Chain of Thoughts On the Upcoming Avengers Movie

→ Based on the trailers, the upcoming Avengers movie is going to be way beyond epic.  Marvel Films has brilliantly played their cards in setting up this movie.  By establishing a Marvel Cinematic Universe – having a film for each major Avenger – there is no need for introduction or backgrounds of characters and setting, thus, the movie can quickly move on with the story.  

→ My only minor beef about the movie is its roster.  Why Black Widow and Hawkeye instead of Ant/Giant Man (Hank Pym) and Wasp (Janet Van Dyne)?  This husband and wife superhero tandem was among the founding members, so why give their roster slots to secondary Avengers? 

They don’t even need to star on a film of their own, I (and other fans, I’m sure) would settle with cameos on the other Avenger heroes’ films like what was done with Hawkeye and Black Widow.  For years prior production of this film, I maintain the opinion that if there’s going to be an Avenger film with a small roster size, then the film should settle with the founding members plus Captain America.  And up to this day – and, I think, even when I finally have watched the movie – I will have this opinion that it’s mandatory to have them.   

→ The only way I can see for a line-up without Mr. and Mrs. Hank Pym to be justified is if it has several secondary Avengers to complement the main Avengers (Hulk, Cap, Thor, Iron Man).  Instead of just Hawkeye and Black Widow, there should be also the likes of Falcon, Spider-Woman, Ms. Marvel, Wonder Man, the Vision, Black Panther, and maybe a mutant or two (preferably Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch) in the roster. 

→ And, of course, the most epic Avengers roster would have to be made up of the present Avengers in the comics… 

In my opinion, this is the most interesting Avengers roster ever.  Before the 2000’s, for most of the Avengers’ comic book run, Spider-Man wasn’t a member (he has been given reserve status though).  Now, Spider-Man is a prominent Avenger.  Well known characters like Daredevil, Dr. Strange, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Captain Britain, and Shang-Chi are now members.   Now, Beast is not the only one who is both an Avenger and an X-Man as Wolverine and Storm became members.  Fantastic Four’s Thing is a member.  21st century created characters like Red Hulk are members.  Heck, even Venom (with Flash Thompson as host) is a member.            

Before, though I’m a Marvelite more than a DC fan, I preferred the Justice League over the Avengers.  The Justice League featured all of DC’s well known and important heroes.  This can’t be said with the then Avengers line-up; though the roster had Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor, it didn’t have Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Wolverine.  Now, I can’t say that anymore.  The Avengers’ current roster is more “All-Star” and more interesting than Justice League’s.  

So if this present Avengers roster made it to the film, the Avengers movie would become – hands down –  the greatest superhero movie of all time.  Merely because of such packed roster.  It’s too late now for the movie, but how about for the sequel?  Very improbable, but, hey, I can dream. 

Seriously, think of it: Tobey Maguire Spider-Man, Ben Afleck Daredevil (even if that movie was mediocre), and Hugh Jackman Wolverine being part of the Avengers movie’s roster?!  It would be unimaginably more explosive than it already is! 

→ One of the reasons I want Spider-Man in the Avengers movie is for him with his wit to provide the epic wisecracks…

Then I remembered that the Robert Downey, Jr. Iron Man provides the wisecracks already.  And it would be redundant (though any bantering between the two characters could have been extremely hilarious). In my opinion, the movie Iron Man is better than his comic book counterpart.  Downey, Jr. made the character overflow with charm and wit.  I think because of Downey, Jr., the character has become a bigger and more popular icon.  Remember that prior the Iron Man movie, Iron Man is the most despised superhero out there because of the Civil War storyline.  There was a real threat that the movie will lose some success (and money) because of the character’s unpopularity.  But all the animosity towards the character disappeared after the movie.  All thanks to Downey, Jr.’s characterization, the Iron Man character was sent to a whole new level in pop culture consciousness.            

→ The most intriguing part for me about the movie is how the Avengers will defeat Loki and his alien(?) minions (still undetermined if they’re Skrulls or whatever they are supposed to be).  The movie’s line-up is not the kind that can go up against such scale.  This is not the Avengers’ most powerful or equipped line-up.  Fighting against an alien invasion would make more sense if there are dozens of Avengers in it.  But the film’s roster features only six members.  And as the trailers implied, they simply seem to be only making a “last stand against their opponents” kind of thing.  It’s pretty much guaranteed that this movie will have a good ending (would not make sense if it doesn’t have one) – the good guys beating the bad guys in the end.  So it’s interesting to see how this will come about.  If it’s going to be through some Deus Ex Machina, I hope it’s an interesting one and not merely for the sake of having a Deus Ex Machina to bail the Avengers out.  My theory (and, in my opinion, the best solution): more heroes will join the fight, who will be eventually invited to join the Avengers at movie’s end.         

Nonetheless, it’s going to be one epic “last stand” (if it’s one) battle scene.  Tony Stark’s quote (from the trailer) greatly hyped me up.  “If we can’t protect the Earth, then we will damn sure avenge it.”   

→ “The Avengers” will assemble at Philippine theaters on April 25.  But I'll probably watch it on the 28th.