The Avengers movie is still seven months away from beginning production, but that hasn't stopped the constant flow of news and rumors from hitting the web. At this point, the most important question that fans have been pondering over is which villain, or villains, will face the superhero team in their first film. The largest problem with using
The Avengers comic books as a reference for this deduction is that these films follow their own time line. It's a hard concept for many fans to grasp, but these films will inevitably
not coincide directly with comic book canon. They are their own respective entity.
So where do the answers lie if not in the comics? In the films, of course. With three Marvel Studios projects already released, and two more being worked on right now, there will be more than enough clues to use for this equation. As a matter of fact, using solely
Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and
Iron Man 2, along with the established Marvel movie timeline, we can reasonably narrow down the plausibility of which villains would make the most sense.
First, let's look at the chronology of events (that we know of) for these films:
Iron Man - CONFIRMED - Takes place first in modern movie continuity. The introduction of S.H.I.E.L.D. and its director Nick Fury. Most importantly, the knowledge that the
Avengers Initiative is already under way.
Iron Man 2 - CONFIRMED - Begins six months after the first film ended. Audiences are shown that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been dealing with nationwide issues ('Southwest sector' scene) and is still actively seeking candidates for the
Avengers Initiative. The final 10 minutes of the film coincide with the events of...
The Incredible Hulk - CONFIRMED - Majority of the film takes place after the events of Iron Man 2. Film ends with further exploration of the
Avengers Initiative.
Thor - UNCONFIRMED - Film appears to overlap the events of The Incredible Hulk and, to a certain degree, Iron Man 2.
Captain America: The First Avenger - CONFIRMED - The film with have modern movie continuity "bookends." UNCONFIRMED - End of the film will lead directly in The Avengers movie.
What this time line enables us to understand is that the 'threat' Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. are facing was already in existence prior to the events of the first Iron Man film.
Now, let's look at the villains that have been, or undoubtedly will be, introduced in these films and could possibly be used as antagonists in
The Avengers:
The Mandarin and his Ten Rings terrorist cells: Have been a part of modern movie continuity since Iron Man. The Mandarin has yet to be revealed. The Ten Rings are already known to be on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar, with active engagements by their agents happening throughout the movie time line.
Abomination: Faced off and defeated by the Hulk in The Incredible Hulk. Assumed to be in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. No knowledge whether he has reverted back to his human form.
Samuel Sterns/The Leader: Introduced towards the end of The Incredible Hulk. Audiences witnessed the beginning of his transformation into a gamma powered being. Location and actions after the film ends are unknown.
Loki: Will appear as the central villain in the Thor movie due out next year. According to comic book canon, his temporary control over the Hulk caused the formation of The Avengers. This point of reference is debatable for the films since the Avengers Initiative began before Loki posed a threat to Earth.
Red Skull: Already disclosed to be Captain America's foe during the WWII time frame of his solo film. A drawing in Tony Stark's father's journal shown during Iron Man 2 may hint at the Cosmic Cube; a weapon of mass destruction the Red Skull has been known to wield in comic book canon.
Hulk: Has yet to be used as a 'villain' in any film, but is already considered an active threat to national well-being. Loki's control over the Hulk in comic canon caused the formation of The Avengers. Again, this point of reference is debatable for the films since the Avengers Initiative began before Loki posed a threat to Earth.
Skrulls: Never referenced in the films released to date; though Marvel President Kevin Feige has stated that, not only does the studio own the rights to the shape changing aliens, but would like to use them in their films. In comic book canon, the Skrulls had many sleeper agents disguised as an amalgam of characters for years before an actual invasion force was set into play. In the Ultimates Marvel stories, similar aliens were the cause of the formation of the Avengers, and not the Loki/Hulk combination.
Knowing that these films have not, and will not, precisely follow any comic book storyline, the best question to ask is: Which villain would be both beneficial for
The Avengers plot and coincide with the information that has already been given?
One thing is certain, though; many more pieces to
The Avengers movie puzzle will be revealed once
Thor and
Captain America hit theaters in the summer of 2011. Until then, however, let's put our deductive reasoning to the test with the facts we have at hand.