An unearthly creature attacks Janet Van Dyne in her apartment, then inexplicably collapses. Examining the unconscious attacker back at Avengers Mansion, Goliath discovers the being is an artificial human. The android, dubbed the Vision, awakens and, after demonstrating his powers, informs the Avengers that Ultron-5 sent him to destroy them. The repentant Vision leads the Avengers to the villain’s headquarters, unaware that Ultron has lured them into a trap. A hulking robot defeats Goliath and Ultron traps the others in a shrinking room with indestructible walls. Turning intangible, the Vision escapes and orders Ultron to release the heroes. Ultron attacks the Vision, foolishly revealing that the electrodes on either side of his head are his only vulnerability; as Ultron lunges at him, the Vision turns intangible, causing Ultron to strike a wall head first and explode. Ultron’s robot collapses and the Avengers are freed, though they fear that if Ultron’s head, and specifically the electrodes, remain intact, he might return. Some time later a boy finds and plays with Ultron’s severed head, casually breaking the vital electrodes.
The Wasp coins the Vision’s name and Henry Pym calls him a “synthozoid” (synthetic android, also incorrectly spelled “synthazoid” and “synthezoid” in subsequent issues). The Vision’s body is that of the original Human Torch, as revealed in Av #135, ’75 and elaborated in AvFo #8, ’99. He refers to his eyes as “thermo-scopic eyes.” The cover, showing a giant, smoke-shrouded Vision looming above the tiny Avengers, is a homage to the Golden Age Vision (Aarkus)’s first story’s splash page in MC #13, ’40. The epilogue narration is the poem “Ozymandias” by Percy Shelley. The letters page includes a LOC from future comics pro Tony Isabella.
