Category Archives: The Avengers: Age of Ultron

First look: Amy Acker as ‘The Cellist’ in ‘Agents of SHIELD’

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amy acker cellist agents of SHIELD

How much do we love this?

Marvel announced today that Amy Acker of “Angel” and “Dollhouse” would appear in an upcoming episode of “Agents of SHIELD” as Audrey, the ex-girlfriend of SHIELD agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg). Marvel released the photo above of Acker from the still-unscheduled episode.

You might remember Audrey as the unnamed “cellist” and girlfriend of Coulson as briefly mentioned in “The Avengers.”

After the movie came out, blogs (like this one) connected some dots in our love of the idea of Coulson coming back from the dead as the Vision, the android Avenger.

A few sites noted that Wanda, the Vision’s comic-book wife – better known as the Scarlet Witch – was supposedly a cellist in the comics.

So the dots didn’t really connect. Clark Gregg came back from the dead but not as the Vision. And Elizabeth Olsen is playing Wanda/Scarlet Witch in “Avengers 2: Age of Ultron.”

So the next best thing? We get Acker as the cellist in an upcoming episode of “Agents of SHIELD.”

‘Agents of SHIELD,’ ‘Winter Soldier’ building to … ?

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blue-alien-agents-of-shieldIt shouldn’t be surprising that Disney/ABC/Marvel is practicing synergy in how it’s handling ABC’s Tuesday-night series “Agents of SHIELD” and the April 4 release of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” the second Marvel movie – after “Thor: The Dark World” – released since “SHIELD” debuted last fall.

There was a “SHIELD” episode earlier in the season that tied in, in a minimal way, to the “Thor” sequel. And Jaimie Alexander guest-starred this week as Sif on “SHIELD,” tracking down fellow Asgardian Lorelei.

But it’s increasingly obvious, as I noted in an earlier piece, that both “SHIELD” and “Winter Soldier” seem to be building to something.

On “SHIELD,” Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) has had a season-long arc of discovery as he tries to determine how and why he was brought back from the dead after Loki inflicted a fatal goring in “The Avengers.” So far, we’ve learned that Coulson – and SHIELD team member Skye – were saved by a mysterious liquid that appears to be generated from the half-missing corpse of a blue alien bottled up in a remote SHIELD facility. In last week’s episode, Coulson asks Sif about “blue aliens” and she mentions several, from frost giants (obviously not the answer in this case) to the Kree, the longtime Marvel alien race that spawned not only the original Captain Marvel but also is the mortal enemy of the Skrulls (or the Chitauri, as they were depicted in “The Avengers.”)

By episode’s end, Coulson – frustrated that alien biologics were used in his resurrection and to save Skye – is seeking answers and demanding to speak to Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson, who’s already appeared on the series).

Promos for the series – using the subtitle (“Uprising”) – would lead us to believe that Coulson’s quest for knowledge may shake up the prevailing image of SHIELD.

As I’ve stated before, SHIELD’s been the subject of sinister undertones in the big-screen Marvel movies, most notably “The Avengers,” when our heroes discovered that SHIELD was experimenting with Hydra weaponry.

I have a feeling this will tie in, more or less, to “Winter Soldier” when it comes out on April 4. The promos for the movie indicate Cap, Black Widow and new partner Sam (aka The Falcon) Wilson might find themselves pitted against SHIELD itself or at least leader figures like the one Robert Redford plays. I’ve previously speculated the role Robert Redford’s character plays in all this (spoilers here if you look).

So what can we infer from this?

Marvel is trying to pull off something that’s extremely tricky. It’s making some pretty big changes to SHIELD, the organization that has been, more or less, the glue that’s held its cinematic universe together from the start.

And it’s doing some while it’s producing a weekly TV series about that organization.

Is the series going to turn its “good guy” into a “bad guy,” with the rank-and-file agents on the outside? Or even on the run?

Method to their madness: Marvel movie credits scenes

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Thanos-in-The-Avengers-

In all the verbiage that’s been dedicated to end-credits scenes in Marvel movies, gone unaddressed is the question of why some movies have one end-credits scene and why a few have two.

Early Marvel movies had only one end-credits “stinger,” or “button,” scene. The first, of course, was Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury showing up at the end of “Iron Man” in 2008.

“The Avengers” set a precedent for two credits scenes that was continued in “Thor: The Dark World” and, we’re hearing, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.”

Spoilers ahead, obviously, although some are for movies you’ve probably seen by now. And if you haven’t, why not?

What we’re hearing so far about the end credits scenes from the “Captain America” sequel indicate the movie continues the mini-trend of two end credits scenes but also the trend of making one a direct promo for a future movie and one a character piece.

We saw that in “The Avengers,” which – in its first credits scene – teased Thanos as the bad guy behind the scenes of the movie. Then, in the end credits scene, the tired Avengers sit down for a meal in a nearly-demolished NYC restaurant. It’s a scene that emphasized the humor of director Joss Whedon.

Two end-credits scenes in “Thor: The Dark World” followed that pattern. In the first, the story is advanced toward this August’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” by introducing not only the character the Collector but the concept of the Infinity Stones before the very final scene showed Thor returning to Earth and reuniting with Jane Foster.

Now we’re hearing that two end credits scenes in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” will follow the same approach. One will advance the larger Marvel movie storyline while the other will further the development of one character.

Is it purely a marketing strategy on the part of Marvel? At the end of the original “Captain America,” the most marketing-oriented extra so far included a montage of shots from “The Avengers.”

Is it artistic vision from the director? We know that’s not always the case. “Thor: The Dark World” director Alan Taylor grumbled about the inclusion of footage promoting “Guardians of the Galaxy” at the end of his movie. He didn’t direct it. Likewise, “Avengers” series director and Marvel’s big-screen consultant Whedon directed an “Avengers”-leaning promo at the end of the original “Thor” and, it was announced this week, directed one of the two scenes at the end of “Winter Soldier.”

So we’re guessing it’s more of a savvy, catch-em-while-they’re-in-the-theater-and-create-buzz move by Marvel.

And it’s one that usually adds to the enjoyment of the movies for fans.

‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ end credits spoilers?

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cap winter soldier poster

As “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” gets screened around the world in advance of international release dates – and the U.S. release of April 4 – spoilers are getting out.

Online this week, dozens of movie news sites repeated realistic-sounding spoilers about end-credit scenes included in those early prints.

You know, of course, the end-credits scenes I’m talking about. Marvel has specialized in them since Nick Fury told Tony Stark about “the Avenger Initiative” at the end of “Iron Man” in 2008.

News broke today that Joss Whedon, mastermind behind “The Avengers” in 2012 and also director of the 2015 summer blockbuster-in-the-making “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” directed one of the “Winter Soldier” credits scenes.

Some of the reports about Whedon are being careful about just what’s in those “Winter Soldier” scenes. Others are not.

Based on early reporting and some conclusion-gathering, here’s what I think we can expect to see during the end credits of the “Cap” sequel.”

Spoilers, naturally.

Still there?

The first end-credits scene by all reports takes us to the lair of Baron Von Strucker, a longtime second-tier Marvel villain who we’ve already heard figures into “Avengers: The Age of Ultron.” It makes sense to introduce Strucker and his prisoners – Quicksilver and The Scarlet Witch – somewhere in advance of all three appearing in “Age of Ultron.”

And that somewhere is at the end of “Winter Soldier,” apparently.

The scene reportedly shows Strucker watching Pietro and Wanda, brother and sister, in cells in some remote location. Quicksilver is speeding around his cell; Scarlet Witch is making objects move with her mind/”hex power.”

Strucker reportedly calls them “miracles,” which makes sense considering Fox and the “X-Men” movies have the market cornered on the use of the word “mutants.”

In the second scene, according to spoiler accounts, Bucky Barnes – the Winter Soldier – sees an acknowledgement of his role as Captain America’s World War II sidekick and not only confirms who he is – was – but perhaps gains a better appreciation of Cap, his partner-turned-enemy.

I like how both expand on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but in different ways. I’m working on a quick overview of how the past double-end-credits scenes have taken a two-pronged approach. More on that later.

In the meantime, can anything make us look forward to the April 4 opening of “Winter Soldier” more?

Big spoilers for ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier?’

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redford cap winter soldier

Warning: This is the kind of spoiler that, once seen, cannot be unseen.

I’ll give you another warning before unleashing the spoiler.

I’m torn when it comes to spoilers. I like knowing things that other people don’t know and, through this blog, sharing them with readers.

This is a lifelong condition for me. Back in the spring of 1980, I sat down at the curb outside a bookstore and scanned through the paperback novelization of “The Empire Strikes Back,” which had come out a few weeks before the movie. I remember being startled by the revelations in the print version. I couldn’t blog about it, of course. Pity.

Just like novelizations of movies can vary, to greater or lesser extent, so can merchandising tie-ins.

That brings us to the spoilers for “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.”

As you know, the movie – which comes out in April – pits Cap, now an integral part of spy organization SHIELD, against the title character, a Russian assassin with a bionic arm. This struggle plays out against the bigger backdrop of Cap’s disillusionment with SHIELD, particularly as represented by D.C. insider Alexander Pierce, played by Robert Redford.

Still not in ultimate spoiler territory, so hang in there.

If you’re familiar with the Winter Soldier concept from the comics, you know the character is really Bucky Barnes, Cap’s World War II partner, who seemingly fell to his death in the comics (and the first Cap movie).

And if you’ve seen trailers for the movie, you’ve gotten a pretty good idea that the movie makes Cap and other characters, including Black Widow and Falcon, rebels within the SHIELD organization.

Okay. So here’s where we get into spoilers, maybe. Keep in mind I haven’t seen the movie and don’t have any inside knowledge. I’m reading conjecture online and putting two and two together.

Okay. Spoilers in 

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Ready? 

If the movie follows the storyline of the Marvel Comics “Winter Soldier” book, the Red Skull – Cap’s nemesis from the comics – will play a role in the modern-day.

As played by Hugo Weaving, the Skull seemed to disappear – whooshed away to another dimension or another of the Nine Realms – at the end of the movie. It sure looked that way to me.

And if you’re a comic reader, you know that the Skull has popped up, in person and in various disguises, for much of the past half-century. So it’s safe to say that the Skull could return without too much surprise.

Which makes the Red Skull action figure, released to tie into the movie, make sense.

winter soldier red skull action figure 

Again, he might not be in the movie. He might just be part of the action figure merchandising from the movie.

Then we remember this quote, from early 2013, in which Redford – who could have played Cap in a 1960s or 1970s big-screen version – talked about why he wanted to appear in the movie.

“I think a career requires a certain amount of reinvention. If you get caught in one track I think that can be dangerous. Success has a dark side to it. you want to be careful if you’ve had success at something, that you not try and follow it by just duplicating it. That’s why I’m doing this Captain America thing. I like the idea of playing a villain…I did that just because it’s a different thing for me to do.”

So is Redford playing the Red Skull in disguise?

What better to re-introduce the character and interject a huge note of suspicion and distrust in how Cap and other heroes feel about SHIELD.

Remember, if you will, that Cap and Tony Stark discovered in “The Avengers” that SHIELD was making new Hydra weapons. The Red Skull channeled the power of the Tesseract, or Cosmic Cube, for those weapons.

Who’s to say the Skull, under the guise of the leader of SHIELD, hasn’t been using SHIELD’s resources to re-arm Hydra?

Speculation online and in interviews with Marvel officials has centered on how thoroughly the Marvel cinematic universe will change based on “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” The movie is supposed to be something of a game-changer in the year leading up to when “Avengers: The Age of Ultron” comes out in 2015.

What better way to change the game than by taking the organization that’s been a part of every Marvel movie since Nick Fury stepped out of the shadows of Tony Stark’s living room in “Iron Man” in 2008 … and deconstructing it.

And what better way to do that than by revealing that the man ultimately in charge of SHIELD, Nick Fury’s own boss, has been the Marvel universe’s most enduring villain, maybe for decades?

We’ll see in April if any of this is even remotely correct.

Paul Bettany as the Vision? Perfect

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paul bettany

The Hollywood Reporter is going with the story – and a million websites are echoing – the news that Paul Bettany is reportedly going to play the Vision in “The Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the “Avengers” sequel director Joss Whedon is making for 2015 release.

If that’s true, it’s perfect and makes perfect sense.

john buscema and roy thomas. the avengers 58 the vision

In the comics, the Vision was, in a way, the indirect creation of Hank Pym, the super-scientist whose secret identity was the shape-changing Ant-Man.

But Marvel put comic book fans on notice at Comic Con last year when it showed a preview for “Age of Ultron” that – by depicting Iron Man’s mask hammered into the fearsome visage of Ultron – indicated Tony Stark was Ultron’s father.

In the comics, Pym’s creation, Ultron, the megalomaniacal android, created the Vision to help him destroy the Avengers after Pym, his father figure, rejected him and proved flawed.

Making Ultron a creation of Tony Stark streamlines events for the Marvel cinematic universe. Not to mention that Edgar Wright’s “Ant-Man” – with Michael Douglas as Pym and Paul Rudd as Ant-Man successor Scott Lang – hasn’t even made its way into the movie universe continuity yet.

So if you’re going to make Ultron – and Vision – part of the Tony Stark lineage, what makes more sense than having Bettany, who has been doing the voice of Jarvis, Stark’s artificial intelligence “butler” since 2008’s “Iron Man,” portray the in-the-flesh-more-or-less personification of Vision.

It all makes sense, and Bettany has the kind of cool that would be perfect for playing the android.

‘Agents of SHIELD’ – Five ways to save it

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agents of shield cast

Remember way  back in September, when Marvel’s first modern-era TV production, “Agents of SHIELD,” seemed so exciting?

Sure we were all worried about how Marvel and show creator Joss Whedon (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “The Avengers”) would be able to translate the excitement of the big-screen world onto ABC’s small screen. That ABC was showing it at 8 p.m. Tuesdays was also a concern. Nobody expected tough-and-gritty stories and atmosphere anyway, although we might see that with “Daredevil” and the other shows Marvel is doing for Netflix. An 8 p.m. timeslot all but guaranteed a fairly family-friendly aura.

But we were genuinely excited at the thought of everything that might happen. “SHIELD” would be a weekly dose of the greater Marvel  universe, filled with characters we love, characters that have never been portrayed in live action before. Luke Cage! Moon Knight!

At first, “Agents of SHIELD” seemed like a sure-fire hit. The pilot got very good ratings.

But as the first nine episodes continued to air, audience numbers dropped – and so did our expectations of and faith in the show.

Too many episodes, although they seem “thisclose” to really taking off, somehow fail to. The core team of SHIELD operatives isn’t that interesting. Too much time has been spent teasing the audience about what happened to Phil Coulson after Loki “killed” him. And the roster of comic book characters that have been allowed to make an appearance is lackluster. Graviton? Really?

So here’s what the producers of “Agents of SHIELD” need to do before it’s too late. If it isn’t already too late.

nick fury agents of shield

Give us some well-known characters. When Whedon said a while back that “Agents of SHIELD” gave him a few dozen opportunities to make “The Avengers: Age of Ultron” a little less special when it came out in 2015, he wasn’t joking. Obviously nobody at Marvel or Disney or ABC wants to sate the audience’s interest in Marvel heroes before the movie comes out. And obviously Marvel wants to save some characters for big-screen movies, which is why you won’t see Dr. Strange, I’m guessing. But stop with the one-and-done, wannabes and third-raters. There ware many, many Marvel characters the show could introduce.

Retool the cast. Each of the supporting characters is fine, really, but they’re the type of characters that Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson was in the Marvel movies. In other words, just that: Supporting. I loved episodes of “Buffy” that revolved around that show’s “supporting” cast. Remember “The Zeppo” and Xander as below-the-radar hero? “Agents of SHIELD” hasn’t, so far, been able to do that kind of thing with Fitz or Simmons or May or Skye.

Resolve Phil Coulson’s status now. Or at least take it to the next level. Remember in the final season of “Buffy” when Buffy would make a different version of the “this is gonna be a tough battle” speech what seemed like every week? Jeez, that got old. It seemed like the series was treading water. “SHIELD” seems to have fallen into the same trap with its near-weekly reminder that something is different with Agent Coulson. A while back I suggested they needed to let Coulson – who is blocked from viewing his own medical records – find out he’s a clone or Life Model Decoy or whatever, break ranks with SHIELD and go at least a little rogue. “The good guys versus SHIELD” angle appears to be at least part of the plot of next April’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” so it wouldn’t be totally out of character for the Marvel universe.

aim

Bring on the bad guys. SHIELD’s adversaries in the show so far have been weak to only mildly intriguing. I’m not sure I care a whit about Centipede unless it morphs into HYDRA. How about AIM? Advanced Idea Mechanics was referenced in “Iron Man 3.” In the comics, they were guys in crazy yellow hazmat/beekkeeper outfits. I’m sure the show could come up with an updated uniform.

iron-man-3-after-credits-scene

Give us some star power. Samuel L. Jackson’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance in an early episode was fine. But we want more meat. Remember Mark Ruffalo’s appearance at the end of “Iron Man 3?” We want that in “SHIELD,” magnified.

Maybe “Agents of SHIELD” will resolve its problems quickly and, by February, be the kick-ass Marvel TV experience we all want. A couple of upcoming episodes hold promise.

But if not, it’s hard to imagine many of us sticking around.

‘Thor’ sequel spoilers and Marvel’s long game (maybe)

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thor the dark world poster

It has been there, right in front of us, since 2011.

Marvel’s long game, its plan for its big-screen universe, through the next several years.

odin's vault with gauntlet

2011 is when “Thor” came out, and figuring prominently into the plot were MacGuffiins – the objects of desire that spark movie plotlines, rare and powerful objects like the Casket of Winters and other arcane weapons in the arsenal of Odin in Asgard.

Marvel gave us another big hint that same summer, as “Captain America” fought the Red Skull to possess the Tesseract, also known as the Cosmic Cube. Another artifact of power. The Tesseract even showed up at the end of “Thor.”

The Tesseract, lost when the Skull’s airship went down in the ocean after Captain America defeated the villain, figured prominently into 2012’s “The Avengers.” In Loki’s hands, the cube opens a portal that allows an army assembled by Thanos, a cosmic villain, to attack Earth.

thanos avengers credits

Thanos. That smiley purple guy who appeared in the mid-credits scene at the end of “The Avengers.”

Now that Marvel has announced that the next “Avengers” adventure, 2015’s “Age of Ultron,” will be about Ultron, the robotic villain, it became clear that Marvel and Joss Whedon didn’t put Thanos at the end of “The Avengers” for no reason. They were, obviously, building to something bigger for the third “Avengers” movie. And they were laying it out for us to see.

Remember, in “The Avengers,” when Nick Fury asks Captain America about the Tesseract, Cap replies, “You should have left it on the bottom of the ocean.”

Okay, so items of great power. Check.

Here’s where we get to the spoilers for “Thor: The Dark World,” which opens this Friday. So don’t continue reading if you don’t want to know. But it’s essential to my theory about Marvel’s long-term plans.

Ready?

There are two end-credits scenes in “Thor: The Dark World.” The latter scene, at the very end, is a nice character moment and establishes that Thor’s relationship with Jane Foster will continue.

But it’s the mid-credits scene that sets up several years worth of Marvel movies.

In that scene, Sif and Volstagg, two of Thor’s cohorts, have possession of the Aether, a powerful MacGuffin that plays into the plot of “Thor: The Dark World.”

Thor and his allies have captured the Aether and, in the end credits, Sif and Volstagg take the Aether to the Collector, a longtime Marvel Comics character played by Benicio Del Toro, who just so happens to play the same character in “Guardians of the Galaxy” the Marvel movie coming in late 2014.

Thor’s allies give the Collector the Aether and note the Tesseract is in Odin’s arsenal.

“It’s too dangerous to have two Infinity Stones in the same place,” they say.

thanos infinity gauntlet

Six Infinity Stones, or gems, are the power source for the Infinity Gauntlet in Marvel comics. It is a tool and a weapon of … Thanos.

After Sif and Volstagg leave, the Collector says the words that set the next several years worth of Marvel movies on their path:

“One down, five more to go,” he says.

In the comics, the Infinity Gems were not artifacts like the Cosmic Cube or Casket of Winters. They were literal stones or gems, albeit with supernatural powers.

Now consider the plot description Marvel released last year when it announced “Guardians of the Galaxy:”

“In the far reaches of space, an unlikely cast of characters including an American pilot and a group of futuristic ex-cons go on the run with a highly coveted object and must join forces to defeat a cosmic force of epic proportions.”

What highly coveted object? Possibly another Infinity Stone?

It now seems apparent that the Marvel movies are pursuing the years-spanning storyline of Thanos trying to acquire the powerful Infinity Stones and the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and other heroes trying to foil his plans … coming to a theater near you in “Avengers 3,” maybe in 2017 or 2018.

In the meantime …

Marvel movie universe mastermind Kevin Feige has been quoted recently as hinting that the company has its movies roughly planned out into 2021 or so. Considering that’s only three years after the third “Avengers” film completes Phase Three of Marvel’s big screen plans, it’s probably not surprising.

Okay, so bonus round: What’s Marvel planning through and post Phase Three?

What could possibly top the showdown with Thanos?

(FYI, I’m not counting the movies based on Marvel characters that the company doesn’t have the rights to for the screen, so there’s no mention of “Spider-Man” or “X-Men” movies here, although those are certain to continue, as likely will “Fantastic Four” films.)

So here’s the rough timetable as we know it so far.

2014: “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

2015: “The Avengers: The Age of Ultron,” “Ant-Man.”

2016: Two still-unspecified Marvel films.

2017: One still-unspecified Marvel film, with at least one more likely to come.

2018: The third “Avengers” film maybe, if they continue to turn them out every three years.

Mentioned as likely or possibilities: “Dr. Strange,” “Black Panther.” Possibilities since their rights have reverted to Marvel: “Daredevil” and “The Punisher.”

Also almost certain: “The Inhumans,” about Marvel’s other race of super-powered beings besides “The X-Men.”

Any of these movies would be fine post-Phase Three fare.

And any of them would be appropriate for shoe-horning into the Phase Three build-up to the third “Avengers” movie.

Maybe they’ll turn up in one of those 2016 films, or one in 2017 or 2018.

I don’t know about you, but I’m planning to be there.

Two credits scenes in ‘Thor: The Dark World?’

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Thor-The-Dark-World

I was already looking forward to Nov. 8 and “Thor: The Dark World.”

Then today ScreenCrush.com reports that initial screens indicate the latest Marvel movie will have two credits sequences, not unlike “The Avengers.”

There’s supposedly a scene part way through the credits, like the Thanos scene in “The Avengers,” and an after-credits stinger, like the restaurant scene at the end of “The Avengers” and the Bruce Banner appearance at the end of “Iron Man 3.”

True? We should get some kind of confirmation soon.

And the movie opens Nov. 8.

Today in Halloween: Captain America goggles

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hallow cap goggles

I think I might have to break down and get these.

Readers of this blog might know that Captain America is, in some ways, my favorite superhero.

avengers 4

My earliest comic-book experiences revolved around a copy of Avengers 4, the milestone silver age comic in which Cap returns from the dead, given to me by a neighbor.

Cap’s costume in the big-screen movies often includes some kind of cowl/mask but often features just helmet and goggles.

You can get Iron Man or Spider-Man versions of these goggles, but really, they only make absolute sense for Cap to wear.

Or Halloween-night versions of Cap.

If I could only find a set big enough for my big Roysdon-sized noggin.