Behold, The Vision! Paul Bettany Cast as Colorful Android in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’

Bettany’s casting presents a curious casting/character dilemma — if he retains his status as the voice of Tony Stark’s J.A.R.V.I.S.

Behold, another Avenger in the Marvel cinematic universe: The Vision!

The candy-colored android will be in “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” and Paul Bettany will play him, a person with knowledge of the casting told TheWrap. Bettany is a Marvel cinematic universe veteran as the voice of J.A.R.V.I.S., Tony Stark’s personal artificial intelligence system, going back to the first “Iron Man” film — and his casting as Vision presents some interesting character and story dilemmas.

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The Vision has been a member of the Avengers team since the late 1960s, and was created by Ultron, a malevolent artificial intelligence and arch-nemesis of the Avengers. The good guys eventually turn The Vision into one of their own.

Also read: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ Tease in HD — But You Gotta Get J.A.R.V.I.S.

Vision is also an integral part of Marvel’s “Age of Ultron” comic series (upon which the summer 2015 movie is, at best, very loosely constructed). In that series, Ultron wreaks unspeakable devastation upon the Earth, kills several superheroes and is on the brink of achieving ultimate destruction; the Vision is Ultron’s mouthpiece, and brokers a key swap with the surviving Avengers.

What’s interesting about the Bettany casting is his history as J.A.R.V.I.S., whom some have speculated could be the basis of Ultron (played by James Spader). So if Bettany is somehow both J.A.R.V.I.S. and The Vision, and J.A.R.V.I.S. becomes Ultron, and Ultron creates The Vision …

Oof, never mind. That does NOT compute.

Anyway, we’re just glad to hear that Marvel is continuing to build out its characters and wait to see what Joss Whedon — who’s not afraid to mess with the comics canon — has in mind for this fan favorite.

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