conflict with the Salem's Seven, Agatha's grandchildren that were fathered by Scratch. The Fantastic Four defeated them and freed Agatha. In the process, Scratch's evil was revealed to the community of New Salem and he was banished to another dimension. (F4 #186) Agatha became the magical tutor for the Scarlet Witch in the use of witchcraft. (the Avengers #128)

    Scratch and Salem's Seven returned, and Agatha foiled their attempt to conquer the world. (F4 Annual #14) Eventually Salem's Seven took over the New Salem community again. They captured Agatha and killed her by burning her at the stake, though Agatha soon made her presence known to Wanda in what appeared to be a post-death astral form. In an ensuing battle between the Scarlet Witch and Salem's Seven, the entire community's energies were drawn into Vertigo of the Seven, who lost control of them. Wanda managed to capture some of the energy and funnel it away, but the entire town was still decimated. Following hints from Agatha's astral form, Wanda channeled the remaining energy to become pregnant with her husband’s, The Vision, children. (Vision and Scarlet Witch Vol. 2, #3)

    Once again, Agatha resurfaced, again alive and well, when Wanda's infant children began exhibiting odd behavior (disappearing for brief periods of time) and Wanda became unstable after her husband's dismantling; Agatha provided no explanation for her return. (Avengers West Coast #51)   After Mephisto claimed that Scarlet Witch's children were actually fragments of his own soul and reabsorbs them, Agatha briefly mind-wiped Wanda's memory of her children in an attempt to help her deal with the trauma. 

Agatha Harkness

Publisher: Marvel Comics

First appearance: Fantastic Four #94 (January 1970)

Created by: Stan Lee (writer) &Jack Kirby (artist)

Species: Human/Witch

Team affiliations: Daughters of Liberty

Partnerships: Fantastic Four

                         Scarlet Witch

Abilities: Highly skilled magic user

Classic Cover of the Day - MARVELous Monday edition

 

Classic Cover of the Day

 

Avengers Vol.1 #96

Avengers sequel suggestion

*Attention Marvel*

Dear Marvel,

Some of my friends and I were talking about the awesome Avengers movie and we were discussing our disappointment in the death of Agent Coulson. During this conversation, I came up with a way you can save Coulson and add a new Avenger at the same time. Use his brain as the brain for Vision. I mean, this could be done and written in the story in a cool way. Even if Dr. Pym is not involved, you can have Stark invent this Vision. Since we know the movies don't exactly follow the books to a T. Anyway, just some thoughts for you to digest while your writing the sequel.

Thanks,
Derf, a loyal fan

Even an android can cry

Thanks go to the Avengers Giant-Size one-shot for reprinting this classic Avengers story starring the Vision. For some reason, the photobucketr slide show would not work correctly, so I am going to post several posts with a few pages from the classic story that was originally printed in Avengers#58.



Even an android can cry part 2

Even an android can cry part 3



Even an android can cry part 4