The Avengers reassemble for Earth’s Mightiest Sequel. (“Avengers Assemble!” is their comic book battle cry – for the non-comic reader.)
In Avengers: Age of Ultron, our heroes face one of their oldest and most relentless enemies from comics.Ultron is an artificial intelligence who can download his evil sentience into a legion of robot bodies.
A lot has happened since the epic battle with Loki in their first cinematic meeting so it’s time to catch up on our heroes and villains.
In our continuing series that started with Avengers for Virgins, here’s our guide to get you on up to speed for the biggest movie of the summer. If you’re film fan only or hardcore geek here’s what you need to know to be ready for Avengers: Age of Ultron.
The Status:
In The Avengers, our heroes saved the world from an alien invasion led by Loki, who was working for a purple mystery man in deep space named Thanos, who gave the Thor’s half-brother a staff with a powerful stone plus an alien army.
Super spy Nick Fury’s Avengers Initiative was on: Captain America and Iron Man were on board, Black Widow recruited Dr. Bruce Banner from seclusion, Clint Barton (aka Hawkeye) was possessed by Loki but was later slammed into his better senses, Thor joined them after learning Loki was on Earth.
In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Steve Rogers, Black Widow, Nick Fury and new recruit Falcon, uncovered a conspiracy within S.H.I.E.L.D. Hydra (Cap’s old enemies from World War II) has been growing inside S.H.I.E.L.D. like a parasite. The good guys won but S.H.I.E.L.D. was destroyed and Nick Fury went deep undercover.
In the post-credits sequence we learn that Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker is in command of a secret Hydra base and possesses Loki’s alien staff. The “twins” are captives of Hydra and have been exposed to the alien energy and have super powers. These two are Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch who will somehow form an alliance with Ultron.
Thanos turned up again as the mastermind behind the villain Ronan (a renegade of the Kree Empire) in Guardians of the Galaxy. This was the first Marvel film to officially name an Infinity Gem but we’ve seen them in previous Thor films. In comics Thanos collects all the gems on a gauntlet (seen in Odin’s vault in Thor) to give him ultimate power.
Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Dr. Bruce Banner (aka Hulk) can’t be everywhere so Tony Stark will build a “suit of armor around the Earth” to go where the team can’t. The Avengers Initiative saved the planet now the Ultron program will keep the peace…but plans don’t always work out.
The Players:
Iron Man/Tony Stark – the genius inventor who creates Ultron – an artificial intelligence program to keep the peace.
Captain America/Steve Rogers – the skinny kid with a good heart and inner strength from Brooklyn who took the Super Soldier Serum and became the hero of World War II. Cap was frozen in time but revived in the modern day. Old fashioned and honorable Cap is trying to reconcile right from wrong and all the shades of grey in our modern world.
Thor – God of Thunder, Prince of Asgard armed with a mystical hammer. Only those who are worthy can hold the hammer which allows him flight, the power to summon thunder and lightning. Thor Odinson is the heir of Asgard, a mystical realm that inspired the legends of the Norse Gods. To learn humility and regain his worthiness, his father sent him to Earth (aka Midgard) and he fell in love with scientist Jane Foster.
Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff – Russian spy and assassin trained from childhood to be a killer in a program called “The Red Room” but recruited by Fury to become a top S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Black Widow regrets the “red in her ledger” and often uses questionable tactics (at least to Rogers) to achieves her mission goals. Natasha is armed with chargers in her uniform she’s calls her Widow’s bite.
Hulk/Dr. Bruce Banner – brilliant scientist who became a monster after attempting to recreate the Super Soldier Serum and mixing Gamma radiation. Anger triggers him to change into a green Goliath and “HULK SMASH!”
Hawkeye/Clint Barton – veteran S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who shares a history with Natasha. Barton is skilled with a bow and arrow.
Nick Fury – super spy and former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. an international peace keeping organization.
Maria Hill – top S.H.I.E.L.D. operative and Fury’s second in command.
James Rhodes – Tony’s best friend and former military liaison to Stark’s company who has his own armor as War Machine and then Iron Patriot.
NEW! Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff – captive of Hydra given powers after exposure to Loki’s alien staff. In comics Wanda has the power to alter probabilities and can harness chaos magic along with other mystical arts.
NEW! Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff, her twin brother with the power of super speed.
NEW! The Vision – android built by Ultron to infiltrate and destroy the team (that’s his comics origin but it may be different in the movie.) It’s important to note Paul Bettany is playing the android and was the voice of J.A.R.V.I.S. Tony Stark’s computer/butler. Connection?
Heimdall – the guardian of the mystical bridge leading to Asgard who watches the entire nine realms.
Hydra – A secret unit of the Third Reich in World War II dedicated to science and mysticism in Hitler’s obsession for power. The Red Skull (who went insane after taking the Super Soldier Serum) was the leader and his followers worshiped him. The Red Skull openly defied Hitler and struck out on his own march to power before being defeated by Captain America and his Howling Commandos. The villain seemed to have vanished into another realm. A similar fate happened to Loki but he encountered Thanos and came back into our realm.
What to watch out for:
Heroes may win the day but lose the war! Captain America: Civil War is coming next year based on the story in which the government passes the Superhero Registration Act. Steve and Tony are bitterly divided over this leading to two rival camps of heroes fighting it out. Tony’s creation of Ultron and the super battle damage may make the public turn against costumed heroes.
Director Joss Whedon says expect some surprise appearances from characters we haven’t seen in trailers or promos yet. Here are some we think may join the action:
Ant-Men! Ant-Man arrives just two months after this movie so we could see a cameo by Paul Rudd (Scott Lang) or Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). Pym is a scientist who created a special suit that allows a man to shrink to micro size and a helmet that allows the user to communicates with ants. Lang is a thief Pym hires to steal the suit back from ruthless corporate raider Darren Cross.
The Panther! Black Panther is the Prince of Wakanda and soon be the star of his own Marvel movie after appearing in the next Captain America film. The African nation is the only source of vibranium, a powerful metal used to make Cap’s shield. Panther’s arch-enemy from comics, Ulysses Klaw, appears in the movie.
Doctor Strange! Stephen Strange was named in the last Captain America movie and he will star in his own film in a few years. This is a medical doctor who became the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth and defender against supernatural threats.
Spider-Man! Marvel and Sony reached an agreement to share this popular character. Peter Parker will be a teenager in the future Marvel and Sony films. The fight against Ultron will be global but if the action is in New York City, we could see a cameo by your friendly neighborhood Spidey.
Kree! The blue-skinned aliens came to Earth centuries ago and experimented on ancient humans in order to create an army of slave warriors. The descendants formed a secret society of Inhumans. At a certain age a young Inhuman will be exposed to Terrigen crystals and trigger their alien DNA giving them new powers and sometimes strange new appearances. You can learn more about the Inhumans on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The Inhumans will eventually have their own Marvel movie.
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Enjoy Avengers: Age of Ultron -opening May 1st.
By Editor