There are few superhero comics quite like Tom King's run of Vision in 2015. A masterclass of character work, the series took an often over-looked and less developed member of the Avengers and imbued him with more emotional depth and complexity than most heroes can dream of. Tie this all together in a genre bending, horror-esque thriller and we've got one of the comics of the decade on our hands.
So when Disney+'s upcoming series WandaVision was reported to be drawing inspiration from the Tom King series, we couldn't be more excited. There are many elements that allowed for that series to be as memorable and fantastic as it is, so there is a great deal that could be drawn from. So here today, we're going to list off the 10 elements from Tom King's Vision we want to see in WandaVision! Potential spoilers for Tom King's Vision ahead!
10 Focus Away From Heroism
As anyone familiar with Vision can attest, one of the most memorable elements of the comic is its approach to its character's roles as superheroes. Rather than focus on their acts of heroism, the series uses this as a backdrop, treating being a superhero as a nine-to-five job, with all of the focus on the character while he's not on the clock. This allows for more intimate and personal moments to be captured that would normally be omitted from more traditional superhero stories and by extension, a larger space for deeper character development.
9 Moral Ambiguity
Vision is a comic that operates in a space of a grey morality, bringing the actions and decisions of the protagonists in to question. We are shown the characters of Vision and his wife Virginia being put into difficult situations that in turn result in them acting in ways that may not coincide with what is traditionally expected from a superhero. However, these decisions are still ones in which we can empathize with, coming from a place of familial love, and greatly help to flesh out the characters and their values.
As WandaVision will be focusing on two characters who have never before been central protagonists, the inclusion of such moral ambiguity may serve as a means of providing these characters with more individuality and help to give the series a unique identity.
8 Love and Family
As mentioned, a great deal of the driving motivations and themes of Tom King's Vision are rooted in a place of familial love, and the lengths in which an individual may go for the sake of their family. As we saw the apparent end of Vision back in Infinity War, this loss has presumably taken a heavy toll on Wanda Maximoff. This loss paired with Vision's impending return for the series seems to be the perfect setup for a similar dynamic, showing the lengths that Wanda may go for the sake of being with Vision.
7 Suburban Horror
One of the defining factors of Vision is it's utilization of the uncanny valley to present suburban life with a sense of anxiety and horror. By presenting characters who are actively seeking a "normal" existence at any cost, you're always anticipating what measures will be taken to maintain the ideal, no matter the cost.
If WandaVision is going to employ the use of horror as Doctor Strange 2: Multiverse of Madness is reportedly going to, the inclusion of horror based undertones and themes seems like an ideal means to organically transition from tones we're more familiar with in the MCU.
6 Rockwell Aesthetic
On the surface, Vision showcased a very unique aesthetic that helped to give it distinction amongst other series, drawing inspiration from the idealized American paintings of Norman Rockwell. This helps to subconsciously drive home the idealized themes of family and love within the series, while subverting the aforementioned undertones of horror. If the the early concept art we've seen is anything to go by, it's looking like it's safe to say WandaVision will be going in a visually similar direction.
5 Tone
Vision possesses a very memorable tone, that is very rare to find in the superhero genre. Utilizing its aforementioned idealized 50's visual aesthetic with the underlying inhuman horror, the series paints a picturesque exterior with a darker anxiety lurking beneath the surface with similarities to films like Get Out.
If WandaVision is able to maintain this tone throughout the duration of its run, it will definitely set itself apart from the greater whole of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
4 Humanity Within the Inhuman
By far one of the greatest strengths of Vision is its ability to examine what it means to be human through the use of inhuman characters. By presenting superpowered artificial humans who are seeking to be as human as possible, themes such as human nature and even racism are organically brought into question as the characters question and employ "normal" human traditions in order to better fit in with society. As the series will likely focus on the relationship between Vision and Wanda Maximoff, there is a great deal of room to explore very human themes through the superhuman and inhuman elements of their characters.
3 A Caricature Of "Normal"
As mentioned, one of the greatest strengths of Vision comes from it's utilization of inhuman characters to provide commentary on humanity. More specifically, it uses its setup to poke fun at and examine the culture of what is accepted as "normal."
However, the characters are aggressively conformist in their practices, seeking to fit in to the culture as much as possible, altering their manner of speech and behavior to fit in, even if it goes against their reasoning. As one of the strongest and most defining elements of Vision, we greatly hope to see this commentary of "normal" in WandaVision.
2 Fear of Heroes
While most storylines involving superheroes depict them in a positive light, having the peoples in the world look up to them, Vision takes a much different approach. There are many instances throughout the narrative in which the character of Vision is viewed by others from a distance and with fear of his capabilities rather than with adulation. We've seen this approach been taken briefly in the MCU in films like Civil War, but never to the extent of Vision, fully alienating the character. Utilizing an inhuman protagonist, there is no better time to utilize this approach than in WandaVision.
1 Inherent Tragedy
While many superhero stories traditionally wrap everything up happily with a bow, Vision does not follow this trend. While there is a satisfying resolution to the story being told, the ending is not the happiest, ultimately resulting in tragedy. This served as a fitting conclusion to the narrative, as everything that had been accumulating through the storyline had finally caught up with the characters, making it seem ultimately inevitable. Bearing in mind that WandaVision is partially based around the currently deceased Vision and his return, it may be safe to expect that the series may also culminate in tragedy.