Why so serious? Marvel’s films have always demonstrated a lighter touch than most super hero fare and it’s worked to the studio’s advantage, making for enjoyable, action-packed popcorn movies. But the recent trailer for “Avengers: Age Of Ultron” seems very different from Joss Whedon’s “The Avengers,” which was dramatic and epic in scale but still lighthearted and never took itself quite too seriously. So here’s the thing: that trailer was supposed to debut during last night’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” Instead, it leaked late last week. So Marvel has shifted gears and decided to show fans a scene from the film instead.
The new scene finds our heroes encountering Ultron, the genocidal robot (voiced by James Spader), who interrupts the Avengers knocking a few back (Captain America and Iron Man also try and fail to lift Thor’s hammer Mjolnir) and goes on to force everyone in the trailer to overuse metaphors for the words "puppet," "strings" and "master." Here’s the official synopsis:
Marvel Studios presents “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.
Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” stars Robert Downey Jr., who returns as Iron Man, along with Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk. Together with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and with the additional support of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, the team must reassemble to defeat James Spader as Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell-bent on human extinction. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen, and Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision. Written and directed by Joss Whedon and produced by Kevin Feige, Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963.
So does this trailer indicate more of the same for the Avengers franchise, Marvel or super hero films in general? Or do you think Joss Whedon and co. have a few aces up their sleeve?
The movie stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders with James Spader and Samuel L. Jackson. Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” opens on May 1, 2015. Watch the extended trailer below.
