Justice League Infinity sees the return of the DCAU’s unique version of Amazo and he’s seeking answers to one of WandaVision’s biggest questions.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Justice League Infinity #1 by JM Dematteis, James Tucker, Ethen Beavers, Nick Filardi and Tom Napolitano, on sale now.
In the DC Animated Universe, Professor Ivo’s power-mimicking mechanoid Amazo is very different when compared to his comic book counterpart. While the version seen in the comics is a mindless machine that can briefly replicate the powers of whomever it faces, the DC Animated Universe Amazo from the Justice League animated series has much more in common with WandaVision‘s White Vision. Both surpass the limited label of “machine” which gives them both an existential identity crisis.
Initially, DCAU Amazo was just a part of another Lex Luthor plot to destroy the Justice League. However, as the android carried out this task, he started to question Luthor and developed his own personality. Absorbing Martian Manhunter’s powers allowed him to scan Luthor’s mind and discover the truth. Believing there was nothing more to learn on Earth, he sought knowledge among the stars. He returned to Luthor in search of the meaning of life and found enlightenment but was ultimately still unsatisfied. He accompanied Dr. Fate to the Tower of Fate to find the purpose in life he so desperately sought.
A fight with Solomon Grundy in the Justice League Unlimited episode “Wake the Dead” saw Amazo teleport away, unable to stop the rampaging beast. Now, Justice League Infinity explains where he went. It turns out that Amazo went back out to the stars in search of more answers. The other people of the cosmos are clearly aware of his previous voyages through the universe and attack him out of fear. As the issue’s narrator, Martian Manhunter points out, their terror is misplaced, as he leaves them in peace. Amazo is simply misunderstood.
The same can be said of White Vision. S.W.O.R.D. Director Tyler Hayward created the White Vision out of the original Vision’s remains with the sole intention of creating a sentient weapon. Like Luthor did with Amazo, Hayward only saw Vision’s destructive potential and completely overlooked his humanity. Although he believed his weapon no longer possessed his original humanity, the Westview Vision created by Wanda proved otherwise.
The Ship of Theseus scene from WandaVision‘s finale stopped the violent clash between two Visions and created an interesting and unexpected conclusion to the conflict. By taking his counterpart through the Ship of Theseus thought experiment, the Westview Vision provided him with the revelation that, simultaneously, both of them were Vision and neither of them was.
WandaVision‘s crisis of identity in its androids is the same as that seen in Justice League Infinity. Martian Manhunter describes what Amazo feels as being loneliness, although there appears to be more to it than that. Later in the issue, Amazo has a very profound existential crisis. Having reached a strange mirror dimension, he feels its sounds echo within what feels like his soul. This causes him to question whether or not he really possesses a soul within his robotic frame.
This identity crisis has the opposite outcome of that seen in WandaVision. Where it turned from violence to reflection, this one turns from reflection to violence. The tortured Amazo, in his anguish, lashes out at the world around him, asking again who he is before dropping to the ground in defeat.
While Vision left Westview declaring “I am Vision” in a way that suggests he started to find his identity, Amazo is nowhere near that point. Even with his revelation, Vision still has the issue of finding his place in the world again just as Amazo is now doing. Amazo has acted as a hero in the past, but his actions here have unleashed an evil Superman upon the world who may test his skills yet again.
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