Vision’s untimely demise was one of the most shocking moments in Avengers: Infinity War. For some MCU fans, it was one of the most heartbreaking losses in the franchise's history but, in case you’re a glutton for punishment, newly released concept art from the film reveals some devastating details of his final moments.
In Avengers: Infinity War, Scarlet Witch attempts a heartbreaking sacrifice by destroying the Mind Stone embedded in Vision’s forehead -- and subsequently killing him. Yet Thanos immediately undoes her good deed, knocks her aside, and then removes the Mind Stone -- still intact -- from his head instead, killing him once more and bringing himself one step closer to total power. It’s a double whammy all on its own, but at least the moment in which we see Vision’s destroyed body is fleeting.
Marvel’s Head of Visual Development, Ryan Meinerding, recently uploaded two photos to his Instagram account They offer both a wider view and a close-up of Vision’s face as he dies. In the close-up, you can see the damage done to his skull after the Mind Stone has been ripped out. Take a look at the images below:
There are noticeable differences between the concept art and what ended up on the screen. For one, the android’s face in Infinity War doesn’t turn grey until after Thanos is done with him. Perhaps more importantly, the concept art also seems to show Vision being very much conscious, even after the Mind Stone has been removed. In the film, he seems to die as soon as it’s taken from him.
In a way, it was merciful to fans for Vision’s death to go down a little differently than how they seemed to have originally envisioned it. He gets a chance to tell Wanda that it’s all right and that he loves her, which at least gives us a bit of closure.
By doing that, Avengers: Infinity War makes Vision’s last moments more about the quality of his character, rather than the horrible thing that’s happened to him.
We’ve seen a lot of the subtle and not-so-subtle changes that occurred between pre-production and the final cut of some Avengers movies thanks to these kinds of concept art reveals, and Ryan Meinerding is on a bit of a roll at the moment. He also recently revealed a dramatic moment between Thanos and Captain America, in which the superhero’s shield takes a serious beating. Still, Vision’s death is definitely one of the more emotional reveals.
Of course, fans of Scarlet Witch and Vision will get another chance to see them live happily ever after, or something like it. Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen are both reprising their roles in the upcoming Disney+ series WandaVision, which is due to hit the streaming platform later this year.
