After the massive success of The Avengers, the MCU's heroes all went off on their own separate adventures which helped to expand the cinematic universe in interesting ways. But when the world is once again in danger, Earth's Mightiest Heroes had to regroup once again for Avengers: Age of Ultron.
The film finds the Avengers facing off with Ultron, a super-intelligent and powerful robot who teams up with some enhanced twins to wipe out the heroes. Though the film was not as fondly remembered as the first film, some consider it an underrated gem. It is certainly filled with a lot of great moments and some of Joss Whedon's signature witty dialogue that stands out.
Fine, I'll Do It Myself
After the mid-credit scene of The Avengers introduced Thanos into the MCU, many suspected the sequel would feature the Mad Titan as the main villain. Whedon decided to go with Ultron instead, but he did bring Thanos back for another mid-credit tease.
After several failed attempts to have others retrieve the Infinity Stones for him, Thanos dons his gauntlet and declares that it's time to take matters into his own hands. While Avengers: Infinity War would still be a few years away, this was an exciting promise for what's to come.
The Sun's Getting Real Low
The sequel finds the team of heroes coming together more amicably than in the first film. They are starting to like each other and finding a way to work together effectively. An even more significant relationship develops between Black Widow and Bruce Banner.
While the romance between the characters feels a bit unnecessary, there is an interesting aspect in which Natasha is used as a secret weapon to calm Hulk down. Her "lullaby" is a simple and sweet way of showing a deep connection between these two.
I'm Glad You Asked That, Because I Wanted To Take This Time To Explain My Evil Plan
After a slew of disappointing villains, many fans hoped that Ultron would be an interesting and formidable foe for the sequel. Though the characterization didn't work for everyone, Ultron may be one of the most underrated villains in the MCU.
James Spader gives an excellent performance as the nefarious and surprisingly sassy killer robot. It's pretty entertaining seeing Ultron talk back to the Avengers and have his own quips. When Iron Man asks why he's stealing Vibranium, Ultron even mocks the idea of the evil villains explaining their plans.
You Didn't See That Coming?
Wanda and Pietro Maximoff are also known as Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver who team up with Ultron before switching sides and joining the Avengers. While Wanda becomes a staple of the MCU, Quicksilver doesn't last as long.
Quicksilver develops a prickly relationship with Hawkeye, teasing him with his super-speed then asking "You didn't see that coming?" It builds to the climactic moment when Quicksilver sacrifices himself to save Hawkeye then says "You really didn't see that coming."
You Get Hurt, Hurt 'Em Back. You Get Killed... Walk It Off
Despite their impressive team, the Avengers find themselves in a tough position when protecting the city of Sokovia from Ultron's massive army. As they do their best to save as many people as they can, Captain America gives them a stirring motivational speech.
As he lays out their plan, he concludes by telling the team, "You get hurt, hurt 'em back. You get killed… walk it off." It's a great tough-guy line from Cap that also shows his unrelenting spirit to save the day.
Then We'll Do That Together, Too
Looking back on this movie, it's interesting to see how many seeds were planted for future storylines in the MCU. While some of them feel a bit forced, the movie does a great job setting up Tony's fear of a coming threat which is paid off in Infinity War.
Tony warns the others that they need some kind of way of protecting the Earth from whatever comes their way. Cap tells him that's their job and they'll do it together. When Tony insists that they'll lose, Cap says "Then we'll do that together, too."
Well, I Was Born Yesterday
As if the film wasn't already packed enough with characters, the movie manages to bring in yet another hero just before the third act. Vision is introduced as a complex combination of J.A.R.V.I.S., the Mind Stone, and some entirely new being.
Despite his last-minute addition, Vision makes for an interesting character and he shares a great conversation with Ultron at the end of the film. As Ultron faces defeat, Vision explains how his hatred for humanity was misplaced. Ultron tells him he is naïve and Vision dryly responds, "Well, I was born yesterday."
Language!
While it took until the climax of the first film for the heroes to come together to fight, the sequel wastes no time as it opens with their attack on a Hydra base.
As they approach the base, Iron Man hits a forcefield and says "Sh*t" to which Cap quickly responds "Language!". This becomes a great ongoing joke in the movie as the other heroes continuously mock Cap for his goody-goody policing of swear words.
The City Is Flying, We're Fighting An Army Of Robots, And I Have A Bow And Arrow
Hawkeye was given a much lesser role in the first film compared to the other heroes, so this time around, Whedon seemed determined to expand on the character. We get to meet his family, learn more about him as a hero, and he also gets one of the best monologues in the film.
As the city of Sokovia rises into the sky and Ultron's army pushes the heroes back, Wanda becomes overwhelmed. Hawkeye tries to calm her down by pointing out the ridiculousness of this situation, including his choice of weapon. It's a perfect Whedon moment that points out the obvious silliness of the character.
But If You Put The Hammer In An Elevator?
As much as the superhero action in these movies is thrilling, sometimes it's equally exciting to see these iconic characters just sharing the screen and talking. The highlight of the movie finds the heroes just hanging out and taking turns trying to lift Thor's hammer.
This fun moment is paid off wonderfully when Vision reveals he is able to lift the hammer. However, after saving the day, Steve and Tony are still arguing about if that makes him worthy since he's not human. As Steve argues, if you put the hammer in an elevator and the elevator goes up, that doesn't mean the elevator is worthy.