"...not trying to [go bigger]. By being smaller. More personal, more painful. By being the next thing that should happen to these characters, and not just a rehash of what seemed to work the first time. By having a theme that is completely fresh and organic to itself.” Joss Whedon's plans for what he would do with a sequel were found strung across the Web weeks before he was officially given the go-ahead to return to his billion-dollar franchise. A critically and commercially praised showrunner/screenwriter in TV Land, Whedon is no stranger to character development, arcing personality, and intimacy. That being said, has Joss Whedon shot his foot?
Hearing Whedon's plans about
The Avengers 2 excites me. With what we have to learn about these characters in their own solo films, for the director to want to delve into their personalities as a
group really seems the way to push the emotional edge. With
The Avengers, Whedon had a mission to unite the heroes; with
A2 he'll have to keep them together. His statements lead me to believe there will be some betrayal, heartbreak, and possibly premature death. And his vision of a smaller scope, narrowing the canvas for the sake of the characters, is a bold move in a franchise casually called the "greatest geek fest of all time."
But there exists a problem of cosmic proportions; namely a titan named Thanos. Thanos is no small threat. Now, we currently don't know if he'll be the villain in
A2 or
Guardians of the Galaxy, but because he was introduced in
The Avengers, I would assume he would find himself taking on the newly formed group of superheroes. I'd also speculate that he'd take this battle away from Earth (or at least the Avengers would try to) so that Whedon stays away from "rehash"ing "what seemed to work the first time." I don't think Whedon is saying that
The Avengers 2 won't be action-packed; I think he's saying that the action won't be the same. Motivations will be different, different stakes. I'm not expecting a war movie.
There also exists an issue of adding new characters to a "smaller" film. While (I think) most of us are excited about these welcomed additions to Phase 2 of the Marvel Studios plan, I for one am incredibly curious as to see just how well they'll all fit in a film with smaller scale. My favorite superheroine is Ms. Marvel and to see her fight side by side with the Avengers is a young, post-pubescent comic geek fan's dream come true. But Ms. Marvel is no pushover. I'd like to see her go toe-to-toe with Thor (maybe not in the second film, as I'd like to see the Avengers branch out from fighting each other), the point being that she's an incredibly strong character. But does that affect her chance of being on the roster in this narrower film? What about Ant Man? Possibly War Machine (though
Iron Man 3 may provide answers)? Will one of the Avengers head out? Could we see the roster minus Thor, Hulk, or Black Widow?
So, what do you think? What would you like to see in
The Avengers 2? Do you want a smaller, more personal story like Whedon desires? Do you want a cosmic-level action-fest? Do you want more Avengers like Ms. Marvel? Or do you think Whedon's vision with Marvel Studios can collaborate together? I'm interested to hear what you've got ready in the comment box.