ShareThisAvengers assemble!
Those outside the comics world may not be familiar with that battle cry, but they will be after May 4, when "The Avengers" premieres in the U.S. According to reports, nobody actually shouts "Avengers assemble" in the movie, but it goes without saying that someone in the audience will -- someone who, in all likelihood, will be wearing Hulk hands or carrying a Thor hammer.
Those reports come from audiences who have seen the movie, because it has already premiered at "fan events" in select American cities in April, at New York City's Tribeca Film Festival April 28 and in a number of other countries April 27. (Trivia time: The movie is called "Avengers Assemble" in the UK and Ireland to avoid confusion with the British "The Avengers" TV show that starred Patrick Macnee from 1960 to 1969.)
And, without question, it is a hit. I had to turn off the #Avengers feed on my Twitter stream a few days ago, because the exhilarated tweets were coming in too fast to be read, much less to allow me to get any work done. It wasn't wasted time, though, because I learned how to say "awesome" in three languages, how to shout "Hulk smash!" in Dutch ("Hulk breken!") and that "ZOMG" is spelled pretty much the same everywhere.
This was not entirely unexpected. Tracking for the movie conducted by Disney showed anticipation ranking ahead of both "The Hunger Games" and "Dark Knight Rises." The movie-review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes showed a 96 percent -- 96 percent! -- approval rating. And something this huge has never been done before: Five solo action movies leading to a shared-universe ensemble movie -- complete with the original stars.
That's remarkably similar to how the team originated in comics, with Hulk, Thor and a character named Ant-Man debuting in solo adventures in 1962, and Wasp and Iron Man in 1963, and the five of them forming the team later that year in "Avengers" No. 1. But that's how many teams form in comic books, a medium that has the luxury of many monthly titles to put all the pieces in place before the big team-up.
But doing that in the movies? Nobody even thought that was possible until recently. And even after the "Captain America," "Incredible Hulk," "Iron Man," "Iron Man 2" and "Thor" films established all the major characters (including Black Widow, Nick Fury, Hawkeye and Agent Coulson), many fans thought "The Avengers" a fantasy -- and it probably would remain that way, except for a remarkable man tapped to be director: Joss Whedon.
Whedon is a name uttered in reverence in most fan circles. Creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Dollhouse" and "Firefly," he is especially noted for his gift for dialogue and effective use of female characters -- the latter important to "Avengers," especially, which was in danger of being a testosterone festival.
"Black Widow is a fun character, and was played by Scarlett Johansson, two points in her favor," Whedon said, according to press materials released by epk.tv. "She's also a woman. I was very clear from the beginning: You can't have an all-male team. You just can't do it. It's not acceptable."
But even Whedon had doubts he could make it work.
"What they had done in the movies before was obviously extremely informative, useful and fun," he said. "But (when he was asked to direct,) 'Thor' and 'Cap' weren't even close to being finished, and there's also the element that, 'OK, you have all these parts, but how can you possibly bring them together? They don't seem to co-exist.' "
But that uncomfortable juxtaposition turned out to be the key for the director, who wrote the film as well.
"Ultimately, that is what made me go, 'This can be done, and this should be done.' These people don't belong together, these people wouldn't get along and as soon as that really came into focus, I realized, 'I have something to say about these people.' "
Which brings us to the question immortalized in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid": Who (ital) are (end ital) those guys? And the answer is complicated, especially since Marvel Comics produces two lines of books featuring characters of great similarity: the original Marvel Universe of books, which began in 1961; and an "Ultimate" line, which began in 2000 specifically to feature the same characters updated for the 21st century and without 40 years of history. "The Avengers" movie is actually closer to the "Ultimate" line, but it's really splitting hairs to worry about it. So here we go:
Captain America: What's true in virtually all iterations of the Star-Spangled Avenger is that patriotic but scrawny 4-F Steve Rogers volunteered for "Project: Rebirth" in 1941, which made him the ultimate Super-Soldier, only to be frozen in a glacier at the end of World War II and freed in the present.
In the "Avengers" begun in 1963, Captain America wasn't thawed out until the fourth issue, although in the "Ultimate" line he's a founder of the team. In both universes, he's the face and spirit of the Avengers, and usually the leader.
"I love the character. He's everything I wish I could be as a man," Cap actor Chris Evans said, according to epk.tv promotional materials. "He's from another era, and I think that era really defines who he is. In the '40s there was a bit more of a direct and honest sincerity to the way people behaved. (The present is) a different world he has to get used to."
Evans has complete confidence in Whedon, whom he describes as "a fan, first and foremost."
Iron Man: Actor Robert Downey Jr. played Tony Stark in two movies as the billionaire genius inventor he is in the comics, who built the powerful Iron Man armor, making him a modern-day, high-tech knight. But Downey went beyond the staid, square-jawed character Stark was in print by adding rapid-patter snark, creative impulsiveness and a bit of narcissism -- which the comics have now changed to reflect.
Mark "Hulk" Ruffalo refers to Downey in the epk.tv materials as "our fearless leader," and Chris "Thor" Hemsworth calls him "fantastic" and "the godfather of the Avengers" for having made the Marvel film franchise so successful.
He also seems to get the best lines.
Thor: All you have to know is that he's the actual Norse God of Thunder, the one worshipped by Vikings as a warrior deity. In both comics and movies he's a founding Avenger with enormous strength, the ability to summon the storm and a magic hammer that always returns to his hand.
But even in the old myths he had trouble with his temper, which launches his hero's journey in both print and film. "He started as sort of an arrogant, petulant sort of kid," Hemsworth said of his character in "Thor," in the epk.tv materials. Continuing, he said, "And by the end of it he had to learn to be a noble warrior with some sort of humility."
Hemsworth describes his arc in "Avengers" as more complicated, requiring the Thunder God to decide where his loyalties lie.
Hulk: He's big. He's green. He's angry. And he likes to smash things. 'Nuff said!
In this movie, Hulk's alter ego, Bruce Banner, is played by Ruffalo. He's the third to essay the role in film after Eric Bana ("Hulk") and Edward Norton ("Incredible Hulk"), but was the first choice of both Whedon and Marvel Films in what Whedon describes as "a completely fresh take" on the character. Ruffalo the actor is held in high regard by his peers; Hemsworth said Ruffalo has "a sort of endearing quality about him," while Evans said he's "the sort of actor who really throws himself into the role."
In the comics, the Hulk quit the Avengers in the second issue, and has never been much of a team player. But in both movie and print, he's a founding Avenger -- for however long that lasts.
Nick Fury: Funny story here. When Marvel began its "Ultimate" line, it decided to make Nick Fury, who had been a white soldier in World War II, a black guy modeled on actor Samuel L. Jackson. When the movie franchise began, they decided to use the "Ultimate" version of Fury, and guess who they got to play the role? Talk about life imitating art.
"The thing about Sam is, I always think there are two of him," Whedon said. "He's famous for the sort of bravura, 'Pulp Fiction' speechifying; this is a guy who can out-moxie anybody in the room. But as a huge 'Unbreakable' fan, I'm also very much in love with the great well of sadness that he brings. I told him from the very beginning, and my biggest note throughout the film, was 'Less Shaft, more Glass.' Because what I wanted to see was a guy who, yeah, could absolutely command a room with his voice, could absolutely be the guy you would never question was in charge of this enormous organization ... could be the guy who could do stuff that was morally compromised yet absolutely necessary. But at the same time would feel the burden of that. To be the leader means to separate yourself from everybody else."
Fury is the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division), a superspy organization that deals with threats to world peace.
Black Widow: In both comics and film, Black Widow is Natasha Romanoff, a former Soviet spy who works for S.H.I.E.L.D. -- and is regarded as the most dangerous and capable agent on Earth.
Johansson, who reprised her "Iron Man 2" role for "Avengers," said in the epk.tv materials that the Widow is "the ultimate loner," a professional who "is just doing a job." She doesn't feel the need to try to fit in, Johansson said, or prove anything. All of that is reflected in an early-release clip called "Black Widow Interrogation," where Romanoff takes down an entire room of armed men -- while tied to a chair.
In the original comics, the Widow didn't join the team until "Avengers" No. 111, but she was a founder -- and a traitor -- in the Ultimate line.
Hawkeye: The Avenging Archer is a dead shot with just about any weapon, but prefers a bow and arrows often rigged to achieve specific results. The movie version hews to the "Ultimate" version, who is a black-ops agent -- essentially, a sniper. The Marvel Universe archer had a romantic history with the Black Widow, and in the movie they appear to be partners and, perhaps, more.
"I had no preconceived ideas about anything," Hawkeye actor Jeremy Renner said in the press materials. "I just liked the idea that he's a human being, with a high skill set, and he's kind of rogue." He said the role was one of "precision, precision, precision."
Hawkeye is "the kind of guy who sneaks off by himself, that he's (ital) not (end ital) a team player," Whedon said. "He's always going to find the highest and darkest part of the room and he's gonna hang out there."
Hawkeye joined the comics team in "Avengers" No. 16.
Agent Coulson: Nonexistent in the comics, the movies (and some online webisodes) have created Phil Coulson as an unflappable field agent for S.H.I.E.L.D. It turns out he's become a favorite -- not just of fans, but also the actor who plays him, Clark Gregg.
"What I loved about Coulson right away in the first movie ('Iron Man') was that at first he seems kind of like an annoying bureaucrat," Gregg said in the materials, "(but) as the story goes along, to my great thrill, he turns out to be a much more formidable character. ... Every time I get the script I'm very excited to find out, like, 'Oh, oh, I'm (ital) that (end ital)? I know that? I handle this?' And that has certainly kind of culminated to an extent in the Avengers where Coulson's very much involved with trying to pull the team together."
Agent Hill: In the comics, Maria Hill is a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who once was even Director. In the movie, she appears to be equally high-ranking, possibly Fury's second in command -- and she gets to drive the Helicarrier, a flying aircraft carrier.
"She's very intelligent and highly trained and very capable," Hill actress Cobie Smulders said in the epk.tv materials, "and I kind of like the idea that she's this woman in a man's world. And I think she's extremely by-the-book, and I think that's hurting her, because she's working with a man who's sort of works outside the rules and I feel like that dynamic is in this movie a lot."
Loki: In myth, comics and film, the Norse God of Mischief is Thor's half-brother and chief nemesis. In myth, it is Loki who actually brings about the destruction of Asgard (called "Ragnarok"). In the comics, he was the villain whom the Avengers first gathered to defeat -- a foe too powerful for any one of them to combat.
"The thing I found most challenging (was) to inhabit the truth of his emotional heartache," actor Tom Hiddleston said in the promotional materials, regarding his character. "To try to think myself into a place of destructive rage and jealousy and ambition, of arrogance and tyranny. And have it all fueled by this psychological damage he's been through. He feels cheated and betrayed by his brother, and by the world. However, that is the great joy of the character. That's a lot of meat on the bone for any actor to chew on. And it's my enormous privilege to play him."
Whedon was unstinting in his praise of Hiddleston.
"At the end of the day, the thing that makes it work is Tom. Because he breathes a lot of life into Loki. He doesn't just twirl his mustache, although God knows he gets to be more of the classic Loki than he got to in 'Thor.' In 'Thor' he had a very poignant and, I thought, beautifully realized arc. In this, he's past that. You can still see hints of it. You can still see the resentments and the vulnerability and the big-brother issues and all that stuff, but he's also gone to a happier place. And Tom can really bring that presence, the texture, so you go, 'Yeah, this guy, he's going to destroy you, either from the front or from the back, but you don't know which.' "
And that assortment of egos and hubris -- "damaged creatures," as Loki describes them -- comprises the Avengers who assemble in the movie. And when you hear "Avengers assemble!" in the theater, it just may be this writer shouting it.
In a Captain America shirt. With a shield.
(Contact Andrew A. Smith of The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal at capncomics(AT)aol.com. For more Avengers goodness, go to his website, http://captaincomics.ning.com, or his YouTube channel, http://www.youtube.com/captaincomics1.)
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