THE AVENGERS ASSEMBLE IN 2012

Are you as excited as I am?

Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger have all led to this.  A massive mission that needs the combined strengths of some of the greatest heroes we’ve ever seen on the big screen.  That’s a lot of pressure to deliver.  Since Marvel announced their grand scheme to create a unified series of movies that belong to the same universe, people have speculated on the potential of an Avengers movie.

XTRA | The Dark Knight Rises vs The Avengers vs The Amazing Spider-Man

What will be at stake?  Which villain could possibly have a chance against these heroes?  How can so many iconic characters exist on a single screen?

Recently, we were given our first glimpse at the team including our first look at Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk.

It’s a beautiful way to introduce The Avengers that immediately brought one question to mind:

Will The Avengers be the greatest superhero movie of all time?

In order to answer that question, you have to consider the film(s) you consider to be the current champ.  For me, the movie to beat is The Dark Knight, a near perfect movie that changed everything.  The Dark Knight had a gripping story, a fascinating villain, a flawed hero and incredible action.  In addition to the current champ, you should also consider movies The Avengers will be competing against: The Dark Knight Rises.

It’s Marvel vs DC.  The Dark Knight vs The Avengers in a winner take all battle for our imaginations.  Do The Avengers stand a chance?  Honestly, I was inspired when I saw the image above.  We don’t have to spend any time wondering about the origins of these heroes.  We just get to see them in action against the greatest threat they’ve ever faced.  What will that threat be?  More on that below.

The real challenge for The Avengers movie is director Joss Whedon’s ability to balance everything.  Each hero needs screen time and something to do.  There really aren’t any supporting roles here.  They are all stars in their own stories and nobody expects one or two to take a back seat now.

Will the first act be spent trying to tame the uncontrollable Hulk? What kind of dynamic will Nick Fury’s team develop?  Will it be Captain America’s Avengers or Iron Man’s? How will Thor factor in? We’ve been waiting years for answers and now that information is beginning to arrive, I’m encouraged.

Personally, I can’t wait to see the new Hulk in action.  If anything, he will be the best looking Hulk we’ve ever seen.

THE HULK

I think this poster says the most about the upcoming team up.  The contrast between the Mark Ruffalo and his angry half is amazing.  I think The Hulk will have a crucial role in the film, especially in the first act.  Getting him on the team won’t be easy.  I hope this will be the first time we REALLY get to see the Hulk go on a crazy rampage of destruction.  It’s going to be beautiful.

Will Mark Ruffalo be able to step into Edward Norton’s shoes?  I’m a massive Norton fan and loved his take on Bruce Banner.  It’s a shame he won’t be involved but I think Ruffalo is a fine choice to take over.  You can see it in his eyes on the poster.  The Hulk weighs heavily on him and I think portraying that struggle will be essential in order for this movie to become legendary.

CAPTAIN AMERICA

Captain America’s personal journey interests me a great deal because it has to address his familiarity with ‘today’.  (Being frozen for 70 years will do that.)  Not only does he have to let go of the past but he must also adapt to today’s fast paced world.

I didn’t flip out for Captain America: The First Avenger.  I suppose ‘flipping out’ would be a movie I would instantly want to see again.  I’m sure I’ll watch Captain America again someday but I’m more interested in his role in The Avengers than his origin story.  How will Captain America’s leadership skills clash with Tony Stark’s larger than life personality?  I can’t wait to see his reaction watching Bruce Banner transform the first time.  Will he be the one to inspire unity between the heroes?

THOR

I highly enjoyed Thor’s first big screen adventure.  One of the hardest parts of assembling this team of heroes is integrating Thor’s mythology into the mix.  Iron Man built his suite.  Captain America and The Hulk are both products of science.  As Thor so eloquently put it:

“Your ancestors called it magic, but you call it science. I come from a land where they are one and the same.”

Thor will play an integral role in this film not only because of his strength but because of his brother Loki.  The stakes have to be enormous in order to justify all these incredible heroes joining forces.  Loki instantly becomes a credible opponent with the cosmic cube in hand.  What will he use it for?  My guess is Thor will provide a lot of exposition and back story in the film.

IRON MAN

The first Iron Man is still my favorite Marvel film thus far.  It was the perfect place to start building towards The Avengers.  My only real complaint about Iron Man was the final battle.  It felt extremely rushed and a weakened Stark made it a lackluster finale.  Iron Man 2 was very disappointing.  What makes these movies great is how they incorporate The Avengers but still allow for the heroes to have their own story.  Iron Man 2 felt less like an Iron Man movie and more like a series of setups for The Avengers. (It also included a rushed ending)

I think The Avengers will be Iron Man’s playground.  A chance for Tony Shark to truly show off what he is capable of.  He is also the most well developed hero of the bunch so expect to see his personal journey take center stage at some point in the film.  Not too mention the humor he will no doubt provide.  Iron Man will play a big role in the film indeed but I’m looking forward to the action he’ll be a part of more than anything.

NICK FURY, HAWKEYE & THE BLACK WIDOW

Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing Nick Fury longer than 5 or 6 minutes per movie.  As the leader of S.H.E.I.L.D & The Avengers Initiative, he certainly must have a good reason for working as hard as he does.  I want to know more!  The same can be said for The Black Widow and Hawkeye.  It’s unfortunate that they will no doubt take a back seat to the big four but it will still be interesting to discover their places in the story.

The Villain.  Loki?

Loki has long been rumored to be the force The Avengers will go up against.  Not much is known about his role in the film but many sources believe he will use the cosmic cube to summon The Skrulls.  A powerful alien race.  Other rumors suggest that Thanos will play a small role as well. (Some even suggest that the movie will feature both theories.)

One thing is certain, the stakes will have to be enormous.  Something extremely evil and destructive is on it’s way to our world…  I can’t wait to find out what it is.

THE STAGE IS SET

We’ve now seen all the elements separately.  It’s time for all the work to pay off.  It’s time for everything to come together in one massive movie event.  At some point, we will get our first glimpse of all of the heroes on screen at the same time.  I think that will be a huge moment in cinema history.  Never before has a studio spent so much time and effort (and money) to put together this type of movie.

The Marvel Universe is about to collide and we’ve spent years wondering about the possibilities.  For me, the anticipation alone is going to make the coming months crawl.

Will The Avengers deliver on incredible promises Marvel’s films have made?  Will it be the greatest superhero movie of all time?  The battle between Batman & The Avengers is going to be absolutely fantastic to witness not too mention the return of Spider-Man.

XTRA | Why the last shot of The Dark Knight Rises teaser kicks ass.

Summer 2012 can’t get here fast enough.

What do you think?  Will The Avengers deliver all the action and moments you’re hoping for?

XTRA | Life after The Avengers? (via IGN)