Paul Bettany Indicates The Vision Will Appear In Avengers 4 — So Does This Mean He Survives 'Infinity War'?

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel will bring us an adventure like no other next year. That's right, guys. Thanos, the Mad Titan himself, is coming to Earth. The iconic villain has his sights set on the Infinity Stones, and he'll be taking on a mind-boggling roster of heroes. We're expecting to see some deaths, and Paul Bettany's Vision is one character who most fans have written off already. After all, he literally has an Infinity Stone in his head!

However, in a recent interview, Paul Bettany has subtly hinted that we may be wrong. Speaking to Collider, he reflected on the sheer scale of Infinity War, and then made an intriguing comment;

"It felt like the biggest movie that I’ve ever made and will ever make, and we’ve still got to make the [next] one. It’s f****** crazy!... The call sheets are bananas. When you see the list of cast members, you’re like, "How is anybody else making a film in Hollywood, this year? How are they getting films financed? Everybody is in this!""

What Does This Mean?

Some fans have immediately noticed Bettany's surprising word-choice. The star refers to Infinity War as "the biggest movie that I've ever made and will ever make," but then notes "we've still got to make the next one." He's clearly including himself in the 'we,' which strongly suggests that Bettany will be playing a part in Avengers 4. At the same time, though, I recommend taking this as a subtle hint rather than as direct confirmation.

Still, this raises questions about Vision's role in Infinity War and Avengers 4. We've all been assuming that the Vision would die after #Thanos — or his agents — pried the Mind Stone from his forehead, but that may not be the case now. Frankly, #Marvel would probably be wiser to avoid the 'obvious' deaths and allow fans to be taken by surprise.

There are two possible ways Vision could survive Infinity War. The first possibility is that he will lose the Mind Stone, but that this won't be enough to kill him — He'll perhaps be left badly injured instead, but able to survive nonetheless. The second possibility, though, is more intriguing — That Vision escapes the Black Order, and that they don't manage to take the Mind Stone at all.

As surprising as it may seem, we already know that Infinity War won't end with Thanos acquiring all the #InfinityStones. Asked if the Mad Titan would succeed in his ambition, Josh Brolin noted:

"There's a few [Infinity Stones in 'Infinity War'], and he's always pining to get another one in there. So ultimately we don't know. I haven't done the second movie, so I don't know."

We already know that Loki will give Thanos the Space Stone, footage released at #SDCC2017 showed him wielding the Power Stone, and we've been told that we'll see the Reality Stone in Infinity War too. We've also seen set photos showing Doctor Strange defeated, suggesting that the Mad Titan will also gain the Time Stone. If that's true, then our heroes will successfully protect either the Mind Stone or the Soul Stone from Thanos — or perhaps even both. With this in mind, it seems as though the odds of Vision's survival have just improved markedly.

Will the Vision survive Infinity War, and play a role in Avengers 4? Personally, I hope so. After all, the character hasn't seen much development in the films so far, and he'd play a unique role as an opponent of Thanos, literally wielding the power of an Infinity Stone against him. Paul Bettany's comment has raised the intriguing possibility that we've all been writing the Vision out far too soon, although Marvel may well have different plans in mind....

(Sources: CinemaBlend, Collider, ScreenRant)