In the trailer equivalent of an after-credits scene, Marvel finally gave fans a look at The Vision yesterday in their latest preview for Avengers: Age of Ultron. It’s only two seconds long, but it’s enough to get many fans more hyped for the superpower android’s big screen debut. However, after taking a closer look at him, there’s a new theory that’s been making the rounds. Yesterday, we speculated on how an Infinity Stone might be responsible for Ultron’s sentience in the film, specifically whatever Stone that Loki’s scepter supposedly is. Now we’re shining light on that yellow jewel on Vision’s forehead, and wondering whether it is an Infinity Stone.
In the comics, the jewel on Vision’s forehead absorbs the solar energy needed for him to function and also allows him to shoot optic beams at enemies. While that would be just as handy a device to have in the movies, there’s also the possibility that it is actually the Soul Stone embedded in the android. So far, three Infinity Stones have been shown in the MCU: the Tesseract, which is the Space Stone; the Orb, which is the Power Stone; and the Aether, which many believe to be the Reality Stone. It’s also been strongly implied that Loki’s scepter is one as well, with many speculating it is the Mind Stone. If that’s the case, there are only two stones left to introduce before Avengers: Infinity War: Time and Soul.
The Soul Gem allows the user to alter living and dead souls in the comics, so it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to imagine it giving life to an artificial being like Vision (or Ultron). It is frequently held by Adam Warlock, but we might not be seeing him for a couple years (if at all), so if Marvel wants to introduce another Infinity Stone before Phase 3 begins, including the Soul Stone in Avengers: Age of Ultron through Vision bypasses having to introduce yet another character. If Ultron’s creator can be changed for the films, who's to say Vision’s sentience can’t be brought about by an ancient force of power?
Having the Soul Stone be responsible for bestowing life to Vision rather than Ultron certainly makes sense for differentiating between the two A.I.’s personalities. As intelligent and insane as Ultron is, his sentience could still just be the result of a mechanical fluke or the Mind Stone. With Vision, he has a conscience and is capable of emotion, and while the comics had the android becoming one of the good guys because of his ability to think for himself (due to his brain patterns being based on the hero Wonder Man), it would be an interesting twist if an extraterrestrial artifact was responsible for his moral compass and his joining with the Avengers after defeating Ultron.
Remember, Marvel Studios has no problem changing the color of these Stones. For instance, in the comics the Power Gem is red, whereas its MCU counterpart is purple. In the Avengers: Infinity War preview that Marvel showed in October, Thanos was rocking the Infinity Gauntlet with all six Stones inserted, and the one over his thumb is the same color and size as Vision’s jewel. It’s unclear how whoever brings Vision to life first, be it Ultron like in the comics or the Avengers, would find the Soul Stone in the midst of all the craziness the film has in store. Regardless, if Vision’s sentience is due to an Infinity Stone, Thanos is going to be charging at him at full speed when he visits Earth in the Avengers: Infinity War movies. A multi-colored android won’t stop him from achieving the ultimate power in the universe.
Avengers: Age of Ultron will be released in theaters on May 1.
