Paul Bettany Is ‘The Vision’ in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’

[Kham-Ryn Kurios]

In case any Marvel fans were getting distracted by what actress may have been cast as a future Wasp, the latest reports remind us that in the shared movie universe, The Avengers take top billing for the foreseeable future. Apparently, the artificially intelligent butler of Tony Stark will be getting an upgrade from voice to Vision.

That’s right, Paul Bettany (having previously provided the voice of JARVIS, Iron Man‘s A.I.) is reportedly set to take on the mantle of the Vision, an intelligent android and future Avenger in The Avengers: Age of Ultron.

The report comes from England’s Daily Mail, further strengthening suspicions that Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) will be the driving force behind the creation of Ultron, not Hank Pym a.k.a. Ant-Man. While the comic books had Ultron spawned from the mind and work of Ant-Man, Marvel has made no secret of the fact that they are going to be changing canon – and this announcement of Vision’s inclusion adds further evidence of their new take.



The first look at Ultron’s helmet design made the connections between the Avengers enemy and Iron Man’s own armor clear, but now it seems that Stark may be responsible for both the super-team’s robotic foe and its android ally. But just as James Spader’s face and performance will be worked into Ultron’s design, it seems Paul Bettany will finally be lending more than his voice to a Marvel film.

According to Daily Mail, the actor was spotted visiting the film’s production offices this week not to meet and greet, or record some lines, but to endure a team of make-up technicians as they applied “various powders and potions on Bettany’s pale skin to bring about the Vision’s chalk-white complexion.” Die-hard comic fans will know that the most popular depictions of the Vision have him sporting his green and red costume, but it sounds like director Joss Whedon is going with the character’s white makeover instead.

If the report is accurate, then the exact means by which Ultron is created become even more mysterious. Early on, it was thought that the easiest way to adapt the typical origin of Ultron was to have Tony Stark’s JARVIS evolve some unsavory ambitions and take a suit of armor for himself. Those theories became less likely when Spader, not Bettany, was revealed to be bringing the villain to life. So where does JARVIS fit in?



It’s too early to tell if JARVIS and Ultron are both the result of the same event, fracturing Stark’s trusty A.I. ally into a light and dark side, or if the butler gains a fighting form to offer his human allies a better chance of survival. We doubt that mystery will be solved prior to the film’s release, but the Age of Ultron is already seemingly being filled with more superheroes than Whedon will know what to do with. Of course, there’s one way Whedon can solve that problem.

Nobody is going to doubt Bettany’s skills, so fans will likely be pleased to know that he (or a digital copy of him) will finally get to appear alongside the rest of Marvel’s most beloved characters. But the cast members themselves have spoken about how Whedon’s story for the Avengers sequel will carry storylines forward – and JARVIS’ ascension to the Vision could be a serious source of that character progression.

The previous team-up forced Tony Stark to ‘make the sacrifice play,’ but will he be as quick to sacrifice his closest friend and AI confidant? Will the Vision find love with the “messed up” Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen)? We’d recommend holding off on theories until Marvel makes an official announcement, but the questions this raises about the overall film – and the films beyond it – are impossible to ignore.

What do you make of the new story for JARVIS? Is this the kind of twist you’ve been waiting for to bring the new origin stories together, or are you concerned there may be too much story for one film to handle well? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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The Avengers: Age of Ultron hits theaters on May 1st, 2015.

Sauce: http://screenrant.com/avengers-2-age-ultron-paul-bettany-vision/

[Darth_Phobius47]

THE VISION!!!!! Even more excited for Avengers 2 next summer!

[Kham-Ryn Kurios]

New Details on Vision’s Costume in ‘The Avengers 2′



Joss Whedon’s “brother-sister” act of new characters Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch aren’t the only super-powered roster additions for The Avengers: Age of Ultron as we learned yesterday. The returning heroes from the first team-up will also be joined by the voice (and body this time) of Paul Bettany who will play the android Avenger known as Vision – a character who shares a lot of history with the titular antagonist Ultron in the comics, not to mention his romantic relationship with Scarlet Witch.

Like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Thor: The Dark World and Guardians of the Galaxy before it, The Avengers 2 is mostly shooting in London’s Shepperton studios and it is there where Paul Bettany was spotted (alongside fellow cast mate Jeremy Renner who plays Hawkeye) undergoing make-up tests.


With filming on The Avengers: Age of Ultron set to being next month, writer and director Joss Whedon – along with members of the cast – have been in and out of Shepperton for make-up/costume tests and meetings. It is here where a trusted source of Comic Book Therapy claims to have seen concept art and the actual costume that Bettany will sport when on screen as Vision.

It has a helmet akin to the Iron Man armor, but it’s designed more like a face than a smooth Stark helmet. The iconic yellow and green are present in the design, but it’s more metallic shades than bright ‘comic book colors.’ They said it reminds them somewhat of the T-100 from Terminator 2 but it’s not as shiny. The yellow metal “liquid” bits seem to light up. This may or may not happen since there are two designs for that section. One lights up the other doesn’t. That’s the only difference. The cape is present, but they say it appears to only “pop out” when in flight mode. The cap sports some similar shades of yellow as the body. The “neck pieces” are the same yellow but they seem to shift positions from “standing” (for lack of a better word) to “flight mode.”

The initial report of Bettany’s casting had him sporting “chalk white” makeup, lending credence to the idea that Vision’s design in the Marvel Cinematic Universe may be largely based on his white outfit from the books rather than his more vibrant, yellow-green-red get-up. But now it seems more elements from his traditional design, from the cape to the colors, will be present.



The report continues, explaining that Whedon and co. are still deciding on is how to handle the mask/helmet as to avoid Vision appearing too similar to whatever armor Iron Man will suit up in.  The bigger question is how Vision’s origins and story arc will play out. Is he being introduced as one-off character in the battle against Ultron or is he in it for the long haul as a key player future Avengers installments as the roster inevitable evolves and rotates characters.

In Marvel Comics it’s Ultron who creates Vision before Vision eventually joins The Avengers but since the movies are giving a new and different origin to Ultron (i.e. Hank Pym aka Ant-Man does not create him in the movies). There were hints of Ultron/Vision in the original story boards of The Avengers but they didn’t make it into the film. Either way, it’s clear that Tony Stark’s tech and his JARVIS AI assistant are seemingly integral to however Ultron and Vision come into play.

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Sauce: http://screenrant.com/the-avengers-2-vision-costume/

[Master Nero Attoru]

This absolutely fascinates me, and I actually love the idea of Tony Stark being part of the origin.  I love Paul Bettany as Jarvis, and I'm sure I'll love him as Vision!