Paul Bettany Thought Marvel Was Going To Fire Him Before WandaVision

Prior to the release of Avengers: Infinity War, what would happen in the movie was mysterious and unknowable. But one thing that most people agreed on was that Vision’s days were numbered. After all, Paul Bettany’s super-powered robot-man had the Mind Stone implanted in his forehead, which presents a problem when a mad intergalactic space conqueror really wants the full set.

As such, his death was one of the few not reversed at the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame. All of which makes Paul Bettany’s suspicion that Kevin Feige was calling him into his office to fire him totally understandable. But, as it turns out it, Feige invited him in to pitch the Disney Plus show WandaVision.

Bettany explained the situation in an interview with MTV News recently, saying:

“Oh, I don’t think that myself or Lizzie have ever been more surprised when Kevin pitched the idea to us. A and One, I thought I was being brought in to be fired; B and Two, I thought they were gonna let me down, you know, like, ‘Listen, Paul, we love you, but…’ And instead what he did was pitch this idea for a sort of six hour movie that I would never in a million years, which is why he’s the one earning the really big bucks, have thought of. And it’s so avant-garde and weird and messed up and then moves seamlessly into more familiar territory. But the place that it starts is so odd.”

Though Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen are both fantastic actors, they’ve only ever been in supporting roles in their MCU appearances. Now, however, WandaVision will give them space to breathe and develop their roles. Plus, as Bettany points out, the conceit of the show – Scarlet Witch creating a false sitcom-based 1950s reality where she can live with an imagined version of her dead robot boyfriend who thinks he’s real – is pretty out there.

Series showrunner Matt Shakman went into a bit more about their take on it as well, saying:

“They are such an unusual pairing, right? He’s  not human but he’s more human than anyone, maybe. He always has the best, most wise things to say. He completely sees the world for what it is. She’s gone through so much trauma. She’s lost her brother, she’s an orphan, and all these different things have happened to her. I think we’ve all been quite taken by that union. It’s the exploration of that bizarre, strange, completely right kind of love and it’s about watching them explore their relationship and growing it.”.

WandaVision airs on Disney Plus sometime in 2021.