With the explosive conclusion to Iron Man 3 and the lack of information about any sequels, it was beginning to look as if we'd heard the last of Paul Bettany as Tony Stark's helpful A.I., JARVIS. Some rumors, including a good deal of speculation around our own office water cooler, have had JARVIS somehow playing a role in the creation of Ultron in The Avengers sequel, and now it looks like the two characters will be indeed be linked.
A report by by Baz Bamigboye over at the Daily Mail noted that Bettany was seen at Marvel's London studios trying on costumes that resembled Vision, but Variety has gone ahead and confirmed him for The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Vision was originally a weapon created by the evil android Ultron (James Spader), but eventually becomes a hero and one of the core members of the team. He even begins a romantic relationship with the Scarlet Witch, to be played by Elizabeth Olsen.
So this would seem to lend credence to the idea of Ultron being a Stark creation, since he was created by Hank Pym in the comics and he won't be introduced until Edgar Wright's Ant-Man some weeks later.
Not only does Bettany get an expanded role that isn't just a digitized voice, but it's likely he'll be a crucial part of The Avengers franchise for a long time. The Avengers: Age of Ultron opens May 1st 2015.
