During its run, WandaVision had a number of mysteries surrounding it, but fan theories and conversations went into arguably went into overdrive after co-lead Paul Bettany teased a huge cameo. But fans suffered a letdown when it was revealed that the guest star was actually Bettany himself (in the role of White Vision). Now, the MCU star has revealed that once the Disney+ series ended, he apparently had a conversation with Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige in regard to his hyping up the character.
During the show's run, Paul Bettany did an interview in which he explained that he was excited to be working with someone he'd yet to work with before, later confirming that he was referring to himself, as both versions of Vision would interact on WandaVision. While viewers were disappointed by the trolling, Bettany told The Playlist does not believe it backfired too much and went on to reveal what Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige thought about his actions:
I’ve had all sorts of feelings about it. Initially, it was massive regret, which was people started going because I thought it was a really funny joke and was pleased with myself. And then people were like, ‘Is it going to be Patrick Stewart?’ And then I went, 'Oh, my God, that’s a good idea. Oh, my God, people are going to be so disappointed when they realize it’s fucking me again.' [Laughs.] But in the end, I spoke to Kevin Feige about it. And he thought it was a really good joke, a really funny joke. And it didn’t backfire too much. For a second there, I was like, ‘Oh, no. What am have I done?’ But yeah. So, I had all sorts of feelings regarding that.
While Kevin Feige might’ve found the “joke” funny, it goes without saying that the joke caused major waves across the internet, as fans scrambled to uncover the identity of the person Paul Bettany was referring to. Everyone from Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange and the X-Men to the Fantastic Four and Mephisto were drawn into the fan speculation. Viewers (including myself) spent weeks looking for Easter eggs in the Disney+ series and putting things together. While White Vision was a pleasant surprise, he simply wasn't the MCU surprise fans were hoping for. Thankfully, for fans and Marvel Studios itself, things worked out better on the surprise front when it came to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
White Vision came into play during the final two episodes of WandaVision and partially served as an antagonist. Constructed by shady acting S.W.O.R.D. director Tyler Hayward, the updated android was meant to take out Wanda Maximoff. However, the "Hex Vision" created by Wanda stepped in but, instead of duking it out until the end, Hex Vision instilled his memories into his newly created counterpart, who flew off afterward. While the character's fate was left ambiguous, some believe there's room for him to return.
Hopefully, Paul Bettany will return to the MCU, especially given the multiverse direction of Phase Four and beyond. It would be nice to see where White Vision ends up and, if you'd like to see the character in action, you can stream WandaVision on Disney+ now.
