The Avengers 2: What We Know So Far About Age Of Ultron

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the most ambitious film franchises put together by a studio, and perhaps the best thing about it is how every move made within it continues to build and add toward something bigger and better. With each new story we learn more and more about the world behind the silver screen, and we are always left with a perfect mix of satisfaction and want for more. Because of the intricate details of the comic book world, anything is possible, and it’s great fun to speculate about the implications of every twist, turn and maneuver as they lead to Marvel Studios’ second big landmark film: The Avengers: Age of Ultron.

The journey to the next the next superhero team-up film has already begun with the release of Shane Black’s Iron Man 3, Alan Taylor’s Thor: The Dark World, and Joe and Anthony Russo’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but we’re still salivating with anticipation for James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy. This year will have a huge impact on the future of the MCU, but what do we know so far and how will it lead to next summer’s super blockbuster? What is the latest development with all of the characters involved? Read on below as I break it all down!

 

Joss Whedon

Joss Whedon is the only non-fictional person/being who gets his own section on this list, but that should just stress how important he is to the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and, therefore, The Avengers: Age of Ultron. In August 2012 it was revealed that the writer/director had signed a three-year deal with Marvel Studios that not only locked him in to both write and direct a sequel to his first massively successful blockbuster, but to serve as a guide for what has been dubbed Phase Two. After months of working on the script, the director is now hard at work putting together the movie, taking his cast and crew to multiple exotic shooting locations around the world.

Iron Man

Following the events of Iron Man 3 we’re not really sure what the future holds for Tony Stark and his armor. At the end of Shane Black’s film, the character has his suit-powering arc reactor removed from his chest, blows up all of his armor, and seemingly leaves the ruins of his Malibu home/workshop behind. The final title card of the movie reads "Tony Stark Will Return," but does that mean that the man will and the machine won’t? Could the absence of Iron Man be a void that is filled by Don Cheadle and Iron Patriot/War Machine? The series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. revealed that Tony is now using all of his vast resources towards privatizing global security, and we imagine that will end up very much tying into the creation of The Avengers: Age of Ultron’s titular villain.


 

Thor

Just like what Iron Man 3 did for Iron Man, Thor: The Dark World left its titular hero in an interesting position right before the credits rolled. The end of the film featured the God of Thunder rejecting the throne of Asgard in favor of returning to Earth so that he can be with his love, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). This means that when it comes time for The Avengers to reassemble, Thor won’t even have to travel by wormhole to answer the call – he can just swing his hammer around and fly back to the Avengers Tower in Manhattan . The audience knows that Thor actually left Asgard to be ruled under the iron fist of Loki (Tom Hiddleston), but he probably won’t figure that out until Thor 3, given that the villainous character won’t be appearing in Avengers 2.

 

Captain America

Of all the films we’ve seen in Phase Two, Captain America: The Winter Soldier has had by far the biggest impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only did the eponymous hero have to deal with a horror from his past in the form of The Winter Soldier, S.H.I.E.L.D. turned out to be a massively corrupt institution that had been taken over by HYDRA and subsequently destroyed by our heroes. The movie leaves Cap not only in a future he’s unfamiliar with, but really unable to trust anyone around him. Perhaps his only salvation are his fellow superheroes in the Avengers squad. Set photos have shown that the patriotic hero is getting yet another costume change in the movie, so obviously he’s getting close with somebody.

 

Hulk

While Bruce Banner/Hulk didn’t get his own solo movie during Phase Two – despite being the standout of Joss Whedon’s The Avengers - he’s coming back in a big way in 2015. Star Mark Ruffalo has confirmed that he will have an expanded role in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, though any exact specifics as to what that means right now is unknown. As shown in the post-credits sequence of Iron Man 3, Bruce has gotten close with Tony Stark, so perhaps the two of them have continued to work together. Speaking of which, did I mention that this movie IS GOING TO INCLUDE HULKBUSTER ARMOR!?

 

Hawkeye

The Avengers is a fantastic ensemble film in that it gives proper time to just about all of its characters, but if there was one actor who was given the short end of the stick it was Jeremy Renner. The star has publically expressed how disappointed he was with his part in Whedon’s film - having spent most of the time as a zombie serving under Loki – but the writer/director has promised big things for Hawkeye in the sequel. It has been confirmed multiple times that Hawkeye will have an expanded role in The Avengers: The Age of Ultron and actually interacting with the other members of the team. The film will also hopefully fill us in on exactly where Hawkeye was during the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

 

Black Widow

Unlike her fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Hawkeye, Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow actually got more than a few moments to shine during Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even without her own solo film. The character was partnered up with Captain America through almost the entirety of The Winter Soldier, and in addition to showing off a few more of her awesome martial arts moves, the film also opened up some very interesting doors for the character. Captain America 2 ended with Black Widow’s entire personal history going public, meaning that everybody is going to know that the Avengers includes a Russian born and trained former assassin. One can imagine that might cause a few trust issues between her and the public.

While Joss Whedon has promised that Black Widow will play a fairly important role in Avengers 2, the actress did her part to throw the production some curveballs by getting pregnant. Fortunately, the shooting schedule was able to be shifted so that Johansson could film all of her scenes just as cameras started rolling.