The Avengers (titled
Avengers Assemble in the UK and Ireland) is a 2012 American
Superhero film produced by
Marvel Studios and distributed by
Walt Disney Pictures,
1 based on the
Marvel Comics superhero team
of the same name. It is the sixth installment in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film is written and directed by
Joss Whedon and features an
ensemble cast that includes
Robert Downey, Jr.,
Chris Evans,
Mark Ruffalo,
Chris Hemsworth,
Scarlett Johansson,
Jeremy Renner,
Tom Hiddleston,
Clark Gregg,
Cobie Smulders,
Stellan Skarsgård and
Samuel L. Jackson. In
The Avengers,
Nick Fury, director of the peacekeeping organization
S.H.I.E.L.D., recruits
Iron Man,
Captain America, the
Hulk and
Thor to form a team that must stop Thor's brother
Loki from enslaving the human race.
Development of
The Avengers began when Marvel Studios received a loan from
Merrill Lynch in April 2005. After the success of the film
Iron Man in May 2008, Marvel announced that
The Avengers
would be released in July 2011. With the signing of Johansson in March
2009, the film was pushed back for a 2012 release. Whedon was brought on
board in April 2010 and rewrote the screenplay originally written by
Zak Penn. Production began in April 2011 in
Albuquerque, New Mexico, before moving to
Cleveland, Ohio, in August and
New York City in September. The film was
converted to
3D in
post-production.
The Avengers premiered on April 11, 2012, at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California,
and received critical acclaim from most film critics. Released
internationally April 29, 2012, it earned $441.5 million in its first
week, covering the $220 million production cost and making the film
profitable bein North American cinematic history with a weekend gross of $207.4 million.
Plot
After his fall from
Asgard into space, the Asgardian
Loki meets the Other, the leader of a warmongering alien race known as the Chitauri. In exchange for retrieving the Tesseract,
2 a powerful energy source of unknown potential, the Other promises Loki a Chitauri army with which he can subjugate the Earth.
Nick Fury, director of the espionage agency
S.H.I.E.L.D.,
arrives at a remote research facility during an evacuation. Physicist
Dr. Erik Selvig is leading a research team experimenting on the
Tesseract, and Agent
Maria Hill
explains that the object has begun radiating an unusual form of energy.
The Tesseract suddenly activates and opens a portal, allowing Loki to
reach Earth. Loki takes the Tesseract and uses his staff to enslave
Selvig and several agents, including
Clint Barton, to aid him in his getaway.
In response to the attack, Fury reactivates the "Avengers Initiative". Agent
Natasha Romanoff is sent to
India to recruit
Dr. Bruce Banner; agent
Phil Coulson visits
Tony Stark to have him review Selvig's research; and Fury approaches
Steve Rogers with an assignment to retrieve the Tesseract. Rogers, Stark, and Romanoff travel to
Stuttgart,
Germany, to apprehend Loki, who is is causing a distraction while Barton steals
iridium
needed to stabilize the Tesseract's power. After a battle with Rogers
and Stark, Loki surrenders. While being escorted back to S.H.I.E.L.D.,
Thor,
Loki's adoptive brother, arrives and frees Loki hoping to convince him
to abandon his plan and return him to Asgard. After a confrontation with
Stark and Rogers, Thor agrees to take Loki to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s flying
aircraft carrier, the
Helicarrier, and imprison him until the Tesseract can be acquired.
The Avengers become divided, both over how to approach Loki and the
revelation that S.H.I.E.L.D. plans to harness the Tesseract to develop
weapons as a
deterrent
against hostile extra-terrestrials. As the group argues, Barton, and
Loki's other possessed agents, attack the Helicarrier, disabling its
engines in flight and causing Banner to transform into the Hulk. Stark
and Rogers try to restart the damaged engines, and Thor attempts to stop
the Hulk's rampage. Romanoff fights Barton, and knocks him unconscious,
breaking Loki's mind control. Loki escapes after killing Coulson, and
Thor and the Hulk are each ejected from the ship. Fury uses Coulson's
death to motivate the Avengers into working as a team. Stark and Rogers
realize that simply defeating them will not be enough for Loki; he needs
to overpower them publicly to validate himself as ruler of Earth. Loki
uses the Tesseract, in conjunction with a device Selvig built, to open a
portal above
Stark Tower to the Chitauri fleet in space, launching his invasion.
The Avengers rally in defense of
New York City,
but quickly realize they will be overwhelmed as wave after wave of
Chitauri descend upon Earth. With help from Barton, Rogers, Stark, and
Thor evacuate civilians, while Banner transforms into the Hulk again and
goes after Loki, eventually beating him into submission. Romanoff makes
her way to the portal, where Selvig, freed of Loki's control, reveals
that Loki's staff can be used to close the portal. Meanwhile, Fury's
superiors attempt to end the invasion by launching a nuclear missile at
Manhattan. Stark intercepts the missile and takes it through the portal
toward the Chitauri fleet. The missile detonates, destroying the
invaders' lead ship, thereby disabling their forces on Earth. Stark's
suit runs out of power and he falls back through the portal, but the
Hulk saves him from crashing to the ground. Romanoff deactivates the
portal to prevent further invasion. In the aftermath, Thor returns Loki
and the Tesseract to Asgard. Fury notes that the Avengers will return
when they are needed.
In the first of two
post-credits scenes, the Other confers with his master
3 about the attack on Earth; in a second coda, the Avengers eat in silence at a
shawarma restaurant.
Cast
- A self-described genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist with a mechanical suit of armor of his own invention. Downey was cast as part of his four-picture deal with Marvel Studios, which includes Iron Man 2 and The Avengers.[5]
Downey said that he initially pushed Whedon to make Stark the lead:
"Well, I said, 'I need to be in the opening sequence. I don't know what
you're thinking, but Tony needs to drive this thing.' He was like,
'Okay, let's try that.' We tried it and it didn't work, because this is a
different sort of thing, the story and the idea and the theme is the
theme, and everybody is just an arm of the octopus."[6] About the character's evolution from previous films, Downey said, "In Iron Man, which was an origin story, he was his own epiphany and redemption of sorts. Iron Man 2 is all about not being an island, dealing with legacy issues and making space for others. . . In The Avengers, he's throwing it down with the others".[7]
- A World War II
veteran who was enhanced to the peak of human physicality by an
experimental serum. Evans was cast as part of a deal to star in three
Marvel films, in addition to The Avengers.[8] Evans said that Steve Rogers is much darker in The Avengers:
"It's just about him trying to come to terms with the modern world.
You've got to imagine, it's enough of a shock to accept the fact that
you're in a completely different time, but everybody you know is dead.
Everybody you cared about. . . He was a soldier, obviously, everybody he
went to battle with, all of his brothers in arms, they're all dead.
He's just lonely. I think in the beginning it's a fish-out-of-water
scene, and it's tough. It's a tough pill for him to swallow. Then comes
trying to find a balance with the modern world."[6]
Regarding the dynamic between Captain America and Tony Stark, Evans
said, "I think there's certainly a dichotomy—this kind of friction
between myself and Tony Stark, they're polar opposites. One guy is flash
and spotlight and smooth, and the other guy is selfless and in the
shadows and kind of quiet and they have to get along. They explore that,
and it's pretty fun".[9]
- A genius scientist who, because of exposure to gamma radiation, transforms into a monster when enraged or excited. Ruffalo was cast after negotiations between Marvel and Edward Norton broke down.[10]
About replacing Norton, Ruffalo said, "I'm a friend of Ed's, and yeah,
that wasn't a great way for all that to go down. But the way I see it is
that Ed has bequeathed this part to me. I look at it as my generation's
Hamlet."
About the character, he said, "He's a guy struggling with two sides of
himself—the dark and the light—and everything he does in his life is
filtered through issues of control. I grew up on the Bill Bixby TV series, which I thought was a really nuanced and real human way to look at the Hulk. I like that the part has those qualities".[11]
Regarding the Hulk's place on the team, Ruffalo said, "He's like the
teammate none of them are sure they want on their team. He's a loose
cannon. It's like, 'Just throw a grenade in the middle of the group and
let's hope it turns out well"![12] This is the first production in which the actor playing Banner also plays the Hulk. Ruffalo told New York magazine, "I'm really excited. No one's ever played the Hulk exactly; they've always done CGI. They're going to do the Avatar stop-action, stop-motion capture. So I'll actually play the Hulk. That'll be fun".[13] About his preparation for the role, Ruffalo said, "I've lost 15 pounds and I've put another five on of just strapping, pure USDA beef. . . They want me mean and lean, but they don't want me big and buff."[14] The Hulk's body was adapted from that of Long Island bodybuilder and male stripper Steve Romm.[15]
- The god of thunder based on the Norse deity of the same name. Hemsworth was cast as part of a multiple movie deal.[19] He had previously worked with Joss Whedon on The Cabin in the Woods.[20] Hemsworth said that he was able to maintain the strength he built up for Thor
by increasing his food intake, consisting of chicken breasts, fish,
steak and eggs every day. When asked exactly how much, Hemsworth said,
"My body weight in protein pretty much!"[21]
He remarked that Thor's motivation "is much more of a personal one, in
the sense that it's his brother that is stirring things up. Whereas
everyone else, it's some bad guy who they've gotta take down. It's a
different approach for me, or for Thor. He's constantly having to battle
the greater good and what he should do vs. it's his little brother
there. . . I've been frustrated with my brothers at times, or family,
but I'm the only one who is allowed to be angry at them. There's a bit
of that."[6]
- A highly trained spy working for S.H.I.E.L.D.[22]
About the character and her relationship with Hawkeye, Johansson said,
"Our characters have a long history. They've fought together for a long
time in a lot of battles in many different countries. We're the two
members of this avenging group who are skilled warriors — we have no
superpowers. Black Widow is definitely one of the team, though. She's
not in the cast simply to be a romantic foil or eye candy. She's there
to fight, so I never felt like I was the only girl. We all have our
various skills and it feels equal".[7] Regarding her training, Johansson said, "Even though Iron Man 2
was 'one-for-them,' I'd never done anything like that before. I'd never
been physically driven in something, or a part of something so big. For
The Avengers, I've spent so many months training with our stunt
team, and fighting all the other actors, it's crazy. I do nothing but
fight—all the time."[23]
- An agent with S.H.I.E.L.D. and a master archer known in the comics as the "World's Greatest Marksman."[24][25]
Renner said it was a very physical role and that he trained physically
and practiced archery as much as possible in preparation.[26] About the role, Renner said, "When I saw Iron Man,
I thought that was a really kick-ass approach to superheroes. Then they
told me about this Hawkeye character, and I liked how he wasn't really a
superhero; he's just a guy with a high skill set. I could connect to
that."[7]
Regarding Hawkeye's sniper mentality, Renner said, "It's a lonely game.
He's an outcast. His only connection is to Scarlett's character,
Natasha. It's like a left hand/right hand thing. They coexist, and you
need them both, especially when it comes to a physical mission."[7]
Renner said Hawkeye is not insecure about his humanity. "Quite the
opposite, he's the only one who can really take down the Hulk with his
[tranquilizer-tipped] arrows. He knows his limitations. But when it
comes down to it, there has to be a sense of confidence in any
superhero."[6]
- Thor's adoptive brother and nemesis, based on the deity of the same name.[19] About his character's evolution from the film Thor, Hiddleston said, "I think the Loki we see in The Avengers
is further advanced. You have to ask yourself the question: how
pleasant an experience is it disappearing into a wormhole that has been
created by some kind of super nuclear explosion of his own making? So I
think by the time Loki shows up in The Avengers, he's seen a few things."[27] About Loki's motivations, Hiddleston said, "At the beginning of The Avengers,
he comes to Earth to subjugate it and his idea is to rule the human
race as their king. And like all the delusional autocrats of human
history, he thinks this is a great idea because if everyone is busy
worshipping him, there will be no wars so he will create some kind of
world peace by ruling them as a tyrant. But he is also kind of deluded
in the fact that he thinks unlimited power will give him self-respect,
so I haven't let go of the fact that he is still motivated by this
terrible jealousy and kind of spiritual desolation".
- The director of S.H.I.E.L.D., who was revealed in previous films to be coordinating the "Avengers Initiative". Jackson was brought to the project with a deal containing an option to play the character in up to nine Marvel films.
In April 2011, Jackson's script was stolen and leaked on the internet
after a digital copy was left in a printer. Jackson said he does more in
The Avengers than in any of the previous films: "You don't have
to wait until the end of the movie to see me". About the role, Jackson
said, "It's always good to play somebody that is a positive in society
as opposed to somebody who is a negative. . . I tried to make him as
honest to the story and as honest to what real-life would seem." Jackson
compared the character to Ordell in Jackie Brown, calling him "a nice guy to hang out with. You just don't want to cross him".
- An agent with S.H.I.E.L.D. who works closely with Jackson's Nick Fury.[31] Smulders, whom Joss Whedon once considered for his unproduced live-action Wonder Woman film, was selected from a short list of potential actresses including Morena Baccarin. Smulders' deal would integrate her into nine films.[32][33] Regarding her preparation, Smulders said, "I hired this amazing black-ops
trainer to teach me how to hold a gun, take me to a shooting range, how
to hit, how to hold myself, how to walk and basically how to look. I
don't do a ton of fighting in the movie, which is why I wasn't offered a
trainer, but I wanted to look like I had the ability to."[34]
On relating to the character, Smulders said, "I can relate to her being
a mom and being a businesswoman and trying to work full-time and
raising a family and having a career. We're asked to do a lot of things
these days. I feel she is just all about her job and keeping things
going."[35]
- An agent with S.H.I.E.L.D. who oversees many of the division's field operations. Gregg was first cast in the role for Iron Man (2008) [36], and subsequently made appearences in Iron Man 2 (2010) and Thor (2011) [37] after signing a multi-picture deal with Marvel Studios. Gregg also stars in a series of Marvel short films
that center around his character and can be seen on the Blu-ray
releases of the films. Gregg noted his being a part of the expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe
as being very exciting, "Agent Coulson was one of the guys who wasn't
really in the comic books, and he was a very kind of small role in 'Iron Man,"
he said, "and I was just very lucky that they chose to expand that
character and chosen to put him more into the universe of it. It's
really a blast!"[
Stellan Skarsgård and
Gwyneth Paltrow reprise their roles from previous films as Erik Selvig and
Pepper Potts, respectively.
Paul Bettany returns to voice
JARVIS.
[41] Frequent Whedon collaborator
Alexis Denisof portrays the Other
] and
Damion Poitier portrays his master in a post-credit scene.
[42] Avengers co-creator
Stan Lee has a
cameo appearance in a news report.
Harry Dean Stanton also has a cameo as a security guard.
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