Paul Bettany, currently playing Jock Strapp in Johnny Depp movie Mortdecai (yes, really), is already an alumnus of the Marvel universe, having voiced Tony Stark's computer Jarvis in the Iron Man movies.
But he's set to become more prominent within the MCU (Marvel Comic Universe) given his upcoming role as Vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Bit of backstory: Vision is an android who first appeared in comic book lore in the 1940s, although he only joined the Avengers in 1968. Through convoluted means, Vision joined the team after initially being designed by Ultron as a weapon to destroy our heroes.
Bettany joins an already packed cast, headed up as before by Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) and Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye). And he says that working on Joss Whedon's follow-up to (Hulk) smash Avengers Assemble exceeded his expectations.
"I've never been on a bigger set in my entire life," Bettany tells Radio Times. "One [part] seemed to be the corner of a town, with helicopter cameras, and drone cameras flying about. I just haven't seen anything that big, so it was like being a kid on a film set again."
And he wasn't the only one who was bowled over. Co-star Samuel L. Jackson, back as eyepatch-wearing S.H.I.E.L.D. leader Nick Fury, was, according to Bettany, knocked out by footage of the movie screened at last year's Comic Con.
"I looked down the row and every one of the Avengers was the same," recalls Bettany. "Including Samuel Jackson – and his whole modus operandi is, 'I've seen everything before, I'm the most chilled-out, relaxed man and I've seen everything' … and he was as knocked out as anyone. It's huge."
Avengers: Age of Ultron is released on 23rd April.
