Paul Bettany has been involved with Marvel’s cinematic universe from the very beginning with his role as the voice of J.A.R.V.I.S., Tony Stark’s A.I. assistant in all three of the Iron Man movies and The Avengers, but he’ll finally appear on-screen in Avengers: Age Of Ultron as the android superhero The Vision — a role he recently hinted could extend into Captain America: Civil War.
In an interview with Australian news site News.com.au, Bettany ignited speculation about a Civil War role for The Vision while discussing the unique feeling of having his role in Age Of Ultron set up future projects that he can schedule down the road.
“That’s the really great thing about the Marvel gig for me,” said Bettany of his debut as The Vision in Age Of Ultron. “I have never known if I have had a job six months out ever in my life. And now I know that they have plans and I can be even more judicious about the stuff that I do outside of that work. I can wait for the right thing and feel really attached to it.”
Bettany’s mention of a project “six months out” has fans buzzing about a return for The Vision in Captain America: Civil War due to the production schedule for that film, which begins filming this April and will pit Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) against Captain America (Chris Evans) in a battle over government regulation of superheroes. Given the close relationship between Bettany’s dual roles as J.A.R.V.I.S. and The Vision and the man who created them, Tony Stark, it’s reasonable to expect that one or both characters could make an appearance in the May 2016 film.
Avengers: Age of Ultron hits theaters May 1, 2015, and is directed by Joss Whedon. Along with Bettany, Downey, and Evans, the film also stars Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, James Spader, Cobie Smulders, Thomas Kretschmann, and Stellan Skarsgard.