Firstly, it's known that
Thor actor Stellan Skarsgård will be reprising his 'Dr. Erik Selvig' role in Joss Whedon's crown jewel
The Avengers, although what's unknown is where or how the role will fit in the much-reserved screen time. Well, inside the
viral marketing site promoting
S.H.I.E.L.D's duty in film, a note may indicate at least who from
The Avengers' roster he'll share screen time or have affiliation with. The note reads:
Doctor Erik Selvig is currently a sitting professor at Culver University in New York, where he has conducted research in astrophysics for over a decade. NOTE: Selvig was a known assoeciate of Dr. BRUCE BANNER.
Therefore, we can assume Skarsgård will be affiliated with the Hulk's better half, Dr Bruce Banner, play by actor Mark Ruffalo. Another interesting tidbit to that: while Dr. Selvig is a professor at Culver University, in Marvel's Cinematic Universe, it's also where Banner worked as a scientist & where his "monstrous" alter-ego was born.
Next, at this year's annual Kapow! convention, attendees got the chance to speak with famous comic writers & artists. Mike Grover being one of those lucky fans via
Whedonesque, he got the opportunity to speak with Bryan Hitch, artist of
The Ultimates comic, which is explicitly has influence on
The Avengers film. Mike writes:
"I spoke to Bryan Hitch at Kapow, who said he is in regular phone contact with Joss and while he hasn't seen the script due to not wanting to signing a non-disclosure agreement, Joss said he is really struggling to get his stunt extras to perform the feats the team did in the comic. No real surprise there, but what ever the villain(s) I think everyone is excited about this film"
Finally, I recently had contact with an anonymous source, whose affiliated with the set construction for
The Avengers. While what was shared isn't too revealing, rather a mild spoiler, what they were at liberty to share with me includes:
"My friend is working on the set design and he said during the first half, the Avengers battle each other and during the final half, they all join together to battle a common foe. And based on a set piece hes working on, a scene takes place in a starship or spaceship that breaks apart."
While this source couldn't verify if the props for this "spaceship/starship" were actually for the
S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, considering it was their "friend" on set, we can instantly assume this ship surrounds extraterrestrial activities. What do you think?
Marvel's The Avengers picks up when an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security. And Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Clark Gregg, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Tom Hiddleston & Stellan Skarsgård, the film releases May 4, 2012!