EDITORIAL: Why I Can't Help But Feel A Little Disappointed Looking At The Avengers Assembled!
That's right, I said it! Despite the undeniably epic sight of The Avengers assembled in the recent promo art, there's a part of me which can't help but feel a little let down when looking at the team. Why? Find out here...
Hang on a second! I haven't forgotten about the Hulk. With a slightly new design and use of motion capture, seeing the Green Goliath coming to life on the big screen in 2012 is perhaps the thing I'm most excited for. Before I go any further, there are a few things I want to make crystal clear. I am in no way bashing The Avengers, and have been looking forward to the movie for as long as I can remember. From what I've seen in the brief trailer at the end of Captain America: The First Avenger and the descriptions of footage shown at D23 earlier this month, I'm pretty much already convinced that it'll be the best comic book movie ever. This editorial is simply being written from the perspective of a fanboy, and just as I couldn't help but feel a little let down by the lack of Black Widow's Russian accent in the otherwise (mostly) enjoyable Iron Man 2, this is a small gripe which will not effect my enjoyment of the movie itself. After all, I'd have to be pretty petty if it did!
I accepted a long time ago that Ant-Man or Wasp would not be in this movie. We've known about it for a while, and it would be ridiculous to keep on whining about it. At this point, we should all pretty much be over that. Frankly, Marvel Studios dropped the ball, and in my opinion should have used any of the five movies which came before this one to introduce them. You see, what really disappoints me is the fact that the team ends up being a little bland without. When I imagine what it would have been like to see Giant Man walking through the streets of Manhattan, or the Wasp taking on the Hulk, it kills the fanboy inside of me that we may have to wait a very long time (if ever) to see that happen! It's an even greater shame that Fox reportedly own the rights to Quicksliver and the Scarlet Witch, because The Ultimates is the perfect proof of how these characters serve to enhance the team as a whole. That's right, I'm using the much maligned The Ultimates as an example of the blueprint The Avengers should be following. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch's roles were minor in that series, while the spotlight was never on Giant Man and Wasp as much as the six members who we'll see together on the big screen next year. And yet, their inclusion served to make the team all the more interesting in regards to relationships and the powers on display.
However, it's no good crying over spilt milk as they say! The fact is, I look at the concept art of the team, and while my mind screams "EPIC," my heart feels a pang of disappointment. Will seeing the movie get rid of that? Well, I'm convinced that I'll love it, but more than likely not. It's nothing to do with the fact the the comics featured Ant-Man and Wasp as founding members (if we were following things THAT closely, Cap probably wouldn't join the team until the sequel after all!) but is instead all about the fact that I'll always think about what could have been. Had they made just a few different choices along the way since the release of Iron Man in 2008, we would be looking at artwork featuring what this particular fanboy considers to be a truly perfect and epic team of Avengers. Regardless, at least we still have Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and the Hulk, and that in itself is something I'll forever be grateful to Marvel Studios for. Black Widow and Hawkeye are the icing on the cake, but Ant-Man/Giant Man and Wasp would have been the cherry on top. Huh, guess I'm not as over it as I thought...
STARRING:
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America
Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man
Chris Hemsworth as Thor
Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye
Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Ramanoff/Black Widow
Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
Tom Hiddleston as Loki
RELEASE DATE: May 4th, 2012. (US)
About The Author:
Comic Book Reader. Film Lover. WWE and F1 Fan. Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and ComicBookMovie.com's #1 contributor.