When the Marvel Cinematic Universe was kick-started by Iron Man back in 2008, nerds everywhere went batshit. The idea of Iron Man, the Hulk, and other Marvel characters teaming up on live-action for the first time in history? I was 11 or 12 when I heard about it, and even then I knew it was a ballsy move.
While there were no new solo heroes getting a movie in Phase Two, we still got introduced to new heroes in the form of Guardians of the Galaxy. With this movie came the demand for a team-up with Marvel's more popular team, the Avengers, in Avengers 3. However, as nerdy as I am I cannot help but to feel like this could turn out to be too much--especially if certain precautions aren't taken.
Before we move on to the third Avengers, however, let us first discuss the former two. Next year's Age of Ultron will address what has taken place for our heroes since 2012's The Avengers. That movie established six Avengers, and all are returning: Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Hawkeye, and Black Widow. Other protagonists returning from that movie include Maria Hill and Nick Fury. They will at some point come into odds with Baron von Strucker, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch. The main antagonist--Ultron--is introduced. J.A.R.V.I.S. will be transformed into the Vision, who will also be anti-Avengers at first. Stark's best friend James Rhodes will have an integral role in the film, Peggy Carter will have a special scene with Cap, and Anthony Mackie's Falcon has been spotted on set as well.
That's a shit ton of characters, and a shit ton of shit going on.
Look, I have full faith in Joss Whedon's story-telling capabilities, but think about this. If no one leaves the team by the end of the movie, we will have nine Avengers, possibly eleven if Iron Patriot and Falcon join the team. Avengers 3 will already have the burden of introducing Ant-Man, The Wasp, and Dr. Strange into the team. That would put the roster at 12-14 characters. Guys, that's just too much.
The Avengers worked, and it's basically my favorite movie. But to me, it almost had too much going on. You had S.H.I.E.L.D. over-viewing everything, introducing the World Security Council, six superheroes coming together for the first time, the Thor/Loki brother dynamic to play off of, two powerful objects to establish and an alien invasion to take care of. It's no big secret that Hawkeye got the short end of the stick during all of this. Now, I'm not saying that this will happen again to someone in Age of Ultron; what I am saying is that it is literally twice as likely to happen in A3 if the roster does not rotate.
On several occasions, Kevin Feige has mentioned roster rotation as being likely. Here is just one:
“I think it’s not a secret that Joss and I and all of us at Marvel think that part of the fun of Avengers is the rotating team, for sure [laughs].”
He has since made comments about the roster not only rotating, but expanding. Obviously the team is going to get bigger, but the bigger it gets, the higher the risk is of plot overload. The shifting line-up of the team is not just beneficial, it is necessary. Roster rotation has always been, from the very first issues, a trademark of the Avengers. In fact, Hulk didn't even stay past the second issue! He left because he knew the team didn't trust him (he then joined a circus, which of course isn't very practical for the movies). The point here is that this would not only allow the film to give each character development, but also pay respect to the source material.
I've seen a couple CBM users say that future Avengers movies could take a page from Days of Future Past's book, in that a group of Avengers could be the main focus while another group could be smaller, only using their powers and having less character moments. Let's take the future part of DOFP, for example. The "core group" is Professor X, Magneto, Wolverine, Kitty, Storm, and Iceman, while the "lesser group" is Bishop, Sunspot, Warpath, Blink, and Colossus. While I loved DOFP, this is one of the things that bothered me. Bishop is a huge character, and Sunspot, Warpath, Blink, and the already-underused Colossus are interesting as well. I don't want to see them as minor characters.
The same would go for Avengers. I don't want to see the "big six," or who the [frick] ever, hogging the spotlight while Falcon, Quicksilver, or Wasp show up for eye candy. I mean, if you just keep adding and adding characters with each passing movie, wouldn't that make the previous movies at least a little less special? Each and every hero should get their time to develop, create dynamics with the other characters and show off their skills. They pretty much did this in The Avengers, and they need to make sure of this for every movie going forward. If everybody stays until Avengers 3, the roster will be as follows:
· Iron Man
· Hulk
· Thor
· Captain America
· Black Widow
· Hawkeye
· Quicksilver
· Scarlet Witch
· The Vision
· Ant-Man
· The Wasp
· Doctor Strange
· Falcon (probable)
· Iron Patriot/War Machine (probable)
Like I said, that's 12-14 heroes, 6-8 of which have their own franchises. That's not even including the Guardians of the Galaxy or any Inhumans. That is too much shit going on. As I stated in my previous editorial, it is true that Thanos will most likely be A3's villain, and it is true that Thanos is pretty much the biggest villain in the Marvel universe. But the fact of the matter is, a team of 8-10 heroes allows more than enough ways for Whedon to dream up a way to take Thanos down. This also allows Whedon to create plenty of tension and dynamics with the characters, and being able to create a good story without over-stuffing the film with plot or characters.
In conclusion, I propose that three characters leave the team at the end of next year's Age of Ultron. These three characters are the Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye.
Hulk makes the most sense story-wise, as he is both powerful and unstable and therefore a liability. In the comics, Hulk didn't stay around long at all, and I think he should leave for this reason and to make more room in the roster. I'm not saying goodbye to him; he could always show up in another solo film or in a team-up manner--the possibilities are endless.
Black Widow and Hawkeye make sense as well. Yes, I think Black Widow will die, but that is a topic for a different article. It's not so much that they're the least powerful per se, but their presence isn't something that is required in an Avengers movie. Though they are very useful as supporting characters in other heroes' films, I personally would love to see a low-budget Black Widow movie; that would definitely get Marvel brownie points and some well-earned cash. At the same time, Hawkeye is likely to appear in Captain America 3, and he could very well fit into the Ant-Man franchise as well.
So, how about it fellows? Am I very wrong, or am I very right? Sound off in the usual place!