[Update: New Avengers 2 TV commercials and posters HERE!]

It's the final stretch for the lead-up to the beginning of the summer movie season where Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron kicks things off on the first week in May (and earlier internationally). This is where the Disney marketing machine kicks it into overdrive with interviews, merchandise and other tie-in promotions, including one below featuring the new Audi TTS.

In addition to some other behind-the-scenes videos you may have missed we have a few details about Avengers: Age of Ultron from the studio, covering new and upgraded costumes and weapons to the team's new home base and vehicle. Hawkeye, of course, gets to step into the spotlight in the sequel with Jeremy Renner finally getting a chance to play with Clint Barton's personality and wit. Marvel's top archer also gets some new toys to play with, including a new field outfit, a new bow, and all sorts of special arrows that'll help him battle Ultron.

Hawkeye's not the only Avenger getting a little more specialized on screen though. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) get new outfits and new tech; Hulk gets stretchy Avengers-branded pants and Black Widow gets a powered catsuit and new melee weapons.

The information below - as shared by Disney in recent weeks - also delves into all of this as well as the international shooting locations of the film and the main set piece, the renovated Stark Tower which now serves as Avengers HQ, a massive full-to-scale set we visited last summer. It even houses its own medical facility for the team's medic, Dr. Helen Cho (a new character played by Claudia Kim).

-

Avengers 2: Age of Ultron - Hulk Pants (Hot Toys)
Avengers-branded Hulk Stretchy Pants

1. Hulk's Superhero Outfit

  • Hulk got a welcomed upgrade to his wardrobe with the addition of stretchy pants, which he wears underneath his clothes. No more will he be caught in the embarrassing situation of being half-naked in shredded clothing when he Hulks-out—the pants, made of high-tech, microfiber fabric, stretch with him.

-

Avengers 2: Age of Ultron Trailer - Hawkeye Trick Arrows
Hawkeye's New Trick Arrows

2. Hawkeye's New Gear

  • Thanks to Tony Stark’s engineering skills, Hawkeye received an upgrade to his weaponry. He now has many new arrow tips that serve different purposes. Some of these are explained in the movie and others the audience will just get the joy of seeing deployed on screen. Hawkeye’s quiver has also changed—it is more automated and faster loading, and is capable of holding nine arrows.
  • Hawkeye’s bow also received a makeover, with the classic black color being changed to maroon. Added features to the bow include an infrared-sighting device and a sonic-sighting device.

-

Avengers 2 Age of Ultron - Captain America Magnetic Shield
Captain America's Stark-Tech Shield

3. Captain America's Shield Explained

  • An exciting change was also made to Captain America’s shield. It now has the ability to be called back, much like the Iron Man suits. Instead of having two handles in the back, the shield now has a magnetic element that clips onto Cap’s gauntlet.

-

Avengers 2: Age of Ultron Trailer 3 - Black Widow Weapons
Black Widow's New Catsuit

4. Black Widow's New Weapons

  • Courtesy of Tony Stark, Black Widow gets to flaunt new fighting batons, which are based on Escrima Sticks. But Black Widow’s two sticks are charged exactly the same as her stingers, so when she jabs, she is not only striking her opponent, but delivering a massive jolt of power as well.

-

Avengers Tower
Avengers Tower

5. Avengers Tower

  • On this film, production designer Charles Wood and his team built an enormous, new Avengers Tower set that is the largest set ever built for a Marvel film. Much of the movie takes place there on its many different levels. A large expanse of glass opens the view to New York City and one can also see a hangar for the Quinjet. The multiple environments are all connected, with the ability to move from downstairs to upstairs and vice versa.
  • The Avengers Tower set is designed to serve the story in multiple ways. In the movie, the Tower, designed and built by Tony Stark, is a gathering place for The Avengers—a place to plan, do business, relax or study. There is a lounge area, three laboratory areas plus a machine room, a gym, a relaxation area and a locker room. The Tower was also designed to provide everything Tony Stark needs for his work and research.

-

Avengers 2: Age of Ultron High-Res Photo - Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch
Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch

6. The New Avengers

  • New characters entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe from the comic book world are Wanda (Scarlet Witch) and Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver), who have powers that have not yet been seen on screen. Pietro is lightning fast and Wanda possesses the power of telekinesis, and she is able to fire neurons in people’s brains remotely using her powers and as a result can manipulate their minds.
  • Another new character on The Avengers team is Vision, played by Paul Bettany, who previously had voiced Jarvis in the “Iron Man” films. He’s an artificial life form whose look is truly unique. Vision’s powers are spectacular and he represents a new power base for The Avengers team.

-

Avengers: Age of Ultron Trailer 1 - Hulkbuster Intro
Hulkbuster Iron Man Armor

7. Hulkbuster

  • The Hulkbuster is an iconic piece of Iron Man tech—a prebuilt super-suit designed to take on the Hulk. The Hulkbuster Armor was developed by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, after they studied the Hulk’s physical actions and strength levels in an effort to find a way to contain him and minimize the damage caused by his rages. A satellite in low orbit is always around Banner and at a moment’s notice, Tony Stark can deploy the Hulkbuster armor, get into it and stop the Hulk in his tracks—theoretically.

-

Avengers: Age of Ultron Trailer 1 - New Quinjet
The new Quinjet

8. New Quinjet

  • The redesigned Quinjet has a more militaristic look this time around and the pilots are now able to have a good look at the environment around them while flying. The design of the canopy was based on a helicopter cockpit with glass in front and below, which will give audiences a tremendous sense of speed when the Quinjet is flying through city airspace. The interior has been stripped down to a more utilitarian, sleek space as well, with many of the luxurious finishes and padding removed for an edgier look.

-

Avengers Age of Ultron Trailer 1 - Twins Riot
The Twins In "Sokovia"

9. An International Adventure

  • Real locations around the world were used in Marvel’s “ Avengers: Age of Ultron” to ground the story in reality and support the notion that The Avengers are truly a global threat-thwarting team. From England to South Africa, Italy and South Korea, the production filmed in real environments that added depth and complexity to the look of the finished movie.
  • The Korean shoot was very meaningful for Korean actress Claudia Kim who grew up in Seoul and plays Dr. Helen Cho in the film. She was very proud that some of Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” scenes filmed in Korea.
  • A unique asset to the production in Seoul was the use drones and remote control cars to put the camera in places that could never be achieved by camera operators or helicopters. The production enlisted the expertise of brothers Menstru Pa, who is the Korean National Champion in drone flying, and Pak Min Keu, who is the Korean National Champion in remote car racing.

-

Avengers 2: Age of Ultron High-Res Photo - Stark Tower Party
Col. James 'War Machine' Rhodes with The Avengers

10. Dressing Down The Avengers

  • Dressing the Super Heroes for a pivotal party scene was a task that fell to veteran costume designer Alexandra Byrne. Since it is the first time that Thor has ever been seen in party clothes, Byrne worked with Chris Hemsworth to find the right combination of jeans, jacket and shirt that would dress his shape and not look themed or fancy. Dressing Tony Stark was easier, especially since Robert Downey Jr. wanted a very sophisticated look. Subsequently it was off to London’s famous Savile Row for tailoring. After five fittings, Tony Stark emerged looking quite elegant.

-

[Update: New Avengers 2 TV commercials and posters HERE!]

_____________________________________________

On-Set Interviews: Aaron Taylor-Johnson & Elizabeth Olsen

_____________________________________________

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.

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.

Source: BD