Paul Bettany says MCU will be seen in ‘brand new way’ after WandaVision

Marvel star Paul Bettany has given an insight into what it was like working on WandaVision, and how it will change the future of the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Excitement around WandaVision, set to arrive on Disney Plus at the beginning of 2021, has definitely grown in recent months, especially as the last time we saw Wanda Maximoff she had lost everything.

Flash forward to the new series and a few familiar faces look set for a return, but speculation has left us wondering what’s in store for the Scarlet Witch.

How will WandaVision impact the MCU?

As Marvel’s first Disney Plus series, WandaVision is expected to set precedent for the new direction the MCU will be going in for Phase Four. It’s already confirmed to be directly setting up Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which will be arriving in 2022, and could be the very beginning of the multiverse.

• Read more: WandaVision boss reveals The Office & Modern Family episode coming soon

In a recent interview with Collider, Paul Bettany gave more details about how the upcoming show would affect the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the long run. “I think it’s gonna make you think about the MCU in a whole brand new way, but I do think that it’s absolutely a part of that universe,” he said.

“As each episode unfolds, the audience will be able to peel back layer upon layer until this rather beautiful puzzle box… will be revealed to everybody and it will make sense.”

It has already been confirmed that the new Disney Plus shows will be a part of the MCU, but it seems they will play a much bigger role than initially thought, which Bettany believes is a smart move forward for the world of superheroes.

“If you think about it, what Kevin Feige has done is like a grand TV experiment anyway. It’s sequels and spin-offs, in an episodic formula and spin-off formula, like you’ve had in television forever, just done on a grand scale in film.”

Despite the change in format, the actor felt little difference in filming WandaVision. The only new challenge was in creating six to eight hours of content on the same budget they would use for a two and a half hour movie.

“They did some very clever things, like we shot the first episode in two days, in front of a live studio audience,” he explained.

“We basically ran it twice with the three cameras, running between sets. That allows you to bank all of that time for the action.”

• Read more: Doctor Strange director says all versions of Spider-Man exist in MCU

The show will go through the decades – from the 50s to present day – paying homage to each era. However, with so many questions left unanswered from the end of Avengers: Endgame, the sitcom-style show will have a lot to cover, in order to make fans happy.

WandaVision will be available on Disney Plus from January 15, 2021. Find out everything you need to know about the show here.