I’ve had a complicated relationship with The VISION as a Marvel Studios character. Coming out of Avengers: Age of Ultron, I LOVED the character! I thought Director Joss Whedon introduced him perfectly! He was noble and majestic and very matter of fact and the look of The VISION in terms of bringing him to life from off the page was remarkably well done! His phasing powers were executed wonderfully as well, and they handled his ties to ULTRON really well also! There was a lot to like!
Then, in Captain America: Civil War, I wasn’t crazy about The VISION at all. First, he seemed significantly de-powered compared to how he was presented in Age of Ultron, he was fine with more or less imprisoning Wanda, and he sided with Team Stark (I was on Team Cap, so that made The VISION my enemy). He said some good lines in Civil War (“Our very strength incites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict … breeds catastrophe.” stands out), but I felt like he should have been a little more morally conflicted given his strong moral code in Age of Ultron. He also paralyzed Rhodey while trying to blast Sam out of the sky, so there was that, too.
Then came Avengers: Infinity War and Marvel Studios went all-in with The VISION and Wanda Maximoff’s love story and that greatly endeared me to the character. Wanda is my second favorite Marvel character, and I love their comic book history as a couple, and they were really sweet together in Infinity War. Their love for one another served as the heart of the story, and you have to applaud The VISION’s willingness to allow himself to be destroyed for the good of all humanity.
Then came WandaVision and we got to meet Wanda’s VISION that she created, and by the end of that series, The VISION was established as one of my Top-10 favorite MCU characters! From the flashback to Civil War and The Original VISION’s attempts to comfort and understand Wanda despite not being sure how to, to the incredible lines of dialogue that both versions had throughout the series (“… What is grief if not lover persevering” stands out), The VISION in one form or another was incredible.
VISION philosophizing with his other self was some really good stuff and the chemistry between Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen throughout the series was off the charts! The Westview talent show, the confrontation with Wanda in the living room, Halloween, and saying goodbye to Wanda were some of Paul Bettany’s best work as an actor and again, I came out of WandaVision with a whole new level of love and appreciation for The VISION!
Hot Toys made a figure for The VISION from Age of Ultron, but after that … nothing! No Civil War figure. No Infinity War figure. So, in owning such a figure there was only one choice, and the prices were quite high on the aftermarket. I was therefore thrilled when Hot Toys announced a VISION figure from WandaVision!
My wife could see my excitement from a mile away and she apparently pre-ordered the figure on the spot … way back in 2021! After a lengthy wait, I finally received The VISION from my family for Christmas at the end of 2022 and what an incredible piece to add to my collection he is! He was my 24th Hot Toys figure.
Out of the box, The VISION looks appropriately regal and majestic! He came with a flight stand and I have him posed on it, as if he is sort of hovering like he did when he flew up above Westview on Halloween night.
The face sculpt is full-on Paul Bettany (in his VISION guise of course). The uniform is a nice rubbery material that allows for added articulation while looking shiny and metallic. His cape is maybe my favorite part of the figure! It is itself articulated and is colored really well and crafted with a really unique fabric!
From top-to-bottom, this figure is everything that one could want in a VISION figure and I’m so very happy to own him and once again now boast all 10 of my Top-10 favorite MCU characters!
All I’m missing now is an updated Wanda from WandaVision to go beside him.
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