Unlike some actors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Paul Bettany does not have a reputation for spoiling things. But after a season of WandaVision it’s clear he can take credit for being one of Marvel’s biggest trolls. Spoilers incoming for WandaVision ahead of its Season 1 finale, so be careful ahead.
Bettany drew lots of rave reviews playing the synthetic humanoid Vision in Marvel’s first TV show on the Disney+ streaming platform, but he also raised some eyebrows when he teased working with someone later in the season that hadn’t been spoiled by casting news.
“There is one character that has not been revealed. And it is very exciting. It is an actor I’ve longed to work with all of my life,” Bettany told Esquire. “We have some amazing scenes together and I think the chemistry between us is extraordinary and fireworks on set.”
There were a lot of guesses from fans as the episodes rolled out weekly. In fact, it became a running subplot of sorts as fans tried to plot out what might happen on the show and who would appear in the final episode. But while some still expect the show’s final episode of Season 1 to have some surprises, the penultimate episode made some wonder if that mystery actor is actually… Paul Bettany.
The mid-credits reveal of WhiteVision made many people wonder if he was joking about facing off against himself in the final episode. And, as it turns out, Bettany admitted he was trolling fans all along. In an interview on Good Morning America, Bettay admitted that he was making a pretty clever joke. One he wasn’t sure people would be able to suss out when he dropped it all those months ago.
“You know when you think something is going to be funny and you say it and then you panic about it? That’s what I did,” Bettany admitted. “Fans started guessing who it might be. They were guessing people like Benedict Cumberbatch or Patrick Stewart. I was thinking, ‘God, that’s a good idea and they’re gonna be so disappointed when they find out it’s me.’”
Betttany, to his credit, was careful not to spoil anything else ahead of the final episode. And the mention of Cumberbatch, who plays Dr. Strange and many people have speculated will show up in the final episode, could even be a bit of additional subterfuge. But when asked if we should expect a battle between Agatha and Wanda, for example, he mostly made a facial expression and some noises that were not words. That seems inevitable, though, as is his own showdown with, well, himself.