Paul Bettany is reportedly upgraded from the voice of JARVIS to The Vision in Joss Whedon's Avengers: Age of Ultron...
Paul Bettany may be more than a disembodied voice in Avengers: Age of Ultron. There are strong reports that Bettany, who has been the voice of JARVIS in the Iron Man films and The Avengers, has been undergoing "costume, hair, and makeup tests" and is "working with stuntmen and armourers" London's Shepperton Studios. These reports come courtesy of The Daily Mail, so take that for what you will. For what it's worth, Varietyhas picked up on the story as well, but they're also sourcing the Daily Mail report.
This isn't the first time rumors have surfaced that Paul Bettany would be taking physical form in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Initially, folks suggested that he was actually going to manifest as Ultron, a tall tale that was brutally murdered almost within hours as James Spader was announced as the voice of the evil artificial intelligence. However, from a story perspective, plus the specificity of the Daily Mail's report, there is a chance that, this time, the rumor mill might be right. In the comics, he Vision was, after all, created by Ultron, as a way to torment the Avengers. Given that Tony Stark is apparently responsible for Ultron's creation in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the attempted corruption of Stark's most trusted piece of technology by his wayward "child" might make sense.
Additionally, should this turn out to be true, it will put all of the speculation surrounding Clark Gregg's Agent Coulson on Marvel's Agents of SHIELDto bed. Ever since Coulson's "death" in Avengers and his still mysterious resurrection on Agents of SHIELD, fans have been abuzz that Coulson may, in fact, be an early version of the Vision artificial life form.
Adding some fuel to the fire for Vision's presence in the film is the presence of Scarlet Witch, played by Elizabeth Olsen. Vision and Scarlet Witch eventually ended up getting married in the comics, so there's a bit of emotional leverage here for these characters. We'll see how this one develops. In the meantime, you can read everything we know for sure about Avengers: Age of Ultronright here.
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