2012's Avengers met with acclaim from critics and fans everywhere even becoming the third highest grossing film worldwide. Everyone knew that Stage 2 was underway, and that an Avengers sequel was far from being out of the question. When announced for a 2015 release date, I started thinking. Isn't this a bit early? The sequel to Man of Steel has been called too rushed due to Batman being a confirmed headliner. However, I have seen nothing about Avengers: Age of Ultron being rushed, when in actuality, it is more rushed than any other sequel of this velocity. Here's why:
A) The first Avengers film had 5 films of buildup, each part acting as a puzzle piece to the big picture. This sequel only has 4 films of buildup (in actuality 3 because Guardians of the Galaxy doesn't play a hand in Avengers 2). And, one of the main characters actually quit his duel identity at the end of his film (although I can see how he can return).
B) Phase 1 introduced every character in The Avengers beforehand, from a cameo to a full blown feature film. In Avengers 2 however, two generally unknown characters(Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch) are about to join the team and the main antagonist needs to be introduced, although this isn't as big an issue as introducing Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, and the Hulk(small scene in Iron Man 3 doesn't cut it)as core members of the team.
C) The first movie took nearly 5 years to set up and get right, from buildup to script. The sequel is taking 3 years from the originals release date. With any other sequel, this wouldn't be a problem, but with a movie of this degree, this is not smart. IMO, should have gave the Hulk, who received an acclaimed reaction in Avengers, a sequel as well with QS and SW cameos.
The upcoming Batman/Superman film isn't being rushed. If anything, showing the Dark Knight when compared to Superman should show that if people thought Superman in Man of Steel was darker than he should have been, just how light he was when compared to Batman.
That is my opinion, feel free to agree or disagree, but to me Avengers: Age of Ultron is being rushed far more than Batman/Superman. Follow me on twitter @DRammouni, and thanks for reading!