So, Vision made Viv 2.0 in the same way as he made Viv 1.0. Inasmuch Viv 1 is a real person who is really his daughter, Viv 2 is as well. But here:
Even if he’s doing this to make Viv 1 feel less guilty it’s still hideously dehumanizing. This person that Vision made out of grief to replace what he lost–you know, the same reason he made Viv 1–was “born” ill, and Vision discards her validity as a person very easily. Vision himself was infected with a murderous virus in the last year.
This could have been really interesting–after all, a big theme of King’s Vision was that he had trouble connecting to his family as individuals because he made them fully formed to replace something lost in his life–i.e. what good can come from this lie?– so it follows that he would reject Viv 2 and embrace Viv 1. But the framing of the comic is meant to be heartfelt, sweet. We’re supposed to see how caring of a father he is to forgive Viv 1, not focus on what it means for him to discard Viv 2.
Then there’s Viv 1 deciding it “honors” Viv 2 for the girl that destroyed her mind to use her body like an organ donor, essentially murdering her by erasing (in theory) any possibility of Viv 2’s recovery or autonomy, and her aunt helps her do it.
I’m not holding this against the characters–clearly none of what I’m saying is the intent in the reading. It’s more of a writing issue that I’m describing here. Some of it is coming from the fact this is a teen-focused book, so Viv’s perspective as a teenager here is more important than Vision’s perspective as a father. But it does make it hard for me to read this as a strictly sweet moment.
Those Celestial Bodies 