Paul Bettany, who played Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), teased his new Marvel series, “Vision Quest,” saying it will be about Vision’s grief, generational trauma, denial of pain and coming to terms with his identity.
“One of the things that’s really powerful about this character is that he’s always been in a state of flux and change,” Bettany said. “[It’s] very important — for the fans — to be vulnerable.”
On Sept. 27, the heroes of Marvel’s “WandaVision” and “Defenders” walked on stage of this year’s Los Angeles Comic Convention in pairs of jeans instead of spandex. The actors discussed the importance of realism and relatability in their stories, despite being in a world of capes and crusades.
“Yes, we’re playing superheroes, but what we’re trying to do, more than anything, is figure out how to tell the story as best as possible,” said Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Wanda Maximoff in the MCU, during the “WandaVision” panel.
Charlie Cox, who plays Daredevil in the MCU, said his passion for playing his character with authenticity and truth has become more important after playing him for a decade. Cox said playing alongside veteran actors in “Daredevil” (2015), like Vincent D’Onforio, helped him grow as an actor too.
D’Onforio, who plays the villain Kingpin in the MCU, said he and Cox have repeatedly tried communicating with their directors on how their shows can be improved. D’Onforio said their directors only started listening to them after the actors’ strike in 2023, in time for the reboot of the MCU’s “Daredevil: Born Again” (2025) series.
“What’s really cool now is we have adults who love this show, who were children when they [started watching],” Cox said. “It was really impactful for the period of their lives when they were growing up.”
Mike Colter, who played the titular character in Marvel’s “Luke Cage” (2016) and alongside Cox’s character in “Defenders” (2017), said fans are now rediscovering these shows, giving them new meaning and identifying with them in different ways.
“I love that we [the ‘Defenders’ cast] have our own world on Netflix, and we have our own street-level villain heroes and villains, and we deal with something that feels much more tangible and accessible to the fans,” Colter said.
Cox said part of the identity of “Daredevil: Born Again” is that the stunts were made practically, without any computer-generated images. Cox said it was vital for the stunt team to choreograph every move to tell the story effectively.
Wilson Bethel, who plays Bullseye in the MCU, said he remembers one time even the cameraman had to do a stunt, swinging off a crane to follow Cox’s character swing across Brooklyn at four in the morning. Colter explained he had to do most of his stunts himself, too, throwing furniture around the room for days to communicate how indestructible his character was.
Krysten Ritter, who played Jessica Jones in the MCU, said in her panel how fans resonated with her character because Marvel showrunners also prioritized storytelling, writing her as someone who still gets up every morning despite her trauma. Because she had to perform with such realism, Ritter said she started knitting to give herself time to recuperate for the “longevity” of her performance.
“[Jessica Jones] protected me at times when I’ve been down, and getting to connect with people who have been through similar situations as Jessica is so meaningful to me,” Ritter said.
In her panel, Olsen said she is also able to spotlight the multifaceted nature of women as superheroes in the MCU. Usually, Olsen said, she is typecast as a hero or a love interest. However, in “WandaVision,” she is able to play not only a hero but a mother experiencing trauma.
Olsen said she often had to build off of her chemistry with Bettany to portray an impactful love story between their characters. In “WandaVision,” Bettany said he had to rely on Olsen’s facial expressions for his iconic line, “What is grief, if not love persevering?”
While shooting “WandaVision,” the showrunners would film using early sitcom techniques to portray that same style. The show even used a live studio audience, which Bettany reminisced on having to calm his nerves before performing in front of the crowd.
To end their panel, Bettany said he learned how to be more empathetic towards people with different opinions after years of playing a hero.
“There’s so many narcissistic, self-serving [people in this] job … but one bit of it is edifying, and that’s placing yourself in someone else’s circumstance,” Bettany said. “For me, it really is the most moving bit of our job.”