Helen Was Furious

Iron Man explained, "Helen and I combined Vibranium with living tissue in a new way. His body has the hardness of Vibranium and the boundless potential for growth of a living being."

"One day, he's bound to become a new superhero. He'll be able to learn at an incredible rate, too."

"Tang, once you leave, we'll need all the fighting strength we can get."

"Mm." Apocalypse nodded. "Have you named him yet?"

"Ultron!"

Iron Man and Helen said it in unison.

The name Ultron meant that mystery was creation.

It reflected the ingenuity behind their creation and the limitless possibilities of this new life-form.

Iron Man and Helen were clearly delighted with the name.

But Apocalypse shook his head.

Given how much he had changed the timeline, Ultron might never come into being.

Which meant the person before him could only be Vision.

Apocalypse wasn't even sure Vision could come into being.

In the original story, Vision only came to life after the Mind Stone was set in his forehead and Thor's lightning activated him.

He was truly alive, fundamentally different from Ultron's artificial intelligence.

Now the Mind Stone wasn't in their hands, and Thor wasn't on Earth. The conditions for Vision's birth simply weren't there.

Besides, even if Apocalypse had the Mind Stone, he wouldn't squander it on this body.

If Vision had already been born, Apocalypse wouldn't cruelly pry the Mind Stone from his forehead.

But Vision hadn't been born yet, so cruelty didn't enter into it.

Apocalypse certainly wouldn't give up any of the Infinity Stones.

When Helen saw Apocalypse shake his head again, she bristled. He had been at odds with her ever since he walked in, as if nothing about her work satisfied him.

She couldn't help asking, "What's that head shake supposed to mean?