If Paul Bettany was originally introduced to the MCU as just a rather very intelligent system (or JARVIS, as he was better known), then the actor’s Marvel role has grown tenfold since Age of Ultron.
For it was in Joss Whedon’s middle-of-the-road sequel where Bettany became Vision, a synthetic android imbued with the Mind Stone and its raw, unbridled power. On paper, he makes for a formidable ally, which ought to come in handy throughout Avengers: Infinity War and its untitled sequel.
But because Vision is walking (levitating?) around with a great big yellow target on his head – quite literally, given Thanos’ relentless pursuit of all six Infinity Stones – some Marvel fans are worried that Bettany’s Avenger is on borrowed time, and may well meet his maker in Avengers 4.
And make no mistake, Vision will be around for Joe and Anthony Russo’s curtain call, as a new set photo has emerged online via Instagram. It doesn’t reveal much in the way of story, as below you’ll see a costumed Paul Bettany pose for a selfie – of all things – but it’s a cool shot nonetheless.
The caption reads: “Poor Ryan was late to work today and is wearing the hotdog of shame,” so we’re inclined to believe this is one of Marvel’s many crew members (“he’s a friend from work!”). Either that, or Bettany is simply posing alongside an old friend.
It’s also worth noting that both Zoe Saldana and Karen Gillan – Gamora and Nebula, respectively – have been rather trigger-happy on the Instagram front of late, which may indicate that Paul Bettany’s photo was actually taken on the set of Infinity War. True to their word, the Russo Brothers have been filming both sequels back-to-back, and while the third Avengers film wrapped principal photography, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if there was still some overlap between it and Avengers 4.