The Avengers (May 2012)
Primary Characters- Director Nick Fury
- Agent Phil Coulson
- Loki
- Clint Barton/Hawkeye
- Natasha Romanov/Black Widow
- Bruce Banner/Hulk
- Steve Rogers/Captain America
- Tony Stark/Iron Man
- Thor
Secondary Characters
- Erik Selvig
- Deputy Director Maria Hill
- Agent Phil Coulson
- Pepper Potts
- Jasper Sitwell
- Councilmember Gideon Malick
- Thanos
Notable Story Elements
- SHIELD
- The Helicarrier
- Chitauri
- Asgard
- The Tesseract/Space Stone
- Loki's scepter/Mind Stone
- Original theatrical release (at least 3 times)
- Multiple full viewings
- 23 Days of Marvel - March 23rd, 2020
Easter Eggs
- Stark deflects Coulson's call by stating he is the "Life Model Decoy" of Tony Stark, referencing the lifelike androids that are a part of many comic book SHIELD stories
- Pepper can be overheard speaking to Coulson about the cellist with whom he was once romantically involved moving to Portland; Stark mentions the cellist to Rogers after Coulson's death*
- Coulson uses comic book condition terms to describe his trading card collection
- Banner wears a purple shirt through much of the film, the same color as the Hulk's iconic ripped pants
- Captain America deflects one of Iron Man's repulsor blast off his shield to strike multiple foes, similar to an attack they use in multiple Marvel games
Straight up, this is a contender for my favorite movie, period. Just as The Incredible Hulk is set in last place of my ranking of the MCU films, it's fairly certain this one will remain first.
Bringing this large cast of characters into one cohesive film was no small feat. On a scale smaller than the culminating extravaganza Endgame, the impact of The Avengers depends on how invested one is in not just the heroics of its protagonists, but also in their individual foibles and personal triumphs.
We're happy to see Tony and Pepper together, as there's already 4 hours of turbulent courtship covered in Iron Man and its sequel. Thor is pained by his brother's actions, but his emotion here builds on the waves of earlier betrayals seen in their movie debut. Every blow Steve Rogers lands on the sand bag carries with it the frustration of nearly 70 lost years - and what, and who, are gone with them. The character building has already been done.
There's uncharted movie history between Hawkeye and Black Widow, but enough screen time given to dialogue between and about them to establish their characters and their relationship. He's Loki's thrall for most of the movie, and the regret and thirst for revenge he feels once freed are palpable. Her opening "interrogation" and the ass-kicking she delivers are, like so much of The Avengers, simultaneously exciting and humorous.
Hulk's origins and earlier adventures don't matter so much as that he is finally both terrifying and thrilling. His "I'm always angry" transformation and takedown of the Chitauri leviathan coincides with the crescendo of the outstanding Avengers theme and the rising stakes of the Battle of New York. Near its end, when he trounces Loki, all three different audiences with whom I watched it in the theaters cheered and laughed uproariously. The Incredible Hulk was a drag; he gets some of the best licks in here.
Makers of the previous films deserve credit for getting the heroes to this point, and Joss Whedon masterfully knits their diverse narratives together. Just as in the comics, it's Loki's schemes that unintentionally draw out a large force to thwart them, so props to him, too.
Taken by itself, The Avengers would still be well-paced, quotable, action-packed. Following the earlier MCU outings, though, it transcends what could normally be experienced through a superhero flick. It's a story of imperfect people (and well-established characters) coming together for the greater good. As paraphrased by Nick Fury following' Coulson's death*, and in the leading page of Avengers comics for years now:
Bringing this large cast of characters into one cohesive film was no small feat. On a scale smaller than the culminating extravaganza Endgame, the impact of The Avengers depends on how invested one is in not just the heroics of its protagonists, but also in their individual foibles and personal triumphs.
We're happy to see Tony and Pepper together, as there's already 4 hours of turbulent courtship covered in Iron Man and its sequel. Thor is pained by his brother's actions, but his emotion here builds on the waves of earlier betrayals seen in their movie debut. Every blow Steve Rogers lands on the sand bag carries with it the frustration of nearly 70 lost years - and what, and who, are gone with them. The character building has already been done.
There's uncharted movie history between Hawkeye and Black Widow, but enough screen time given to dialogue between and about them to establish their characters and their relationship. He's Loki's thrall for most of the movie, and the regret and thirst for revenge he feels once freed are palpable. Her opening "interrogation" and the ass-kicking she delivers are, like so much of The Avengers, simultaneously exciting and humorous.
Hulk's origins and earlier adventures don't matter so much as that he is finally both terrifying and thrilling. His "I'm always angry" transformation and takedown of the Chitauri leviathan coincides with the crescendo of the outstanding Avengers theme and the rising stakes of the Battle of New York. Near its end, when he trounces Loki, all three different audiences with whom I watched it in the theaters cheered and laughed uproariously. The Incredible Hulk was a drag; he gets some of the best licks in here.
Makers of the previous films deserve credit for getting the heroes to this point, and Joss Whedon masterfully knits their diverse narratives together. Just as in the comics, it's Loki's schemes that unintentionally draw out a large force to thwart them, so props to him, too.
Taken by itself, The Avengers would still be well-paced, quotable, action-packed. Following the earlier MCU outings, though, it transcends what could normally be experienced through a superhero flick. It's a story of imperfect people (and well-established characters) coming together for the greater good. As paraphrased by Nick Fury following' Coulson's death*, and in the leading page of Avengers comics for years now:
And there came a day, unlike any other, when Earth's mightiest heroes found themselves united against a common threat! On that day, the Avengers were born, to fight the foes no single super hero could withstand!
*Like the strong reaction to Hulk and Loki, this moment elicited one of the most genuine responses I've ever seen in a theater. The air was sucked out of the room, grave stillness settled in, and more than a few tears were shed. Damn you and bless you, Whedon.
Ranking
Ranking
- The Avengers
- Iron Man
- Iron Man 2
- Captain Marvel
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- Thor
- The Incredible Hulk
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