UPDATE: If you've seen Avengers 2 and want to discuss in the comments which Easter Eggs did OR did not make it into the film, please drop a SPOILER WARNING FIRST. Thanks!
Marvel's The Avengers: Age of Ultron will soon kick off the summer 2015 movie season, and it arguably already reigns as THE king of summer. The first Avengers movie shattered box office records and even shifted the entire paradigm of how movie franchises are structured and designed. That's no small legacy for Avengers 2 to live up to, but director Joss Whedon and his cast of Marvel all-stars (with help from some strong new additions) seem poised to make a legitimate go at topping the first film.
However, while we want Avengers 2 to be good as a standalone film, it's also the next big junction point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That means there are more than a few story threads that need to be connected and/or introduced into the mix, and as Age of Ultron has gotten closer, it's become clear that there are quite a few shared universe story points fans are hoping to see. Here are 10 Marvel Cinematic Universe Easter Eggs Fans Want to See in Avengers 2.
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10. Black Panther's World
Marvel has a lot of new heroes coming in the aftermath of Avengers 2; Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, The Inhumans and of course Black Panther all stand on deck for movie adaptations.
In the case of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), we don't expect the character to really appear (in or out of costume) until Captain America: Civil War; however, his world and backstory we fully expect to be referenced in Avengers 2.
Klaw
Traces of Black Panther's African homeland, Wakanda, can already be found in the metal called Vibranium, which was used to make Cap's iconic shield. In Avengers 2, we know that Andy Serkis will play Ulysses Klaw, a character who, in the comics, steals Vibranium from Wakanda and kills Black Panther's father - later becoming the sonic-powered villain, Klaw.
By all implication from trailers, Klaw helps Ultron upgrade his body with Vibranium - but how that goal is achieved could set into motion events that eventually bring Black Panther into contact with The Avengers.
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9. Cpt. Marvel Reporting for Duty
Carol Danvers is a pivotal character to introduce into the MCU; she has historically been part of The Air Force, S.H.I.E.L.D., and has superpowers that come from cosmic origins. That basically makes her (and her superhero alter-ego, Captain Marvel) the bridge between the Marvel Cosmic Universe (Guardians of the Galaxy) and more grounded properties like Captain America, Iron Man or even Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Like Black Panther, many don't expect Marvel to go full-on into Captain Marvel during the events of Age of Ultron; however fans do expect the character to pop up in some way, shape or form. Most likely she'd first appear as some kind of military liaison and/or combatant, but one can never be too sure how things get spun for the MCU continuity.
Even if current rumors are inaccurate, and the character of Carol Danvers has NOT been cast yet, Avengers 2 could still serve as some sort of introduction to the source of Captain Marvel's cosmic energies.
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8. Ant-Man on Deck
The order of Marvel's 2015 movie lineup (Avengers 2 followed by Ant-Man) represents a direct contradiction to Marvel Comics history. In the books, Ultron (and The Vision) are creations that spawn from Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man. In the MCU, we won't get to meet Pym (Michael Douglas) until after Ultron has come (and presumably gone). But that doesn't mean Ant-Man and Ultron can't still share a few connections.
Age of Ultron trailers have already shown flashbacks which bring historical elements of the MCU (like Hayley Atwell's Agent Carter) to the forefront. One of those historical events could conceivably be research done by Hank Pym ("The Ultron Program") that helps point Tony Stark toward what he needs to create Ultron.
Even though that's all speculation on our part, needless to say that more than a few fans are hoping some trace of the Hank Pym/Ultron origin connection stays intact.
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7. Agents of Carter
Thus far, Marvel TV has been treated as a somewhat second-tier product when compared to the films. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has overcome that early misstep by tying itself to major film events like Captain America 2's HYDRA takeover, or the emergence of The Inhumans in the MCU; meanwhile, Agent Carter served as a direct epilogue to the events of Captain America: The First Avenger.
Given the events of the first Avengers film, there is still one big elephant-in-room within the MCU: Phil Coulson's resurrection and Kree connections. Even if the latter point needs more time and room to be explored, many fans hope that the world-threatening events of Age of Ultron will at least force Coulson to re-unite with the super team he first inspired to work together.
HYDRA Leader Baron von Strucker
At the very least, HYDRA's experiments on superpowered beings is something that AoS and AoU will definitely have in common - and there's been clear evidence in trailers that Peggy Carter will appear in Avengers 2. All in all, fans can probably breathe easy that Marvel TV is getting SOME kind of head-nod in the film.
(Unfortunately, Daredevil seems to have arrived too late to hope for a cameo from The Man Without Fear).
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6. Strange Magic
Rounding out our Phase 3 new recruits: Avengers Age of Ultron is also the venue where we expect to be introduced to yet another new factor in the MCU (besides superpowers and cosmic beings): magic.
The character of Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) has been front and center in the Avengers 2 marketing, and her array of psychic/telekinetic powers have remained mysterious when it comes to explanation and/or backstory (remember: the MCU has no mutants, due to legal issues with Fox).
However, at Toy Fair 2015 we did notice a significant connection between Witch's powers and Doctor Strange, the chief mystic in the Marvel Universe, who will star in his own 2016 film played by Benedict Cumberbatch.
Based on trailers and toy designs, Scarlet Witch's powers in the movie seem to have the same kind of stylized energy signature as her comic book counterpart; in comics, the Witch's powers tapped into the same mystical forces Doctor Strange does. (Note the similar "magic energy" in the comic book art.)
As it stands, the parallels between Scarlet Witch and Doctor Strange are seemingly too apparent for Avengers 2 to ignore them, completely.
UPDATE: If you've seen Avengers 2 and want to discuss in the comments which Easter Eggs did OR did not make it into the film, please drop a SPOILER WARNING FIRST. Thanks!
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Next Page: 5 More Easter Egg Hopes
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5. Beginning of the End... of Times
Ever since Marvel revealed that Thor: Ragnarok will be the next installment of the Thunder God's film franchise, many fans have been hoping that their third outing with Thor will be the biggest and best yet.
Avengers 2 will find Thor living amongst humanity full-time as its protector; however, the Asgardian prince's love of mankind could be sorely tested by the events of Age of Ultron. By the time the sequel is over, it wouldn't be shocking if Thor either chooses to leave Earth, or is called away by a greater threat to the cosmos:
Rumors have already circulated that a few Asgardians will cameo in Avengers 2, so having Thor go from battling robots to the learning of Surtur and his Fire Demons attacking Asgard comes with a reasonable amount of fan expectation.
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4. Galactic Guardians
Since Guardians of the Galaxy became a hit movie for Marvel Studios, there's naturally been a lot of fan chatter about how the franchise will be interwoven into the larger MCU. Guardians director James Gunn has openly stated that, at least for now, Guardians is more of its own thing, in a separate corner of the MCU. Gunn made it clear that Guardians 2 will NOT be a direct prequel to Avengers: Infinity War, making it that much harder to assess when/where the crossover connections can be made.
However, even Gunn has had to backtrack and admit that Guardians must one day make contact with The Avengers, and fans no doubt hope that Age of Ultron will lay foundation for that, so that things don't completely jump the shark when Rocket Raccoon is eventually trading banter with Tony Stark.
Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet/Stones are the most obvious way to connect the two franchises, but there's still plenty of room for some even stronger ties between the MCU's two big teams, as well as new heroes like Captain Marvel.
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3. Beginning of Infinity
One of the biggest things that needs to be accomplished in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is convincingly tying more grounded stories like Iron Man or Captain America to the Marvel Cosmic universe explored in films like Thor 1&2 and Guardians of the Galaxy. Avengers 2 could very well be the film that begins to open up the cosmos in order to turn Earth's Mightiest Heroes into the Universe's Mightiest Heroes - and the key may be found in Loki's scepter from the first film.
Avengers 2 trailers have had some curious footage of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in his lab experimenting with the scepter, which he presumably recovers from the clutches of Baron von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann) at the beginning of the film.
Marvel has already confirmed that Loki's scepter IS one of the Infinity Stones, and drawing from comic book mythos, it's speculated that in Avengers 2 it is most likely be the mind (possibly soul?) gem that gives Ultron and/or The Vision sentience as A.I. lifeforms.
There is also the lingering mystery of what the strange gem embedded in Vision's forehead is, and if it's the same stone that is presumably inside the scepter. At the very least, we expect that at least one (if not two) of the stones will have a big impact on the Age of Ultron storyline.
The Vision: Mind or Soul Gem Power?
And once the Infinity Stones are once again in play on Earth, Thanos and his Infinity War can't be far behind.
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2. Civil Start to War
The events of Age of Ultron (Tony Stark creating an A.I. that threatens to destroy the world), is sure going to put a strain on The Avengers team - one that could conceivably fracture it. Director Joss Whedon has hinted all along that the a darker, bleaker fate could await the team and early trailers/clips have teased how that affects Steve Rogers and Tony Stark's relationship, in particular.
In the aftermath of Avengers 2, Rogers and Stark will likely be standing on opposite sides of some kind of line. By the time Captain America: Civil War arrives, Rogers and his new team of Avengers could be going to war against Stark and whatever authority he wields.
Captain America: Civil War
For fans watching Avengers 2, the hope is to see good, weighty dramatic beginnings to the Cap/Iron Man schism, and perhaps some final (or post-credits) scene of what Captain America's new Avengers roster looks like. If that happens, Marvel will have already sold millions of tickets for Captain America 3.
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1. Spidey Comes Home
One of the biggest headlines of the last few years has been Sony finally lending Spider-Man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Where, when and how Spidey will appear in the MCU has been subject of debate and speculation - but needless to say, fans are keeping fingers crossed that Marvel has worked some kind of introduction to the character into the film.
Since we don't know for sure if Marvel has cast a new actor to play Spider-Man, it's unlikely that Spider-Man will appear onscreen (in or out of costume) during Avengers 2. Best case scenario: Spidey or Peter Parker is revealed in some kind of post-credit scene filmed after Avengers 2 originally completed production.
Even if a post-credits scene is not in the cards, there are still any number of ways to imply or infer that the Web-Slinger is present and active in the MCU. Heck, one random strand of webbing seen onscreen alongside the Age of Ultron characters would be enough to get Spidey mania going.
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Honorable Mentions
These are things that are a bit more obscure or unlikely, but die-hard fans may nonetheless be hoping for them:
Inhumanity - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been delegated the task of introducing The Inhumans and their Terrigenesis process into the MCU. Because Fox won't let Marvel Studios mention the X-Men (or mutants in general) within their shared universe, Inhumans have been repositioned as the stand-in for mutants in the MCU, and (slowly but surely) in Marvel Comics, as well. It remains to be seen how HYDRA's experiments on Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are explained - but there's obvious opportunity to reference Terrigenesis, thereby planting a seed for the upcoming Inhumans movie.
Planet Hulk - An adaptation of the "Planet Hulk" comic book storyline is something that fans have long had their eye on. In the famous story, Marvel heroes shoot Hulk into space as a final solution to his rampages; however, the story of Hulk winning a crown on an alien world seemed too heavy with CGI and budget demands to ever become a reality. Still, Hulk himself (Mark Ruffalo) is keeping the idea alive, and even if we never actually see "Planet Hulk" in the MCU, the events can still lead to the more doable "World War Hulk" storyline (when Hulk returns to Earth as a conquering warlord).
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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, Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine, Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill and Stellan Skarsgård as Erik Selvig, 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.
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Next: Fan-Made Avengers Trailer Featuring Spider-Man
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UPDATE: If you've seen Avengers 2 and want to discuss in the comments which Easter Eggs did OR did not make it into the film, please drop a SPOILER WARNING FIRST. Thanks!
The Avengers: Age of Ultron releases in theaters on May 1 2015, followed by Ant-Man on July 17 2015, Captain America: Civil War on May 6 2016, Doctor Strange on November 4 2016, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 on May 5 2017, Spider-Man on July 28, 2017, Thor: Ragnarok on November 3 2017, Avengers: Infinity War - Part 1 on May 4 2018, Black Panther on July 6 2018, Captain Marvel on November 2 2018, Avengers: Infinity War - Part 2 on May 3 2019 and Inhumans on July 12, 2019.