During the first phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was all but a given that most of the franchise's heroes would appear in the Avengers films. Granted, some characters were left out on a few occasions (like when Bucky Barnes missed out on the events of Age of Ultron). But more often than not, we'd see almost everybody in the crossover projects. However, things are very different now.
The MCU has grown to a point where not every single active hero can make it into one movie. To make matters more complicated, the fate of some characters like Moon Knight, the Eternals, and Werewolf by Night remains up in the air, especially since they haven't been seen since their debut projects. Doubling down on the uncertainty, the Avengers: Doomsday cast didn't feature fan favorites such as Tom Holland's Spider-Man or Brie Larson's Captain Marvel. So now the question is: Where will some heroes show up next?
Vision was also in a very strange limbo. After all, he was recently the star of his own Disney+ show, VisionQuest, yet he wasn't part of the characters announced to appear in Avengers: Doomsday. However, now we know that Marvel was simply trying to keep his role under wraps, but things didn't go according to plan.
Anthony Mackie confirms Paul Bettany's Vision will appear in Avengers: Doomsday
Despite the multiple superhero insiders, leaks, and rumors, Marvel Studios' worst enemy keeps being its own actors. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Captain America himself, Anthony Mackie, was asked what it was like to go up against Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, to which he responded:
"It wasn't him. Robert don't fight. But it was dope! You know, these movies are like summer camp. Everybody comes together, and it's like, 'How have you been? Oh, you have a kid now. Oh, wow, you're married now.' It's one of those things where you just catch up with everybody. I got to hang out with Paul Bettany, who I love, and I met Simu [Liu], who's great. We quickly became friends and mortal enemies. So it was a wonderful time"
Anthony Mackie says filming 'Avengers: Doomsday' is like summer camp, where he gets to catch up with old friends and new enemies.
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) November 10, 2026
Before he goes head-to-head with Robert Downey Jr., he stars alongside Jamie Dornan in '12 12 12,' premiering Nov. 13 on Apple TV. pic.twitter.com/Q6NnPnUS2J
It came as a surprise that Anthony Mackie confirmed that he hung out with Paul Bettany on the set of Avengers: Doomsday, especially since Bettany hadn't been officially confirmed to appear in the movie up to this point. That being said, this isn't the first time there has been evidence pointing towards Vision's return on the big screen.
Leaked Avengers: Doomsday concept art had previously revealed that Vision, Star-Lord, and the Young Avengers will appear in the ensemble movie. Moreover, all of them appear to be part of a single team. Remember how Earth's Mightiest Heroes split into different groups, each with a different objective, during the events of Avengers: Infinity War? It seems a similar scenario is in store yet again, and Vision will get to share the spotlight with Peter Quill, Wiccan, Speed, Ms. Marvel, Cassie Lang, and Kate Bishop.
The WandaVision trilogy may have come to its definitive end, but it seems its overarching storyline will continue well into the upcoming Avengers movies. After all, VisionQuest could be responsible for the formation of the Young Avengers on the big screen, while it's likely that Wanda Maximoff's big return will finally happen in the upcoming MCU crossover projects as well. So the true culmination of Wanda and Vision's tale of grief and loss may not have happened yet.
On the bright side, it isn't long before we get to watch Earth's Mightiest Heroes assemble to fight for the fate of the multiverse and see Vision in action once more.
Avengers: Doomsday will be released on Dec. 18, 2026.
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