Paul Bettany Weighs In On This WandaVision Fan Theory About Vision
What is the difference between reality and fantasy? Well, reality is real and fantasy isn't. Yet, if we lived in a fantasy world, would we be able to tell the difference? Would we know we are nothing more than characters on TV or paper who give entertainment to audiences? This idea is the basis for a thought experiment about the nature of the universe, as well as a fan theory surrounding WandaVision.
Every so often, a small detail or surprising scene has birthed a galaxy's worth of fan theories about WandaVision. For example, in one episode, Vision looks into the camera before Wanda Maximoff rewinds the sitcom world (via Esquire). Some viewers have taken this little action as a hint that Vision knows he's in a TV show. After all, he also displays a surprising level of cognizance and autonomy within Westview, whereas most "citizens" are brainwashed and literally shut down if they wander too far from Wanda. Plus, Vision wouldn't be the first fictional character to see beyond the fourth wall.
Vision's actor Paul Bettany has responded to the theory and explained his take on the evidence and conclusion. It's disappointing. Reasonable, but disappointing.
Turns out Vision doesn't have 20-20 vision
Recently, Esquire asked Paul Bettany to weigh in on several WandaVision fan theories, as well as other stories and rumors, and the "Vision can see through the fourth wall" theory was one of the many he tackled. However, he probably didn't need to because he wore something very special throughout the interview that answered the question for him: glasses.
That's right, Bettany admitted he "can't really see very well without [his] glasses," but he doesn't wear any whenever he dons the Vision makeup. And, he doesn't wear contacts either, so he can't always tell what he's looking at while in costume. So, if Bettany did look into the camera, he claims he "was not aware" of it at the time.
However, that is only half the story. According to Bettany, part of the Vision costume consists of CGI, including the eyes, which means some of his on-screen actions are bound to the whims of a computer artist. Ergo, he didn't rule out the possibility that his eyes were altered post-production to intentionally look at the audience, even though at the time he didn't, intentionally or otherwise.
Perhaps Vision is actually aware he is in a TV show, but if he is, Paul Bettany isn't in on that plot point.