Outside of it including a reunion of familiar heroic faces and a return appearance of Thanos, little is known about the story of The Avengers 2, how it will conclude “Phase Two” of the Marvel cinematic universe, or how it will lay the groundwork for Phase Three, which kicks off with Ant-Man in 2015.
In fact, we don’t even know the official title of the sequel, but we expect it not to go with the standard Iron Man style numbering scheme. What we can expect, from Joss Whedon’s vague hints, is that it’ll be darker, more personal and more emotional. And we know that that means when it comes to Whedon.
During a Q&A at the Carlton Cinema in Dublin on February 23, 2013 for the European premiere of Much Ado About Nothing, Whedon couldn’t avoid receiving at least one question about about his goals for The Avengers 2.
“When I actually considered doing Avengers 2, my first question was what can I do that’s new? Because I can’t make it bigger [audience laughs], but I can make it better, so that’s where I’m sort of going with that.”
When asked what his general philosophy is for the sequel, without getting into details, Whedon followed up with a dark voice:
“Death, death and death.”
You can listen to the raw audio here – start at 14:10 for the brief Avengers 2 snippet and listen to the roaring crowd reaction.
Looking back on Whedon’s track record, two characters didn’t survive the run length of Serenity; fan-favorite Agent Coulson took a death blow to the chest courtesy of Loki in Whedon’s first Marvel movie; and fans are still sad of Felicia Day’s demise in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (is that sequel still happening?). Even when writing Astonishing X-Men for Marvel Comics, Whedon couldn’t resist quasi-killing off a main character at the end.
It’s very likely – expected even – that some of of Marvel’s greatest heroes may meet their end in The Avengers 2, making room for new character introductions during Phase Three of the Marvel cinematic universe. Ant-Man and Dr. Strange are (officially) on the way and we’re still holding out for other introductions for characters including Black Panther.
However, there’s always a deeper meaning to be found in the jokes and teases dropped by the creative minds behind each Marvel film. And by “death,” we don’t expect Whedon to be just referring to the passing away of the likes of Captain America or Hawkeye. Even in jest, Whedon is name-dropping the character of Death, personified in the books as a cosmic creature, one who was referenced in the post-credits button in The Avengers by The Other which resulted in that now infamous Thanos grin.
Thanos loves Death and aims to prove his loyalty to her. In the comics, he even destroyed half the Marvel universe thanks to the power of The Infinity Gauntlet (An object in Odin’s vault from Thor) in an effort to earn her favor. Her name and Thanos’ reaction to hearing it at the end of The Avengers is very intentional and we’ll find out more in Guardians of the Galaxy next year, if not, sooner.
What character(s) could you see Whedon and Marvel Studios “killing off” in The Avengers 2?
Iron Man 3 releases May 3, 2013, Thor: The Dark World on November 8, 2013, Captain America: The Winter Soldier on April 4, 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy on August 1, 2014, The Avengers 2 on May 1, 2015 and Ant-Man on November 6, 2015.
Follow Rob on Twitter @rob_keyes for your Marvel movie news.
Source: Whedonesque (Hat-tip Chris S)
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as if he would kill off one of the main characters from the marvel universe, something which marvel and disney look to profit from big time =.= that’s why he made the boring and pointless coulson character b/c he wanted to create ‘suspense’ without f***ing things up
if they do end up killing someone, it will be one of the ‘no one cares’ heroes, like ant man or wasp and it will either tie in to a stand alone movie or avengers 3.
Whedon didn’t make Coulson. Coulson was created for Iron Man 1, probaly by Jon Favreau.
and what does he do in IM one besides introduce shield ? it was a set up from the get go since IM1 was the hero movie that started the snowball effect leading to the avengers.
Whedon had yet to sign on with Marvel when Iron Man was filming in 2007. Whedon didn’t join until 2011. So no, he didn’t create the character just to kill him off because he didn’t, in fact, create the character. Man I hate you for making me defend Joss Whedon.
Yeah… it’s comics bro, nobody ever REALLY dies in those.
He totally would. It’s Joss Whedon.
That doesn’t mean they’d stay dead. It is a comic book movie after all
Actually, the death came from the producer Kevin Feige. In the Avengers Commentary, Joss explains that, and he jokes about the flack he would get since he is known for killing off characters.
Whoa there. “No one cares” about Ant-man? ANT-MAN IS AWESOME.
Poor Ant-Man. But don’t forget, no one cares about the non-mainstream heroes until they get a $100 million+ movie.
Most complaints about Ant-Man are the same as the complaints about Iron Man before it released, the B-List Marvel character played by that non A-list actor.
Look how big Iron Man is now not just in Marvel Comics, but pop culture.
Yeah, Antman is one of my favorite books (the funny ones, at least) and the movie is being directed by one of my favorite nerdy filmmakers. You don’t seem to know anything about comics and you are also clearly not up to date in MCU news.
When speculating over whether Nick Fury will be killed off, or replaced, consider this; I remember reading once that Samuel L Jackson had signed a 9 picture deal with Marvel. Considering he has appeared in 5 movies so far it is possible that Avengers 2 be his last, unless his contract is renewed.
And Fury is replaced in the comic books (for a time at least)
I got a good feeling about this sequel something tells me that it will be great like Empire Strikes Back I can’t wait
Maybe they kill someone off who’s contract is expiring, someone who does not plan to renew said contract.
No clue. It makes me a bit worried, but we’ll have to wait and see I suppose.
Probably Maria Hill or Hawkeye
Like the way this thread is going but I think y’all need to look at an Asgard connection. Thanos used Loki and the cube so he could get a connection to Asgard and Odins vault. He wants that glove. He finally gets the glove and all hell breaks loose the heroes are having a rough time and it all looks bleak until…………..Odin arrives and battles Thanos. Everything is restored and the universe saved but in using all his power odin pays the ultimate price. He has used all the Odin force and not had a chance to replenish his power with the Odin sleep.
I thought he was using Loki to get the Cube?
If Thanos wanted access to the Vault all he (Loki) had to do was return to Asgard as Thor wanted him to and poof Thanos there like he did with the Frost Giants.
With that in hand Loki could return to earth to pursue his war as agreed upon.
However Thanos wants the Cube.
I’m betting that Thanos KNEW Loki would be defeated and taken back to Asgard. Loki will be turning a new leaf in Thor 2, helping out his brother, but I’ll bet Thanos somehow takes control of him or otherwise coerces him into letting Thanos’ forces into Asgard.
He doesn’t want just the cube… The path that Wheddon has chosen, is as if Thanos already knows about death. He wants to prove his dominance, and the cube is on earth. Easier to achieve than breaking into Odin’s Vault. B/c at the time Loki isn’t nowhere to be found by Thor, Odin, or even Heimdell. I am almost positive that Thanos had possesion of the mind gem and was allowing Loki to use it. All the infinity gems can be entrusted with hidden locks i guess. He can allow him to use it, but he wouldn’t be able to use it against Thanos. The cube was just easier to acquire than the rest of the treasures.
That can all happen in Thor 2.
SOOOOOO, heres a thought-
In captain american 2, cross bones and the winter soldier will be introduced. Great right? In the comics after they rid Bucky of his Soviet holds, he becomes friends with the Avengers, and Captain America once more. Cross bones then shoots and kills Steve Roger, although revived, and Bucky takes the helm as the new Cap. Sure, they would be killing off Chris evans( great job btw) but it would bring in a new character and create quite an amazing ending for the avengers two. Also Nick fury retires, or dies I forget which and a revived steve rogers becomes the leader of shield. That would be awesom and great way to start phase 3
Captain America, Dead, then replaced, then not Dead.
If he didn’t write that story line sure sounds like Whedon. Would tie in with the film release schedule and proposed character introductions.
Be worth a fiver at the bookies…
My money is on Falcon biting the bullet, death likes the brothas
Doubtful!
Did everyone forget that the word ‘Death’ was already mentioned in the last scene of the 1st movie? You know, the one revealing Thanos?
Hmmm… Did you read the entire article?
Always read an article before commenting on it.
The cosmic Cube, Infinity Gauntlet storys had key Marvel characters that were not “Avengers, X-Men and Fantastic Four, Adam Warlock, Captain Mar-vel were key to the defeat of Thanos.
At some point if possible, it would be nice to see atleast one of those 2 Heroes in the movie.
Maybe they/one will turn up at the end of Guardians, they’re story will have the most space/galaxy/universe setting out of the phase 2 offerings
Only thing is can you have Mar-Vel without the Skrull/Kree war and that’s a whole other MASSIVE story line to introduce while bringing in Thanos
black widow and hawkeye PLEASE!!!
Honestly, I’m gonna go ahead and say that not only will we see a hint at Death the character, we’ll also see major death thanks to whoever the big bad is (still don’t think Thanos will actually fight until Avengers 3) and a major supporting character will be killed off, giving someone on the team motivation to do their own thing until returning for Avengers 3 when the team really needs him.
I really hope not cause we kind of saw that in the first Avengers with Coulsons supposed death.
I’m still willing to bet Ultron, ties into Ant-man, or a Kang, which has ties with Captain America, be good setup for phase 3 Avengers.
I feel like Iron Man will probably die at some point. I feel like for two reasons. #1 Being that it would be a very gutsy move, and #2 it would be the best way to end his story arc. To see Tony transform from selfish playboy to the hero who dies to save all of humanity would be incredible!
He already kind of did that in Avengers. While he didn’t die, he proved that he was willing to sacrifice himself to save everyone else.
That’s the point of the ending in Avengers. They can’t play that card again.
I can see Hulk sacrificing himself to save the other Avengers, and then he ends up on an alien planet like Planet Hulk. This would lead to the next Hulk movie since they were going with Planet Hulk storyline
Yup, that plays. End of Avengers 2, Hulk into space, make it SHIELD not the Illuminati that send him off into deep space instead of returning to Earth.
You get one (or two) Planet Hulk fims in between Avengers 2 and 3, Thanos defeated at the end of 3 then you move in to World War Hulk.
Whedon said on his commentary that he would of loved more Hulk but it was too expensive. In about 8-10years when Avengers 3 has been released the CG tech will be much better (how awesome can it get???) and cheaper so the full scale madness that is WWH will be more acheivible.
I think Marvel can turn The Avengers into a never ending franchise. The Avengers universe is huge. You have your West Coast Avengers, Great Lakes Avengers, New Avengers, Secret Avengers & even Young Avengers. The possibilities are endless.
Maybe Dark Avengers too at some point?
I do *not* want to see a Great Lakes Avengers movie. You think people are doing enough complaining about Rocket Raccoon and Groot? Wait till they get a look at people like Flatman and Squirrel Girl.
IN the new GOTG doesn’t star lord die? I think, not sure, maybe the guardians come to help the avengers and star lord and maybe Nova(is he confirmed?) sacrifice themselves to save the universe
He didn’t really die, he was stuck in another dimension or something. I wouldn’t say “nobody dies in comics”, but it’s rare.
My money is on Nick Fury for sure.
just kill Loki off.dunno if that is possible
Cmon guys marvel wont kill Stark thor or cap till the avengers 3 since they are all hired for 6 movies as their respective roles
Now the hulk is a very different story. Because all of the ruffalo/norton scandle mark ruffalo doesnt have his 6 movies secured. Maybe thanos kills him in the avengers 2 because who else can kill the hulk?? And ruffalo already stated that whedon had “interesting” plans for hulk
And i think cpt america should bite the dust but in the avengers 3 in the end of the final battle
But the battle should start with cap and ironman fighting solo against the masters of evil, then tony gets knocked out and so does cap, and then he rises and as he rises he shouts AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!! And everybody else arrives and there’s an epic battle and by the end there’e a shot of heimdall talking to loky and he says ” I once had a dream, a vision of the future, qnd there was a voice and it told me something, it told me something about a new hope, about a shining light, about a brand new future” and loki asks “what did it said?” And as there’s a shot of everybody fighting their fears and giving all that theyve got heimdall says ” and there came a day… A day unlike any other … When earthsmightiest heroes found themselves united against a common thread… To fight the foes no single superheroe could withstand… On that day …” (Theres a fight of captain america against zemo where cap defeats him and saves everybody but not without recieveng a big wound before)”The avengers were born”
And at the end theres everybody at caps funeral and thir asks stark looking at caps dead body “what did he meant by assemble ” and stark answers “he meant that we had become something , not a team, but something bigger, he wanted us … to assemble”
The end
My favorite character is Hawkeye. Jeremy Renner was awesome as the character. He better get more screen time in Avengers 2. All i have to say is that Hawkeye better not die in the next movie.
I think that he was talking about the character death that thanos was talking about.
Captain America of course. That way the Winter soldier could become the next Captain America.
Well Thanos is a good possbility because he is Death itself but long term too many characters in one movie is just too much to take in. So I would look for one to go in AV2 probably Cap or Hawkeye. Have to remember that RDJ contract ends with AV2 and I’m sure we all dont want to see anyone else play Iron Man but have to wait and see. Chances of seeing Hulk going to another universe is a possbility if they make a solo of Hulk and do Planet Hulk movie to tie back in with Guardians.