The MCU's Captain America actor might have just confirmed the return of Paul Bettany's Vision in Avengers: Doomsday. The timing is interesting, as the reveal comes just hours before the release of VisionQuest's final episode. Anthony Mackie's comments have intensified anticipation for the finale, which already teased major surprises, with fans even suspecting Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff might appear. Vision became an Avenger in Avengers: Age of Ultron shortly after he was created by Ultron and returned in Avengers: Infinity War, where he was killed by Thanos. If he appears in Doomsday, it'll mark his third Avengers film in the MCU.
Anthony Mackie, in a discussion with Entertainment Tonight, touched on how wholesome the Avengers: Doomsday set is, likening it to "summer camp" where he gets to interact with colleagues he hasn't seen in years. He then revealed that "I got to hang out with, you know, Paul Bettany, who I love," an apparent confirmation that the actor was on the Doomsday set, which would essentially confirm a role for him in the film.
Mackie's reveal was surprising, as he dropped the detail so casually. Bettany wasn't among the 27 cast members Marvel Studios revealed on director's chairs in the now-iconic March 2025 livestream, though Marvel did tease at the time that "there's always room for more."
Recently, the studio also unveiled its official "Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday" Disney+ collection, an essential watch-list, which included 13 movies and one Disney+ series, and none of the WandaVision trilogy entries made the list. This further makes Vision's potential involvement in Doomsday one that many fans did not see coming, as the chances of his return in the big blockbuster seemed slim.
It is also possible Mackie's reveal was a slip of the tongue, and he meant to mention Paul Rudd instead, who plays Ant-Man. Rudd and Mackie likely spent lots of time together on set since the pair's characters are both on the Avengers team. It's also possible that he genuinely meant Bettany, as they worked together on the 2014 film Shelter, Bettany's writing-directing debut. Both actors appeared in Age of Ultron and Infinity War as well, so they're clearly no strangers to each other.
Avengers: Doomsday was filmed at Pinewood Studios in England between April and September 2025, with location work in England and Bahrain. VisionQuest also filmed at the studio around the same time, between March and July. It is possible that since the duo was shooting projects at the same studio, Bettany simply visited the Doomsday set, where he and Mackie had a casual conversation.
What Are the Chances of Paul Bettany Appearing in Avengers: Doomsday?
Paul Bettany returning in Avengers: Doomsday makes a lot of logical sense, and it would not be far-fetched for Marvel to go in that direction. Vision is an integral part of the Avengers team, which looks short on heavy hitters compared to the lineup that last fought together in Avengers: Endgame. There's no Iron Man, Wanda Maximoff is seemingly dead, Hawkeye is out of the picture, Natasha Romanoff is dead, and the Hulk has been whisked off to parts unknown by Doom.
Marvel might want to beef up the Avengers team a bit, especially now that they're facing a far more formidable villain in Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom. It all adds up when you think about it. Vision died in Infinity War, WandaVision resurrected him twice over, first as Wanda's magical construct, then as SWORD's rebuilt White Vision, who received the original's memories.
VisionQuest then masterfully resolved his story, and the original Vision is back along with a brand-new green and red suit, an upgrade on the one he rocked in Infinity War. VisionQuest is the end of the WandaVision trilogy, and it's unlikely Marvel went to all that trouble to resolve Vision's complex resurrection not to use him in its tentpole releases. The synthezoid doesn't have anywhere to go next, and Avengers: Doomsday looks like the perfect destination for him, with heroes from across the multiverse desperately banding together to fight an enemy they cannot contain.
Mackie's Captain America is also leading all five hero teams in the movie, and the task will prove difficult given how many differences divide them. Vision has always been a voice of reason and would be a massive help to Captain America as he tries to unite the forces.
Notably, Marvel has also made a strong connection between Avengers: Doomsday and VisionQuest. The Avengers: Doomsday countdown clock livestream on YouTube briefly glitched, showing a line of code that translated to "Finale Tonight."
This came hours before Episode 8's airing on Disney+, subtly teasing a connection between Doomsday and VisionQuest, although admittedly it might just be one of Marvel's marketing stunts. Nonetheless, Vision returning in Doomsday would be a development most MCU fans would welcome, as the character has proven to be one of the MCU's biggest draws, effortlessly helming his own series and raking in solid viewership, with VisionQuest pulling over 639 million minutes viewed in its first 10 days alone.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
