The last few weeks have seen a lot of big, official media releases for The Avengers – Marvel’s tentpole superhero film – including the first big trailer and a New York Comic-Con panel with additional footage.
Recently, Tom Hiddleston – the man who played Loki, Thor’s adoptive brother in Thor – talked about his role in the upcoming film and the significance of particular shots from the explosive trailer. Plus, Kevin Feige discussed the importance of The Avengers ensemble over any single actor/character.
According to Tom Hiddleston – courtesy of MTV Splash Page – the shot of Loki in a portal surrounded by S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel is “the god of mischief” arriving on Earth.
Says Hiddleston:
“He’s landed.”
When asked if Loki has traveled by way of the Rainbow Bridge, Hiddleston says:
“There’s a line in ‘Thor’ I remember saying to Idris Elba’s Heimdall, ‘There are secret powers between worlds to which even you, with all your gifts, are blind.’”
It seems likely that the 9 realms of the tree of Yggdrasill might include worlds separate from those found in Norse mythology – perhaps the Skrull or Kree homeworlds, or both? This would jibe well enough with the Marvel movie rules established in Thor, where, essentially, Thor and his brethren were weirdo aliens (a la Masters of the Universe) as opposed to actual gods or magical beings.
Check out a map of the 9 realms below (click to enlarge):
In a recent issue of Empire (via Comic Book Movie), Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige talked about the importance of the ensemble in Joss Whedon’s The Avengers.
On the interesting character interactions, Feige said:
“What people seem to have taken away so far is not just the new characters or costumes – which are cool – but the character interaction. It’s a storyline that allows each of the characters to bring something to it – they all bring something to the party from their [particular] knowledge base.”
On rules of superhero team-ups – i.e., fighting before working together:
“As any fan of the Marvel team up knows, what happens when Marvel heroes team up? They fight each other, then they fight together. We did not shy away from that direction.”
On the importance of not focusing on a single character, but rather the entire ensemble:
“The best Avengers comics are when no one is the leader. Joss has done a great job of making this a true ensemble picture – Loki and Fury are, if anything, true drivers of the story at points. And Jeremy Renner could steal the movie from everybody with his bow and arrow. We don’t have to make this Iron Man and his amazing friends – Iron Man’s a giant, giant part of the movie and when he comes in, people take notice. But this is an Avengers movie.”
The way that Feige describes the team as basically being leaderless, save for perhaps Nick Fury (Sam Jackson), implies – much like everything else we’ve seen of the film – that The Avengers will follow the first arc of The Ultimates more than anything from the 616 universe.
How does this all sound to you, Screen Ranters? Are you looking forward to an ensemble-focused Avengers?
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Follow me on Twitter @benandrewmoore.
The Avengers hits theaters May 4th, 2012.
Source: MTV Splash Page, Empire (via Comic Book Movie)
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Totally!
I think it would be great if every superhero character in The Avengers has a fair amount of screentime.
Some fights between the superheroes before the heroes team up would be great and also Tom Hiddleston did a great job as Loki, I hope he does more greater job than before.
I hope The Avengers turns out to be the best movie of 2012.
I just hope Thor doesn’t get overlooked.especially his power.
People may disagree but I really do think the focus (obvi not 100%) should be on Iron Man. Let’s just think of it from a squeals perspective: Iron Man 3 is up next…more than likely the additional “trailer” at the end of the Avenger’s will be all about Tony Stark. Iron Man is still the box office breadwinner.
In my opinion, Iron Man 1 is still the best of all the movies Marvel has released in this series. Not only in terms of tone and character development but action as well.
Iron Man is a blend of both being human and superpowered. To that point, he’s still vulnerable and relates to the audience (insert Nolan Batman comment here). I guess that’s why Thor never appealed to me (and Superman for that matter).
If you have Cap struggling to find his identity, Thor struggling over the idea of killing/fighting his brother, Black Widow & Hawkeye relationship development, Hulk-well being Hulk, all you have left is Iron Man and who knows how Joss W will utilize him…
Maybe I’m just biased towards the man behind the Iron Mask, but i think without utilizing him as a major plot development character is a mistake.
Regardless I think this movie is going to be awesome! can’t wait!
I concur. Ironman started this ball rolling and he is the connection to the rest of the Avengers. This movie will be awesome.
There could be a Thor moment as well, seeing how Thor 2′s being shaped up. But I’m going to go out of another ballpark. If there is a stinger, my hopes that it will loosely hint at Doctor Strange. I’d be even more geeked if it was Nick Fury looking over a dissasembled Ultron.
** EASTER EGG **
That would be a great segue intro for Hank Pym. Have a disassembled Ultron on a workbench. Or slyly hide the specs of Ultron on a technicians computer screen that gets panned as Fury or another member walks by. Maybe a short glimpse of Ant-Mans helmet on said bench…
I think Tony Stark will be a stronger presence than others. Someone has to be at the core of the story, and he’s the most likely candidate. I like Chris Evans, but Cap is boring. It won’t be Thor because IMO he’s only there to provide a character with Superman-like powers, but not much more. Banner would be interesting since he’s going to be brought in by SHIELD and could provide an outsider’s perspective. But with a new actor and the fact that he Hulks-out, that would be disruptive. Fury is the only other option for a central character IMO.
“In my opinion, Iron Man 1 is still the best of all the movies Marvel has released in this series. Not only in terms of tone and character development but action as well.”
Disagree about the best action, just my opinion.
Your other points are valid. Not to mention RDJ is a big draw as well, so I could see a bit more focus being on Ironman, but I don’t know if Joss looks at things that way.
What other movie you see Is the Best Action Movie Other than IronMan?
Girls Gone Wild?
Like
Was that Marvel Movie? lOl
Well, Spider-man #1 & #2 (& just a little bit, the fight against Sandman in #3) featured some of the best fight scenes ever in a hero movie (VS Doc Ock & Green Goblin).
Probably won’t fit with the tone of the movie at all, but a scene where barton and stark hit the bars and pick up some ladies would be awesome.
make coulson be the DD.
“where, essentially, Thor and his brethren were weirdo aliens (a la Masters of the Universe) as opposed to actual gods or magical beings.”
– That’s not actually, completely true… (no offense Ben)
Granted, they aren’t “gods” in the movie-verse, but they aren’t EXACTLY “aliens” either (they are definitely magical beings though).
I can see how the movie made the impression that the Asgardians are “aliens”, but I implore anyone who thinks that, to please watch the director’s commentary of ‘Thor’ (and the deleted scenes).
Thor and the Asgardians are “advanced deities” (not really “aliens” per-say). They use science AND magic and see it as ONE thing (it’s not like the magical stuff IS actually unexplained science… the Asgardians just don’t know the difference to put it simply).
For example: there was a deleted scene where Loki transforms wine into a snake (now… I’m no scientist, but that defies the laws of physics IMO
). There are quite a few other scenes included in the actual movie, where Loki does more stuff like that.
IMO this is really a difficult subject to go into, but if there’s one thing people should take from it, is that “The Asgardians see sorcery and science as one-in-the-same-thing, BUT that DOES NOT mean that they are in fact the same thing — it’s just how the Asgardians perceive it”.
Anywho… that’s just the message that came across to me while watching the movie/commentary/deleted scenes/multiple interviews of the writers, director and cast, etc.
Like I said… REALLY confusing subject to most people (even I struggled to grasp it until I had more info on the subject), but I invite anyone who disagrees with me to please watch the commentary, deleted scenes, interviews on the web, etc. before starting to bash me
Sounds to me like that’s an example of the producers wanting to have their cake and eat it, too. In other words, they don’t want to anger the comic book fans by calling them outright aliens, but they want Thor and his buddies to be aliens regardless so they can operate inside of the universe they’ve created. I agree turning wine into a snake is impossible (although the fact that they deleted this scene seems more like evidence of their decision to make the Asgardians aliens), but I’ve seen a lot of movie aliens do a lot of impossible things.
(Well, I’ve always said: you can have your cake AND eat it too
)
I guess it just depends on your definition of “alien”.
I like to think of the Asgardians as a cross between “aliens” and “gods” (kinda something in between but not really one or the other IMO)
It REALLY is a tricky subject and I seriously hope Marvel will clear up this unnecessary confusion in Thor 2 (or maybe even in The Avengers: Whedon is creative, I’m sure he can come up with an explanation that’ll please the fans and still make sense in relation to the continuity.)
I just want to make it clear though: I wasn’t really trying to “correct” anyone (or say that my explanation was correct). I was just trying to share my analogy (the only thing I’m actually objecting to is the label: “weirdo aliens”
— that was all)
Here’s hoping 2012/2013 will bring answers!
I dunno, I think weirdo aliens sums it up pretty well — especially in conjunction with your label (“a cross between ‘aliens’ and ‘gods’).
Idk, I have to agree with Avenger (AGAIN
) Aliens that ride horses and use swords and shields and speak all regal and Shakespearean? Honestly, Marvel’s decision to make them “aliens” has really just confused everybody lol. They seem pretty magical to me. Also I hope they don’t make the Skrulls or Kree part of the Nine Realms (MAJOR WTF)
“Honestly, Marvel’s decision to make them “aliens” has really just confused everybody lol.”
Actually, it sounds like you agree with me. I’m not saying it was a “good” idea to hedge between Norse magic people and aliens, I’m just saying — they’re clearly stated to be aliens in the context of the film.
This discussion is really getting to the heart of why I’ve never been able to really like Thor. It wasn’t the only reason I didn’t like the movie, but it played a part. Honestly, that Loki is in it makes me nervous and I hope he and Thor are the limit of the Asgardian involvement (although I guess we have the cosmic cube too).
I like Thor as part of the team. I think he could be fun. But all the horse riding, sword fighting, and pheasant eating is just plain hokey. I mean the idea that aliens were percieved as gods is fine, even if they have some things like armour and capes. But the way Stan Lee did it is pretty hokey.
@Nostelg-O, I wasn’t saying Thor isn’t awesome (which he is) I just don’t get why they made them aliens in the movie. It also doesn’t sound right calling him and “alien”. Just sounds weird cause I never thought of Thor as an alien before. I don’t get what is so “hokey”.
If they are not from earth, they are aliens. as far as the hokeyness goes, that was their culture when they came to earth and we copied them. So not hokey.
I don’t even know what “hokey” means
Anyway, it really does depend on a person’s definition of “alien”… I think of the Asgardians are “advanced beings”, but I would never label them “aliens” (and Marvel never did that either BTW):
Marvel NEVER said the Asgardians were “aliens”, that is just what SOME of the fans started to assume.
This is just one of those subjects where all a person can do is agree to disagree and wait for some more info from Marvel that could help sort out this confusion (Thor 2 or hopefully, even The Avengers).
IMO Thor is hokey. There are too many things I’m not able to set aside. How can he be a brash young god when he’s hundreds of years old, at least? How come a book in the children’s section of the library will describe Loki as the God of mischief, but this somehow eludes Asgard? The whole science and magic being one and the same is a bad attempt at trying to explain all this. Is Mjolor (sic) a high tech weapon? Why is Thor the only one who has one? What are they? Do they have children, schools, manufacturing, or any economy? Why do they have a monarch society instead of a democracy? We used to ride horses and use swords, but not anymore. Why are they still doing this.
I loved LOTR. I thought Hellboy 2 was really cool, and that had some subterranean elf society. It’s not that I can’t overlook nonsensical stuff and enjoy a movie. But the whole concept of Thor is weak and begs too many questions. It’s not “really complicated.” It’s just weak. Sorry, but Stan the man didn’t put a whole lot of effort into explaining Thor. Too much of this magic science renaissance fair mish mash is too much for a movie.
As I’ve said before, I think Thor will be fun to have in an ensemble cast like the Avengers. But the concept really doesn’t stand up on it’s own to me, and I hope there isn’t too much Asgard in Avengers.
Anyway, this is just my opinion. If you like Thor, that’s okay with me. Don’t let me stop you.
Nostelg-O
Thor is pretty “hookey” I suppose. Stan Lee pretty much built him off a whim on one of his favorite fairytales.
Although in the 60s alotta comic characters were built off a whim with technology and gadgets way beyond practical explanation. Although, for the last 20 years writes have been attempting to give these characters (& their gadgets) some scientific/reasonable explanation into the “how”.
Everybody has their own wepons. thor has a hammer, odin has a staff, etc. i dont remember them riding horses, since he can fly and all. superman can fly and has lazer vision and stuff, but is he a magic god? Negative. hes a cool ALIEN. why does he wear a cape? Its not a tactical advantage, its because its. part of his culture. he chooses to wear it. same EXACT reason thor wears armor and dresses like a viking. As far as the age goes, he is a young brash god in relevance to the asgards life span. if they live thousands of years and hes only a few hundred, then hes young to them.
Do you understand what tge word “alien” means? Alien is a foriegner; something/one unlike its own; extraterrestrial. That describes Thor.
If they did not originate from earth they are aliens. Even if they were gods from another dimensions/realms they would still be considered as aliens.
“Advance beings” works two ways. 1) Atlanteans in DC/Marvel are advance beings but are not aliens. They are from Earth. Their ways (culture/language) however may be considered alien to us. 2) Thor and all his magical friends are aliens that also happen to be “advance beings”. They are not from Earth and have advance technology.
In that sense yes, they are aliens (beings from another world).
But the label “alien” usually refers to little green men with laser guns (that’s what the general consensus is these days).
That’s why, when I heard Ben say “weirdo aliens”, I (and I’m assuming most people) thought of the type of aliens we see in movies. That’s why I disagreed with that label, because IN THAT SENSE it didn’t fit them.
So yes, the ACTUAL definition of “alien” does suit Thor and the Asgardians, but because the word “alien” has a more general meaning these days (meaning weird creatures with 4 fingers, big heads, etc.) I don’t think it fits them.
The Asgardians are ADVANCED humanoids who are immortal. They ride around on horses, use swords, hammers and live simple lives… the label “alien” (as it’s used today) doesn’t really fit that discription IMO. That’s why I will keep referring to them as “advanced beings” (which IMO fits the description I just gave)
I leave you with this example: Han Solo isn’t from earth… but no one refers to him as an alien, do they?
“That’s why, when I heard Ben say ‘weirdo aliens,’ I (and I’m assuming most people) thought of the type of aliens we see in movies. That’s why I disagreed with that label, because IN THAT SENSE it didn’t fit them.”
If I had been describing those sorts of aliens, wouldn’t I have just said your typical, run-of-the-mill aliens? Hence the reason they’re “weirdo aliens.”
If they are beings of any kind, not from Earth, that is the definition of an Alien. Now they could be deities, but still, that deity life-form is not a earth based creature, hence an Alien.
@Cpl
Thank you. The term “alien” is basically a catch-all category, and is not very descriptive. It’s like saying National Geographic, Dolphin’s Tale and Lion King are all movies featuring animals… it doesn’t really do much for the listener.
On to the actual subject of this article:
I’m very happy to hear that the Avengers will indeed be a REAL “origin story” (i.e. the team fighting with each other, not getting along, not WANING to be in a team, but then, ultimately, accepting one another in the fight for the greater good.)
I was actually expecting that RDJ would be “the star of the show”, and I’m pleased to know that that won’t necessarily be the case (RDJ is my favorite actor, but IMO The Avengers should feature the OTHER characters just as much as him – they are just as important as Stark when you get into this type of movie).
All ‘n’ all, very happy about this news and I will end my day’s ranting with one final message:
AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!
I think Joss is taking the film in EXACTLY the right direction. I couldn’t be more excited for this movie.
I really hope they show Hawkeye using a variety of arrows. I love the fact that he has stated in the comic books that he has an arrow for everyone. If the movie just sticks to regular arrows I will walk away disappointed.
I was hoping for a couple of things to happen in this movie and it looks like I may get some of them. I wanted to see the conflict in personalities between Cap and Stark. Their differences are actually a great debate in real life. Plus I want to see a tussle between Thor and The Hulk. Any fan of the comics knows that these are the two heavy hitters. Who wouldnt wanna see the powerhouses clash? And for those a bit older you may remember the Return of the Incredible Hulk when Thor yells, “THIS WILL SEND YOU BACK TO HELL YOU UGLY TROLL!!” I want this. lol. And If Hawkeye is not a smart ass I will be upset. The cameo in Thor was a good start. Is it May yet?
Of course there will be much strife between Cap and Ironman. In what world would a 90 year old virgin and a lady-killer in his prime ever get along? Maybe it can happen in the fictional marvel universe. just maybe haha.
@HG, Sadly enough its not May yet :’(. But yeah I wanna hear Thor call Hulk a troll or ogre. In the show I think he said to someone “You have ogres on Midgard?”
When are we likely to see the trailer everyone saw at Comic Con ???
no idea maybe in a few months?
I think this is great news. I love RDJ as Tony Stark and Iron Man, but Marvel didn’t spend a lot of time developing their other characters just to put Iron Man at the forefront. They wanted all their characters to pull weight. As a team movie, this is how it should be. We’ve already had two Iron Man movies, and we’re getting a third right after Avengers.
Also, I’m glad to hear something good about Renner, even if it was a brief mention. His character will have the most ground to cover, in terms of development.
I’m not so sure that this should focus on any one character over the others. As much as I love the X-men movies, it bothers me that most of them focus only on Wolverine and sideline the rest of them. I’m hoping that this Avengers movie doesnt pull the same thing with Ironman.
I agree. Kevin Feige said they will focus on all the characters equally. That’s why I really hope he was joking about Hawkeye stealing the show. He’s the last person I’d want to steal the show.
A butt naked Black Widow would hands down steal the show….and rightfully so.
Nah… her butt’s to big for us to see anything else (I believe she even as an orbital-field around that thing)
Cobie Smulders all the way! (IMO)
I do prefer a little meat on my bone, so the widow would do still, but Cobie can get the biz no doubt. Still holding out for a kick ass catfight btwn the two. Both the Avengers and Skrulls would stop battling to see who would come out on top.
This is going to be a great flick. As long as they don’t overload it with action and leave the film void of any serious dialogue sequences that could help with character and team development. Example: a dialogue sequence between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers where Rogers speaks on the work he did with Howard Stark. Or maybe an intense debate between Bruce Banner and Thor that results in Banner transforming into the hulk and battling it out with the mighty God of Thunder. IDK, I have very high hopes for this film.
Ensemble this: I’m OK with most everything in the franchise so far, but I wanna see Goliath (Hank Pym, blue/yellow uniform), Wasp, Quicksilver, & Scarlet Witch get into the mix somewhere as well for the heroes, as well as Ultron, Kang, & Mandarin for villains.
Re: Iron Man/ Cap scrap pic above: I remember that from comics. But at the end of the day, some heroes & their hero buddies definitely fit together like eggs and chickens: coming to mind are Captain America & his buddy Iron Man; Green Lantern and his buddy The Flash; Superman and his buddy Batman; Dr. Fate and his buddy Hourman.
so far we’ve been capt get verbal with tony, thor tangoing with capt and hulk having a fit in the corner (of what looks to be a facility of some sort(maybe the harrier)).
i’m really having doubts about this movie, i just don’t see how its plausible to fit the characters disputes, story about the villains (and aliens), have the team regroup (become friends) and leave the ending open for a sequel(s). i mean, it’s possible, but there’s a chance it will turn into ironman 2, where everything is all over the place and the script is stupid, with it only having a few good action scenes in it.
marvel can easily point to a sequel in the after credit scenes
When I saw the Thumbnail of this post (Cap vs Ironman) I thought may kevin Feige was talking possibility of Civil War in far future well i got suprised!
The civil war will never ever ever happen as a movie (at least no animated). why do people still think about it?
@TheAvenger
I really don’t understand your argument. He is a humanoid but he is an alien nonetheless. You may not like the way it “sounds” but he is an alien.
Thor is a wierdo alien. Wierd meaning opposite of what is considered normal behavior & alien meaning extraterrestrial. There are many movies where aliens have humanoid appearances. The most famoua is the film The Day Earth Stood Still.
Asgardians aren’t immortals. They eat some fruit and it extends their life nor did they mention Thor being immortal in film. But yes they are advanced humanoids that ride around on horses, use swords, hammers and are aliens. If it makes you feel better call them extraterrestrials — originating outside the limits of earth.
And Han Solo is a bad example. Everyone in that film is an alien LOL they are not from earth. I bet if you look up greatest cinematuc aliens one humanoid Star Wars character will make the top 10.
Do you think Martians would call themselves aliens in comparison to Earth? Here’s a perfect example, in Titan A.E. the humans were called homeless aliens.
I see what you’re saying, but I still disagree.
And even though Han Solo is BASICALLY an alien, no one CALLS him an alien (because the word, as it’s generally used, doesn’t fit him)
I’m not in the mood to continue with this so how’s this: until Marvel sorts out this mess in Thor 2, you can call the Asgardians aliens, and I’ll just keep calling them “advanced beings from another world”.
Good day sir.
You can find illegal aliens behind home depot looking for work all the time. its not hard to be classified an alien. also Titan A.E. was an awesome movie.
You can find illegal aliens behind home depot looking for work all the time. its not hard to be classified an alien. also Titan A.E. was awesome.
“advanced beings from another world” Sooo Asgardians are aliens afterall lmao
It sounds as if you two are debating whether Tylenol is a drug or medicine. lmao
BTW Titan A.E. is an awesome movie. Nice movie appreciation.
So I guess Nick Fury is the leader?
I just want to see Thor beat the Hulk…but I’m afraid that won’t happen. Whatever! It feels like it’s Iron Man 2.1. Bah! Bring on the action figures!