Vision (Golden Age)

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This article is on the original 1940s Vision. For the modern-day comic-book character, see Vision (comics)

The Vision is a fictional superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby during the 1930-'40s Golden Age of comic books. He first appeared in Marvel Mystery Comics #13 (Nov. 1940), published by Timely Comics a predecessor of Marvel Comics).

Retro-Vision: Flashback appearance on the cover of The Invaders Vol. 2, #3 (July 1993), art by Dave Hoover.

The original Vision was an entity named Aarkus who either lived in or was native to another dimension. On his planet, known simply as Smoke-World, the Vision was a "Keeper of Law". He was asked by an Earth scientist to come to Earth to act as a super-powered guardian over humanity. The Vision possessed vaguely defined powers, including flight, and matter transmutation, and the ability to travel through dimensions via smoke.

One of Timely's successful second-tier characters, the Vision starred in a generally seven-page feature in Marvel Mystery Comics #13-48 (Nov. 1940 - Oct. 1943), and in an eight-page story in Kid Comics #3 (1943, no month given; previous issue dated Summer 1943). He also starred in a text story, "The Vision Speaks", by Stan Lee, in Marvel Mystery Comics #23 (Sept. 1941), in which the ruler of Smoke-World was revealed as The Law-Giver.

His only major appearance in modern comics is in The Invaders, Vol. 2, #3 (July 1993), in which he was summoned to Earth and manipulated by Nazi Germany into attacking the Allies. He realized his mistake, and soon returned home.

Marvel writer-editor Roy Thomas, a fan of the Golden Age character, used the Vision as a visual template for the modern-day Vision, but the characters are otherwise unrelated

A simulacrum of the Vision was temporaily created from the mind of Rick Jones, along with those of the Blazing Skull, the Fin, the Patriot, and the Golden Age Angel, to aid the superhero team the Avengers during the Kree-Skrull War, in The Avengers Vol. 1, #97 (Mach 1972).

Reprints

• The Golden Age of Marvel Comics, Volume 2 (Marvel, 1999) ISBN 0785107134

:Untitled origin story: Marvel Mystery Comics #13 (Nov. 1940)

Footnotes

• Note 1: "The Timely Comics Super-Hero Index (1939-1957)", by Mike Nolan a.k.a. Michelle Nolan, Alter Ego Vol. 3, #57 (March 2006) erroneously lists title as "Vs. Khor"
• Note 2: Original publication per The Grand Comics Database listing [link]. The Nolan index above lists story as from Marvel Mystery Comics #24.

References

• [Jess Nevins' "Pulp and Adventure Heroes of the Pre-War Years": The Golden Age Vision]
• [The Invaders profile on the Golden Age Vision]
• [Don Markstein's Toonopedia: The Golden Age Vision]
• [The Grand Comics Database]

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