One of the things that Marvel has guarded most closely during production on “Avengers: Age Of Ultron” is the appearance of The Vision, the new character played by Paul Bettany.
Now, thanks to the upcoming covers (which evidently link together to form one giant terribly Photoshopped image) of “Entertainment Weekly,” we've got our first clear look at The Vision, head to toe. You've seen production art versions, but this is a photo of the actor in costume, and this is what I saw when I stepped into the set of the Avengers Tower at Shepperton Studios in England last year.
It made me laugh when we talked to Robert Downey Jr. about the move from the vocal to the physical for Bettany. Downey has always jokingly griped about how easy Bettany's job on the “Iron Man” films was, so when we saw him on the “Ultron” set, Downey was positively giddy. Evidently, it was an elaborate multi-hour process to turn Bettany into the Vision every day, and Downey took pleasure in walking in and out of the trailer as quickly as possible just to rub it in.
I'm seeing the film and talking to the cast this weekend, and it's going to be interesting to see how The Vision fits into the world by the end of the film. One of the things that has me excited is that the ending to the movie that I originally read has evidently been changed in some major ways, and I don't know what those ways are. I'm happy to actually have some surprises in store, and even if you feel like you've seen “the whole movie” in the advertising so far, rest assured… there are huge chunks of the film that Marvel has carefully hidden from any of the marketing.
“Avengers: Age Of Ultron” is in theaters May 1st.