Speculation has been running wild as to what the "Leviathan" actually is that is referred to in the Avengers callsheet. I came across this information earlier today before we had the shooting schedule and was reluctant to post because my source was also skeptical as this "sea-monster" news came totally out of left field [This was before we got the shooting schedule] . But with the release of The Avengers shooting schedule/callSheet it looks like the information was indeed true.
Early today, I was able to gather some
Avengers set photos from
@JimboMont who first reported that Stan Lee was on set amidst his other investigations and asked some questions to the local crew working on the film. I've had some discussion with him and in addition to the photo's he posted for me [which you can see
here], he was able to gather some very unexpected information. Here's what he was told.
At first he was very skeptical as was I, seeing as how a giant sea monster seemed kind of a stretch, even for
The Avengers but now that we have the callsheet and shooting schedule confirming it appears that they will indeed be fighting a creature based on the mythological legend.
Analyzing this information even further, I believe the revelation of
The Leviathan has also strengthened the idea that the "army" or at least a portion of Loki's army will be made up of "The Atlanteans."
Let us not forget that
Iron Man 2 heavily hinted at Namor and the Atlanteans!
HINT #1:
The scene in Iron Man 2, where Tony Stark meets with S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury to discuss joining the Avengers, four holographic screens, were shown representing various people and places essential to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. When juxtaposing the movie map to Marvel's map of Atlantis, the location is spot on to be Namor's private quarters.
Also, notice that while Namor's "base of operations" is in the far south of the map, the city of Atlantis is very close to New York, where the majority of The Avengers will take place.
HINT #2:
Oracle logos were spotted throughout the Stark Expo in Iron Man 2. You can clearly see this during the final battle between Iron Man, War Machine, Whiplash and the Iron Man drones. Oracle's CEO also had an early cameo and introduced himself and his company to Tony Stark. In Marvel Comics continuity, Prince Namor owns a corporation named Oracle which he uses for an environmental protection agenda.
HINT #3:Also, for those who say Namor is owned by Fox through the Fantastic Four, not so fast. Namor was a character who was originally set to have his own feature film adaption from Universal Studios but they lost the rights to the character in 2009 and Marvel Chief Kevin Feige previously confirmed in an interview with Collider [which you can read
here]that Universal Studios presently has no rights to any Marvel characters. So I'd say that's a definitive answer that Namor is back in the Marvel camp. Also, I'll be taking a look at that failed Namor movie in the next installment of
Looking Back.
HINT #4: In the very earliest of Namor's Marvel Comics history [albeit in Fantastic Four] he attacked New York with a gigantic sea creature summoned by an Atlantean horn. It's called Giganto but you aren't really going to call a giant whale-like monster Giganto in this day and age.[Leviathan anyone?]
HINT #5: In Avengers #3 1963, Namor and Hulk team up to fight the Avengers. After Hulk quits the team because they want him to wear clothes [Note, Mark Ruffalo has previously said Hulk will be running around naked. And Hulk quitting the team, albeit probably temporarily, because they want him to wear clothes definitely sounds like Joss Whedon humor to me.] Hulk ends up fighting against
The Avengers alongside Namor, and they almost won that fight.
While, it's basically confirmed that the Leviathan is indeed a sea-monster, the thoughts above about the Atlanteans being members of Loki's army is based on the evidence I've collected and has not been confirmed.
Still, I know I wouldn't be surprised if we got a quick glimpse of Namor in the film. Marvel Studios won't be making Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor films forever. They must develop other properties to keep the Marvel Cinematic Universe alive and the most likely candidates are the characters previously hinted at before in Iron Man 2, namely Namor and Black Panther.
Lastly, I want to throw out there that Joss Whedon and Tom Hiddleston have both said that Loki has gone across the 9 realms, space, and earth between the events of Thor and The Avengers. Who's to say that his army will be composed of a single race/species instead of a collective of beings found throughout his travels?
Leviathan/Giganto coming to an Avenger screen May 4, 2012.
The Avengers is a team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 (Sept. 1963), and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist / co-plotter Jack Kirby, following the trend of super-hero teams after the success of DC Comics with the Justice League.
The Avengers is a team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 (Sept. 1963), and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist / co-plotter Jack Kirby, following the trend of super-hero teams after the success of DC Comics with the Justice League.
The Avengers is an upcoming American superhero film produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, based upon the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. It is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which crosses over several Marvel superhero films including Iron Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011) and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). The film is written and directed by Joss Whedon and features an ensemble cast, which includes Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo and Cobie Smulders. The Avengers tells the story of Nick Fury, director of the peacekeeping organization S.H.I.E.L.D., who recruits Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and Captain America to save the world from destruction.
Development of The Avengers began when Marvel Studios received a grant from Merrill Lynch in April 2005. After the success of the film Iron Man, Marvel announced that The Avengers would be released in July 2011. With the signing of Scarlett Johansson in March 2009, the film was pushed back for a 2012 release. Whedon was brought on board in April 2010 and rewrote the screenplay that was originally written by Zak Penn. Production began in April 2011 in Albuquerque, New Mexico before moving to Cleveland, Ohio in August.
The Avengers is scheduled to be released on May 4, 2012 in the United States.
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