Nor do all of them have arms and legs or even a physical form altogether. To be a hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, all it takes is a willingness to make a sacrifice for others, which is precisely what happened in the second episode of VisionQuest, when the show killed off what is effectively the longest-running hero in the MCU. Warning: Spoilers ahead for VisionQuest episode 2.
After Vision (Paul Bettany) was shot with adamantium bullets in episode 2, he no longer has enough power to house all seven AI entities living within his programming. In addition to Vision himself, they include J.A.R.V.I.S. (James D’Arcy), F.R.I.D.A.Y. (Orla Brady), E.D.I.T.H. (Emily Hampshire), U (Jonathan Sayer), D.U.M.-E (Henry Lewis), and Ultron (James Spader). And while Ultron should have been deleted years ago, J.A.R.V.I.S. steps up and deletes himself, saving all of the others.
It was a heartfelt moment in the series, especially since J.A.R.V.I.S. had become something of a brother to Vision, but it was also a fitting end to a character with a lot of history. In Marvel Comics, J.A.R.V.I.S. wasn’t an AI at all. As much of Iron Man’s persona was informed by Batman, Jarvis was simply Tony Stark’s version of Alfred, a trusted, old-fashioned English butler who helped Iron Man from afar and fetched Tony Stark drinks whenever Tony had fallen off the wagon.
When Iron Man was adapted for the big screen, director Jon Favreau saw little reason for Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) to have a butler. What Tony did need, however, was someone to talk to while he was in the suit who can help monitor its various systems. Thus, Iron Man got an AI named after the butler from the comics, with the acronym that means “Just A Rather Very Intelligent System,” (which was clearly forced backronym).
While this meant that Iron Man’s already-established AI programs from the comics, F.R.I.D.A.Y. and H.O.M.E.R., were passed over, most fans seemed to be happy with the nod to Jarvis. Back when Paul Bettany was cast as J.A.R.V.I.S., there was no plan for him to eventually turn him into an Avenger himself. According to Bettany in an interview with ScreenRant, Favreau had called him up and jokingly said he needed someone with “no personality” to play a robot.
Bettany agreed, but it just so happened that they’d picked a guy who was suited to becoming a superhero himself, especially for the role of Vision, which Bettany and J.A.R.V.I.S. very naturally evolved into. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Iron Man creates Ultron, who then attacks J.A.R.V.I.S., perceiving him as a threat. The damaged J.A.R.V.I.S., however, manages to survive the attack.
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