With Marvel's The Avengers just weeks away from hitting theaters, one would think all hands involved in the film would be focused on the task at hand. However, fans are always thinking ahead (and studios are now too), and talk of Avengers 2 began even while story details of the first film were still being hammered out.

We've already heard Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige talk about possible new characters in Avengers 2, and today we have a bit from the film's writer/director Joss Whedon about how he would craft the sequel.

Whedon told SFX how he would handle the "Go bigger" policy when it comes to blockbuster sequels:

"By not trying to [go bigger]. By being smaller. More personal, more painful. By being the next thing that should happen to these characters, and not just a rehash of what seemed to work the first time. By having a theme that is completely fresh and organic to itself."

At the risk of starting a geek feud, that approach Whedon describes is arguably the same one that has made Chris Nolan's Batman films so good (at least, in my opinion). Batman Begins and Dark Knight each tell a complete, thematically rich, self-contained story (with a few intersecting threads) and each has its own unique color palette, narrative structure and tone. You truly got a fresh experience with a Nolan Bat sequel - and from the looks of it, The Dark Knight Rises will be a standalone creation as well. Marvel would do well to follow that example with Avengers 2 - not to mention, the second round of standalone character films the studio has on the way (Iron Man 3, Captain America 2, and Thor 2).

avengers movie trailer

Of course, some fun-loving superhero movie fans will automatically cry foul at Whedon's suggestion that an Avengers film should be "more personal, more painful," but so it goes. The director went on to also talk about what his goal was, in regards to giving each of the Avengers members their due development:

"I want to know what makes them tick, what makes them flawed, what makes them fight - and ultimately, what makes them awesome. I go to these movies for those moments when the heroes define themselves, either through action or deliciously overwritten speeches."

While we're a little wary about the "overwritten speeches" part, it's good to hear that the man writing and directing this flick has a general interest and knowledge of the characters he's playing with. The Avengers trailer that recently premiered pretty much sold the world on seeing this film, but the fact that we could get a rich and fulfilling character piece along with the epic action is pretty sweet.

The Avengers will be in theaters on May 4, 2012.

Source: SFX via Digital Spy