'VisionQuest': Is JARVIS Really Gone?

WARNING! SPOILERS for VisionQuest 1x02, 'Theseus'.

In the early promotion for VisionQuest, fans were delighted by the return of actor James D'Arcy as the human avatar of the JARVIS A.I. D'Arcy previously played real life Stark family butler Edwin Jarvis, the inspiration behind the A.I, in the Agent Carter TV series, as well as a brief cameo in Avengers: Endgame.

Unfortunately, things take a tragic turn in the closing scenes of VisionQuest's second episode. When Vision is critically injured by the bounty hunter Paladin while rescuing Thomas Shepherd from St. Mabyn's Sanitarium, the Mindscape in which the other A.I livee begin to crumble, as Vision no longer has the processing power to maintain it. JARVIS, the older brother figure of the group, seemingly sacrifices himself to maintain the Mindscape, gifting his processing power to the other AIs.

However, some fans are questioning whether JARVIS is really gone. Let's look at a few clues.

This is not the first time JARVIS has supposedly 'died'

Soon after waking in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the first act of the psychopathic Ultron is to apparently murder JARVIS, the loyal, trusted A.I that runs Tony Stark's home, a portion of his ccompany, and offers guidance when Stark is using his Iron Man suit. Stark assumes Ultron took out JARVIS because he was the Avengers Tower's first line of defense.

However, later in the film, the team receives word of a mysterious ally who had been thwarting Ultron's efforts to hack and obtain nuclear codes. Sent to investigate, Stark discovers that this ally was JARVIS.

During Ultron's attack, JARVIS scattered and dumped his memory, but not his protocols, continuing to help the Avengers in the background through the film.

According to Tony, JARVIS did not even know he still existed until he was put back together. During JARVIS's sacrifice in VisionQuest, his code appears to scatter, creating a visual effect similar to his fake-out death in Age of Ultron. Some fans hope this similarity is a sign that some part of JARVIS still exists, his protocols temporarily carried by the other A.I, and may eventually be revived fully if Vision regains the processing power needed to fully run him.

JARVIS is more deeply embedded in Vision's code than the other Stark AIs

Tony's above realisation that JARVIS had unknowingly been helping the Avengers battle Ultron inspires his idea to use JARVIS in the creation of the being that ultimately becomes Vision. This original Vision was born from a combination of Ultron, JARVIS, the Mind Stone, energy from Thor, and the combined intellect of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. This special combination is noted upon again in Avengers: Infinity War, when Bruce makes special mention of JARVIS as one of the 'really good' parts of Vision that would still be left if the Mind Stone were successfully removed.

The other AIs seen in VisionQuest (FRIDAY, EDITH, DUM-E and U), are simply copies Vision has downloaded to his Mindscape. JARVIS (and, unfortunately Ultron) is different. While the newborn Vision in Age of Ultron says he is not JARVIS, he would not exist without JARVIS. JARVIS is a part of Vision's base code. Prior to playing The Vision, Paul Bettany provided the voice of the JARVIS A.I, forever audibly connecting the two characters in the eyes and ears of fans.

The Avatar may be gone, but so long as Vision lives, there is a lot of JARVIS left.

Family Is Forever

Already, some of the major themes of VisionQuest are that of identity and the meaning of family. The AIs within Vision's mindscape function as a family of sorts, with Vision and JARVIS referring to eachother as brothers through the first two episodes. Meanwhile, Vision is clearly struggling with his identity, and Thomas/Tommy is seeking answers on his own identity and family history through Vision.

JARVIS's sacrifice comes from a desire to save his AI family, reminding Vision with his last words:

"Family is forever.. and it's worth the fight."

JARVIS

In context of the MCU, the 'Family is forever' line was spoken first by Wanda Maximoff in WandaVision, comforting her sons in the dying moments of her hex. If the series trailer is to be believed, it will be spoken again by Vision at a later point in VisionQuest. As the series progresses, and Vision's bond with Tommy likely grows, it is highly possible the idea of family will become much more important to him, and become less willing to let his brother's sacrifice stand, if there's a chance of doing anything about it.

So, is JARVIS really gone? We'll have to keep watching VisionQuest to find out.

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