Vision (Aarkus) is a

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. Created by the writer

Joe Simon Joseph Henry Simon (born Hymie Simon; October 11, 1913 – December 14, 2011) was an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s–1940s Golden Age of Comic Books ...

and artist

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...

, the character first appeared during the

Golden Age of comic books The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era in the history of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and ma ...

in '' Marvel Mystery Comics'' #13 (Nov. 1940), published by Marvel predecessor

Timely Comics Timely Comics was the common name for the group of corporations that was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman (publisher), Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics. "Timely P ...

Publication history

The Vision debuted in a short comic story in ''Marvel Mystery Comics'' #13 (Nov. 1940), and continued as a regular feature in that superhero

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

through issue #48 (Oct. 1943). He also starred in an eight-page story in ''Kid Comics'' #3 (no month given; previous issue dated Summer 1943). Five decades later, he appeared in a flashback story in the superhero-team series '' The Invaders'' vol. 2, #3 (July 1993), set during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He returns with the other Invaders in the miniseries ''Invaders Now!'', beginning with issue #1 (Nov. 2010). He appeared in several issues of the

Marvel NOW! Marvel Now! (stylized as Marvel NOW!) is a comic book branding for the relaunch of several ongoing comic books published by Marvel Comics, that debuted in October 2012 with new #1 issues. The relaunch also included some new titles, including ''Un ...

relaunch of '' X-Men: Legacy'', before appearing in the ''All-New Invaders'' series in 2014.

Fictional character biography

The Golden Age Vision, also known as Aarkus, is an alien

law enforcement officer A law enforcement officer (LEO), or police officer or peace officer in North American English, is a public-sector or private-sector employee whose duties primarily involve the enforcement of laws, protecting life & property, keeping the peace, ...

from a dimension called Smokeworld. While Aarkus is looking for a suitable place to exile a prisoner, he is accidentally contacted by Earth scientist Markham Erickson. Leaving the prisoner on the planet Jupiter, Aarkus accepts Erickson's invitation to fight crime on Earth. Aarkus does so for several years, although during World War II he is briefly manipulated by the

Axis An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...

powers into fighting the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

. The superhero team the Invaders help Aarkus realize his mistake. In ''The Avengers'' #97 (March 1972), Rick Jones summons Vision, among other Golden Age heroes, to assist the Avengers during the Kree–Skrull War. A later story presents the character as inhabiting the sewers under New York, taking care of a

Cosmic Cube The Cosmic Cube is a fictional object appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. There are multiple Cubes in the Marvel Universe, all of which are depicted as containment devices that can empower whoever wields them. Although th ...

that is feeding off the feelings of people affected by the death of

Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...

. Following a period in which he traveled through time, he is seen with the newly resurrected

Toro Toro may refer to: Places *Toro, Molise, a ''comune'' in the Province of Campobasso, Italy *Toro, Nigeria, a Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria *Toro, Shizuoka, an archaeological site in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan *Toro, Zamora, a ''m ...

. He plays a supporting role in 2012's '' X-Men: Legacy'', first opposing and later aiding main character Legion. During the story, he falls into a coma and is confined to the medical wing of the

Jean Grey School for Higher Learning X-Mansion and Xavier Institute are the common names for a mansion and research institute appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The mansion is depicted as the private estate of Charles Francis Xavier and serves as the bas ...

. After waking from his coma, Aarkus is approached by the Winter Soldier for help in getting the surviving members of the Invaders to the

Kree The Kree, briefly known as the Ruul, are an List of fictional extraterrestrials, alien race appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and have a scientificall ...

home world to rescue

Namor Namor McKenzie (), also known as the Sub-Mariner, is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-artist Bill Everett for comic book packager Funnies Inc., the character first appeared in '' Moti ...

. The story presents events from World War II, portraying Aarkus as erasing the memories of the Invaders (with their consent) to hide the location of an ancient Kree weapon called the God's Whisper, that had granted

Baron von Strucker Baron Wolfgang von Strucker () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A former Nazi officer, he is one of the leaders of the Hydra terrorist organization, and the archenemy of Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. H ...

the power to control gods. The Invaders then attack Kree to free Namor and recover the weapon. A later story presents Aarkus as working with the Eternals on using the God's Whisper to manipulate

Galactus Galactus () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, he is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of the p ...

Powers and abilities

The Vision can generate illusory images of himself, fly, generate ice and extreme cold, and teleport wherever there is smoke.

''Vision'' reprints

Some of the original stories of the original Vision have been reprinted in other publications. * ''Golden Age Marvel Comics Vol. 4'', Roy Thomas editor, (2009, hardcover, ) reprints Marvel Mystery Comics' #13-16, 1940–41 * ''Golden Age Marvel Comics Vol. 5'', Roy Thomas editor, (2010, hardcover, ) reprints Marvel Mystery Comics' #17-20, 1941 * ''Golden Age Marvel Comics Vol. 6'', Roy Thomas editor, (2011, hardcover, ) reprints Marvel Mystery Comics' #21-24, 1941 * ''Golden Age Marvel Comics Vol. 7'', Roy Thomas editor, (2012, hardcover, ) reprints Marvel Mystery Comics' #25-28, 1941–42 *''Marvel Visionaries: Jack Kirby Vol. 1'' (2004, hardcover, ) reprints "The Vision" from Marvel Mystery Comics 13, Nov 1940 *''Marvel Visionaries: Jack Kirby Vol. 2'' (2006, hardcover, ) reprints "The Vision" from Marvel Mystery Comics 23, Sept 1941 * The comic '' Marvel Super-Heroes'', March 1968, reprints the Vision story from Marvel Mystery Comics 25

In other media

Vision appears as a playable character in ''

Marvel Contest of Champions ''Marvel Contest of Champions'' is a 2014 fighting video game developed and published by Kabam. It was released on December 10, 2014, for iOS and Android. The fighting game is primarily set in the Marvel Universe. The game is strongly based o ...

''.

References

External links

Vision
at Nevins, Jess
A Guide to Golden Age Marvel Characters
of latter.

at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

*Theakston, Greg
''Marvel Mystery Comics'' #13
at the

Grand Comics Database The Grand Comics Database (GCD) is an Internet-based project to build a database of comic book information through user contributions. The GCD project catalogues information on creator credits, story details, reprints, and other information use ...

{{Avengers characters Comics characters introduced in 1940 Characters created by Jack Kirby Characters created by Joe Simon Fictional characters with ice or cold abilities Fictional World War II veterans Golden Age superheroes Marvel Comics aliens Marvel Comics characters who can teleport Marvel Comics extraterrestrial superheroes Marvel Comics male superheroes Timely Comics characters fr:Vision (comics)