Age of Ultron: Ultron and Vision

I have it from multiple sources that if I were an Avenger, I would be Vision, casually wandering around and philosophizing on random things. They’re probably right. But, while I agree with most of what Vision says, I don’t think he has any actual basis for saying it. He is, I think, a materialist; he doesn’t believe in the transcendent (so-called demi-gods are not on the same order as the transcendent, fyi – I’ll speak more about that when I discuss Man of Steel.) Which, as far as I can tell, means he doesn’t have any basis for thinking that life is anything other than what we make it. And yet he starts asserting all sorts of objective values completely independent of materialism and which actually judge materialism, as if there were actually were a beyond (I happen to think he’s right, because there is – see this post, as well as my upcoming one on evolution and morality).

To clarify, this doesn’t mean Ultron’s argument is completely cogent, either. He is apparently fixated on helping humanity evolve and survive, all the while knowing that ultimately, all his efforts will be in vain (no one is surviving the heat death of the universe, including robots.) He, too, seems to think of himself as having high and noble sentiments, but never offers us any evidence to back the objectivity of such things. Of course, he is the villian, so hopefully he doesn’t have too much of a point.

A main thematic conflict in Age of Ultron was whether the end justifies the means. And that depends very much on whether you think we’re part of a larger story and so need to keep the larger cause in mind, or whether winning in the here-and-now is everything. The heroes get the right answer, but they don’t ever give us a reason for it. Which leaves me cheering them on, but less than satisfied.