Paul Bettany has become a staple in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to his portrayal of Vision in multiple projects, including “WandaVision” and his own series, the upcoming “VisionQuest.” Now, following the premiere of the new Disney+ show, he’s opening up about believing he’d been fired from Marvel following “Avengers: Infinity War.”
“Avengers: Infinity War” was released in 2018. In additon to Bettany, it starred the likes of Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, and Scarlett Johansson.
Paul Bettany Opens Up About Thinking Marvel Fired Him After ‘Avengers: Infinity War’
GettyBettany attended the recent D23 Expo, where the trailer for his upcoming show, “VisionQuest,” was unveiled. While at the event, the “WandaVision” star revealed he had previously believed his Marvel days were behind him, despite the success of “Avengers: Infinity War.”
He told PEOPLE, “I thought I’d been fired after Infinity War, and I got pulled into the office by [Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige], in London. I walked in, and I was very British about the whole thing. I just wanted everybody to feel uncomfortable.”
He recalled his initial actions in the meeting, saying, “I looked at them and said, ‘I’ve had a great run. I don’t want there to be any hard feelings. It’s been wonderful, thank you. And you’re so great.” However, Feige had plans for more projects featuring his beloved Vision character.
Bettany stated, “They went, ‘Wait, are you quitting?’ And I went, ‘No, you’re not firing me?’ And they said, ‘No, we’re going to pitch you a TV show.’ I thought I had been fired.'” Of course, this meeting then led to the 2021 Disney+ series “WandaVision,” in which he appeared alongside Elizabeth Olsen.
The Actor Recently Opened Up About ‘VisionQuest’
Deadline first reported that “VisionQuest” was in the works at Marvel in October 2022. Since then, fans have been treated to another well-received “WandaVision” spin-off, “Agatha All Along,” which premiered in 2024. Now, the Vision-focused series is set to premiere on Disney+ on October 14, with James Spader part of the cast.
According to The Playlist, Bettany spoke about the new series while on the Marvel panel at D23. He teased it, saying, “For Vision, the stories have always felt new and fresh and like they’re evolving the whole time. And I would love to keep doing that for as long as there are new stories evolving.”
The “Avengers” actor continued, “This one is so weird and out of left field that it was such a pleasure to make. I’m really excited for people to see it.”
He then continued teasing “VisionQuest,” saying, “I think the fans are going to really get excited. The show’s fantastic. It’s a big swing, and I think that Marvel always gets rewarded when it takes big swings. Terry Matalas, our showrunner, has done an amazing job.”
After that, Bettany provided a few plot details on the show, which will focus on White Vision. He shared, “The way you find Vision at the beginning of this show is where we left him, which is he’s been given his memories by Red Vision, but he can’t attach any emotion to those memories. And so this is the first time you’re entirely in Vision’s point of view, and you literally get to see what it’s like inside Vision’s mind, which is super fun.”
