Summary:
- Marvel Studios confirms the existence of Vision, an untitled second season of WandaVision, slated for a 2026 release
- Paul Bettany will reprise the role of the artificial superhero in the MCU, and will go on a solo quest in the upcoming series.
- It’s still unconfirmed if Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch will return or not, after her death in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Marvel Studios has announced a new TV series centered on Paul Bettany‘s Vision, following the character’s dramatic resurrection in 2021’s WandaVision. This new venture into the Marvel Cinematic Universe marks Vision’s first standalone appearance since the series that spotlighted both him and Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch.
Variety reports that Paul Bettany is set to reprise his role in the new Vision series, slated for a 2026 release, with Terry Matalas, previously executive producer for Star Trek: Picard, stepping in as showrunner. The sequel will take place right after the events in the WandaVision series.
This new development comes after initial rumors last year suggested the Vision project had been shelved, which now appears to have been a simple change in leadership rather than cancellation.
While Vision is dead in the MCU, WandaVision introduced a new version of Bettany’s character. At the end of the series, the Vision that had been conjured by Wanda in her grief passed on his memories to White Vision. The latter was created by the US government using the deceased body of Vision. White Vision then flew off on his own after having a fierce battle with the conjured Vision.
In WandaVision, audiences were introduced to White Vision, a government-reconstructed version of Bettany’s original character, using his dead body from Infinity War. This version of the superhero has the same superpowers and abilities, but doesn’t remember anything about his past or his loved one, Wanda.
The sequel is expected to explore White Vision’s journey as he attempts to recover his memories and humanity. A brief synopsis from Deadline hinted at the possibility of Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch making an appearance, despite her apparent demise in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Vision could still meet his loved one again, either with Wanda returning from the dead or as a Multiverse variant.
Alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Paul Bettany is currently one of the actors with the longest time in the MCU, voicing Tony Stark‘s AI Jarvis from 2008-2014, before being reborn as Vision. When the actor appears in WandaVision 2, it will mark his 18 years with the Marvel saga, making him the most experienced MCU performer there is.
Besides, Bettany’s future in the MCU could extend even longer than that, now that Marvel Studios has deployed the plan for the Young Avengers. In the comics, Vision is a prominent part of the team, so it’s safe to say that he still has a big role to play in upcoming MCU titles.
The return of Paul Bettany as Vision will also open a path for his wife, Jennifer Connelly, to reprise her MCU role. Earlier this month, Connelly told The Playlist that she’d love to return as Karen, the AI for Peter’s suit in Spider-Man: Homecoming, if her husband returns as Vision. Now that WandaVision Season 2 is confirmed, we can hope to see the spouses star again in the MCU, though it’ll be hard since MCU’s Peter Parker doesn’t use the same suit anymore.
