Paul Bettany Never Wants To Stop Playing Vision

WandaVision star Paul Bettany never wants to stop playing Vision. Bettany’s prominence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has increased significantly, thanks to the Disney+ series WandaVision, but he wasn’t always the headlining character. Bettany’s journey with Marvel began when he joined the cast of Iron Man, which was directed by Jon Favreau.

Bettany has said that he accepted the voice role of J.A.R.V.I.S., Iron Man’s AI assistant, as a favor to Favreau. The two starred together in the romantic comedy Wimbledon and, following that experience, Favreau knew that Bettany was the right person for J.A.R.V.I.S. Since then, the actor has been a part of several MCU projects as the character of Vision. Favreau’s initial idea for Bettany in the MCU as evolved by leaps and bounds since the first Iron Man film. That evolution has been literal, with the core software of J.A.R.V.I.S. being used to help create Vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but the shift has also been experienced by fans on a deeper level.

Speaking with Esquire to promote the finale of WandaVision, Bettany had the opportunity to look back on his MCU run. When asked if he would be open to playing Vision forever, Bettany’s response was unequivocal. “I love Vision. Yes, I’m in,” Bettany replied.

Although the conclusion of WandaVision does feature one version of Bettany’s character giving an emotional farewell, another version remains. In a key scene, after a fight to the death has been averted thanks to a philosophical debate, White Vision leaves his fully-colored counterpart behind. Though they share the same memories, White Vision remains a mystery that could bring Bettany back to the MCU down the line.

With his performance as the titular synthezoid in WandaVision, Bettany alternatively displayed vulnerability and disarming wisdom. To both audiences and critics, the scene between Wanda and Vision in the penultimate episode, in which Bettany utters the unforgettable line about love preserving, stands out as the key moment that the Disney+ series showed that it was deeply invested in its examination of grief and the agony of loss. A case could be made that Bettany always brought more to the MCU than his role required, even in early scenes of J.A.R.V.I.S. blankly responding to Tony Stark’s quips, but it was his turn in WandaVision that truly utilized the actor’s strengths.

A similar case could be made for Elizabeth Olsen’s portrayal of Wanda, as the actor had more room to explore the trauma her character had suffered. While it’s fair to argue that WandaVision doesn’t go far enough in that direction, it’s certainly more of a showcase for the character and the performer than any of the movies had allowed. As it prepares to premiere more shows for streaming, hopefully the MCU will continue to put the spotlight on complex characters that would be underserved by appearances on the big screen. It’s done wonders for Vision, taking him from a minor hero to a major fan favorite.

Source: Esquire

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Abdullah Al-Ghamdi
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Abdullah Al-Ghamdi joined Screen Rant in August 2019, focusing on movie and television news. In January of the same year, he wrote a 3500+ word piece on why Primo Colón is underrated. He considers it his finest work. When he’s not arguing for the merits of his favorite wrestler, he can be reached at: [email protected].

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