This explainer contains major spoilers for the end of WandaVision episode eight, Previously On.
All throughout WandaVision, the fanbase has been curious as to how Vision is in WandaVision at all, considering the events of Avengers: Infinity War, leading many to ask: is Vision dead? This week, we got a firm answer: well yes, but actually no. The episode showed us Wanda stealing Vision’s body from SWORD, but the reality was more brutal than many of us had thought. Vision’s body had been chopped into pieces, with scientists working on his decapitated head and amputated limbs, pulling at the wires in an attempt to figure out how to resurrect him without the Mind Stone in his head. So, he’s dead. We then saw Wanda recreate her Vision in Westview through her Chaos magic, although she had no idea that’s what she was using. So, he’s alive.
However, in a post credit scene, this became even more complicated. In a secret lab, unbeknownst to Wanda, Vision had been resurrected for real, or at least rebuilt. The only thing is, this Vision is entirely white, which links into an important comic book arc. So, who is White Vision?
WandaVision: Who Is White Vision?
White Vision is a version of Vision brought back from the dead. He’s the same as regular Vision, only if you imagine he was reset to factory settings. In the comics, he has no memories until they are installed, and his personality is drastically different.
In WandaVision, it seems as if SWORD has brought him back to life, which is an entirely different origin story to White Vision’s in the comics. Way back in Avengers: Infinity War, we received a hint that White Vision was on the way, when Vision’s eyes glazed over white after his death. It seems like that foreshadowing is finally being put into action.
Who Is Grey Vision?
Grey Vision and White Vision are just different names for the same character. While he is typically referred to as White Vision, his skin is not entirely pristine, so some people call him Grey Vision. It doesn’t really matter what you call him though; he probably spells trouble for Wanda.
Is White Vision Evil?
Not exactly. He’s not a bad guy in the way Thanos, Zemo, Hela, or Ultron were, but he’s not really a hero either. White Vision is basically our Vision, but with zero emotions. That means his sense of goodness, his morality, his tenderness, and most importantly his love for Wanda, no longer exist. Hank Pym - more on him later - describes White Vision as being like a ghost of his former self. White Vision still has his memories, but no longer feels anything about them.
Vision has always been described as a weapon by the most militaristic members of the MCU, but his innate decency has always caused him to resist this description. Despite being one of the strongest Avengers, he is the least prone to violence, and is prepared to sacrifice himself for the good of the others in Infinity War. It is unlikely that White Vision would do the same.
It’s also worth remembering that Vision was worthy enough to lift Thor’s hammer, essentially being ‘born’ without sin and existing as a being of purity. White Vision is Vision without the soul, and is a very different person to the Vision we all know.
How Was White Vision Made?
In WandaVision, SWORD basically rebuilt him like a robot, but in the comics, it’s Hank Pym. He’s better known as Ant-Man, although the Ant-Man from the MCU is not Hank Pym, but his protege, Scott Lang. It’s Michael Douglas’ character who creates White Vision in the comics, basically, except he’s younger and he’s a core Avenger.
Pym doesn’t create White Vision on purpose, he simply wants to revive Vision. In doing so, he is not able to fully bring him back, leading to Vision’s lack of emotions. Pym is the one who installs Vision’s memories back into him, although this does not kickstart the return of his emotions as Pym hoped it would.
This time around, SWORD may forgo this completely. Unless they want to tap Vision’s memories for information on Wanda, or just want him to manipulate her - something White Vision would do willingly due to his lack of emotions - they might not bother to give Vision his memories back at all.