Opinion: The Avengers - What Comes Next?

The Avengers - What Comes Next?

SPOILER ALERT! This article contains some mild spoilers and assumes you have seen "The Avengers". If you haven't, why the hell not?!

So that was awesome. Mastering the seemingly impossible feat of satisfying both the hardcore comic book fans and the casual cinema audiences, director/writer Joss Whedon has provided us with the most entertaining cinematic experience of recent years. The Avengers, or “Avengers Assemble” as it is known over here in the UK, has it all: superb non-stop action, an A-List cast and, most importantly of all in my opinion, humour and heart.

Anyway, I’m not here to review The Avengers. I loved it, you loved it. Everybody loved it, except Spiderman who may now be wishing he hadn't left his phone on silent when Nick Fury called. Lets take a look at what the future holds for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Marvel have already announced the next three movies to feature our favourite superheroes: Iron Man 3, Thor 2 and Captain America 2. Following Mark Ruffalo’s highly praised performance as Bruce Banner in The Avengers, demand is high for another Incredible Hulk solo movie. There are also two unspecified projects in the works, one of which is rumoured to be an origin story for the Black Panther, another Marvel comic book favourite. With The Avengers 2, whatever its official title may be, still far beyond the horizon with no official release date, one has to wonder just how many Marvel superheroes might fly, smash, punch or web sling (hint hint) their way into the sequel.

The Incredible Hulk may still smash his way back to cinemas

First, lets have a look at the heroes that have been confirmed. Iron Man 3 started filming on May 23rd, with Shane Black taking over from Jon Favreau as director. Robert Downey Jr will be reprising his role as Tony Stark, which is no surprise: his salary was a hundred times more for his part in The Avengers than he was paid for the first Iron Man instalment. He is a fan favourite, along with Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts and Don Cheadle as Lieutenant Rhodes.

"Big man in a suit of armor. Take that away and what are you?"

 With Ben Kingsley and Guy Pearce also signing on to play the villains of the film, Iron Man 3 is shaping up to be an epic finale to what I am assuming will be a trilogy. Personally I’m hoping that it will take Tony full circle; take him away from his weapons, his suit and his contacts with the rest of the Avengers. He needs to be backed up against a wall with no escape, coming to the conclusion that it is not the suit which defines him, but his superb, genius and irrefutable mind.

Iron Man 3 is slated for release on May 3, 2013.

Chris Hemsworth’s portrayal of Thor has been well received, largely due to his powerful screen presence. Despite wearing a red curtain, Thor still looks, talks and fights like you would expect a demigod to. No plot details for the confirmed sequel have been revealed as yet, however given Marvel’s journey into outer space with the first Thor film AND with the tease of Thanos (big scary outer space Titan guy) at the end of The Avengers, a primary objective for the Thor sequel should be to open up the universe to us and explain the ins and outs of the galaxy he grew up in. This would give us a greater understanding of where Thanos comes from, as well as setting up The Avengers 2.

The God of Thunder will return

Thor will have the least point of contact with The Avengers movie. Given the Avengers are now aware of each other, I’m sure that if Captain America gets in a bit of trouble again he can just give Iron Man a call to help him out. Thor, on the other hand, isn’t exactly in the local area what with being on a different planet. Marvel will have to come up with something truly challenging for Thor to prove that, despite kicking ass in The Avengers, he’s still beatable. Loki, who proved to be an excellent villain for both Thor and the rest of the team, will also return, however whether he will be an enemy or an ally is still unknown. 


Thor 2 will be released on November 8th, 2013. Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman will all be taking on their roles from the first film.

Captain America, real name Steve Rogers, has been finding it tricky to find his place in the modern world. This was briefly addressed in The Avengers, however if Joss Whedon had taken the time to extensively peer into the mind of every single character equally, the running time would have been twice as long. With Steve alone in his new life with nothing but S.H.I.E.L.D and Nick Fury to go home to, I would not be surprised if Captain America 2 is the film which has the closest tie in to The Avengers movie. 
 

The perfect team for S.H.I.E.L.D?

The plot? Well, I’m not sure that I would like to see the return of Red Skull from the first movie. What I WOULD like is some inspiration from the TV show Lost: something happens in Steve’s present, after which we flash back in time to a similar event during his time in WWII. I’m really interested to see his reaction to war in the modern world, as it has the potential to raise some serious moral themes.
“We died fighting Hitler just so people could kill each other all over again?” You can have that line for free, Marvel!

Regarding his relationship with Hawkeye and Black Widow, I’d like to see them become a signature team for S.H.I.E.L.D with Cap as the leader, if just to give him some purpose in his new world. In my personal opinion, Steve was sometimes shown as a bit of an unfashionable, uncool character in the movie when compared to the kickass powers of Iron Man, Hulk and Thor. He fits in with Hawkeye and Black Widow as neither of them have superpowers - however what they do have is exceptional skill in combat. Steve has been hoisted to the peak of physical human ability - in the initial stages of The Avengers finale, the three characters were a force to be reckoned with, forming their own team fighting on the ground as the other heroes fought in the skies. This should be a focus point of the action for Captain America 2.

Captain America 2 hits our screens on the 4th April 2014. So far, we know that Chris Evans and Samuel L. Jackson will appear as Captain America and Nick Fury respectively.

Jeremy Renner: shooting to A-List status

Jeremy Renner, who gave a fine turn as Hawkeye, is currently experiencing a slow but incredibly positive climb up to superstar status. This year he will be the main protagonist of The Bourne Legacy (taking over from Matt Damon), so Hawkeye may yet see his own solo outing if Disney and Marvel believe Renner's popularity could carry it. As for Black Widow, The Avengers was really her movie. She was our eyes and ears, gathering the team together. Sure we haven't had an origin story, but given that she's a spy perhaps it would be better, at least in the movies, to leave her past shrouded in secrecy. Scarlett Johansson has established a brilliantly appealing character (no, not just because of her bum) however I think she is there to serve as an assistant to the 'higher' Avengers. Hundreds may disagree with me, as Black Widow is a highly engaging personality in the comics and is well loved by many fans. Cinematically, however, Black Widow is the glue that brings all our heroes together. That's the way it should stay.

The Avenging Spider-Man?

So who’s next? I’m assuming all six Avengers from the first movie will survive the next wave of sequels in order to show face in The Avengers 2. Who else is going to be added to the mix? Spider Man is currently undergoing a reboot with The Social Network star Andrew Garfield playing a cooler, darker version of Peter Parker than we have seen previously. There were positive responses to the (false) rumour that he would have a cameo in the first Avengers movie, despite ownership issues between Sony and Disney intruding. Would Spidey be a good addition to the team? It all depends on how well The Amazing Spider-Man does at the box office this summer, and whether Marvel thinks it will be worthwhile to draft Spidey in.

My personal opinion? Movie-wise, Peter Parker should not be a fully fledged member of the Avengers, however I would love a cheeky cameo. Just a nod to the comics and some witty dialogue between Peter and the team would be enough to satisfy my crossover craving. Spiderman is a brilliant franchise in its own right, albeit one which has suffered some confusion over recent years. From the rumours of Spiderman 4 to frustrated directors and Tobey Maguire quitting the role altogether, Spiderman was lost in limbo until the The Amazing Spider-Man was announced. Intended to be an 'untold story', The Amazing Spider-Man will disregard the original Tobey Maguire trilogy and begin a fresh tale of Peter Parker's transformation into the wall-crawling superhero. Sceptics are worried it will not appeal to the masses, but if the trailers and the addition of Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy are anything to go by (not a Mary-Jane in sight!), the film will websling its way right up to the box office top spot without any help from the Avengers.

The Amazing Spider-Man is released on July 3rd, 2012. Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Rhys Ifans star as Peter Parker, Gwen Stacy and Dr. Connors respectively.

Then there’s the aforementioned rumour of a Black Panther movie, as well as the unspecified project currently being worked on. Personally I'm hoping the project is attached to an Avenger we already know, such as a prequel for Hawkeye or a sequel for the Hulk. I’ve no doubt the films will be nothing short of fantastic, however it's starting to look like I’ll be as old as Stan Lee before Avengers 2 even flies its way onto the silver screen.

Quality not quantity, Marvel. That said, there's no doubt in my mind that you can handle both in equal measure.

By Dean Johnstone

Tweet me! @DJJohnstone