New comic-book adaptations join Hollywood's superhero fixation with "Thor," "Green Lantern" and "Captain America: The First Avenger." Superheroes are everywhere this summer, with the stars of "Thor" and "Captain America" making solo debuts before joining the all-star lineup of summer 2012's "The Avengers." That ensemble tale will feature Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson from the "Iron Man" franchise along with Mark Ruffalo as the Incredible Hulk.
"Captain America" stars Chris Evans, padding his superhero resume after co-starring as the Human Torch in the "Fantastic Four" flicks.
Evans' Steve Rogers is a 98-pound weakling who volunteers for a military program that bulks him up into super-soldier Captain America, leading a team of heroes battling arch-villain Red Skull (Hugo Weaving). "Thor" casts the Norse god of thunder into exile among puny humans on Earth, where he hooks up with a team of scientists (Natalie Portman among them) and joins the fight against a bad guy from his own realm.
In his fall, Thor has lost much of his power, including the ability to wield his mighty hammer.
"He's not quite worthy at that point of possessing it," said Chris Hemsworth, the Australian actor who landed the role of Thor. "We see Thor as a cocky, brash young warrior who needs to learn some humility, so he's sent to Earth. It's his exploration of how he fits into the world."
While Thor is sent down to the minors, the hero of "Green Lantern" is called up from Earth to join a league of galactic peacekeepers. Ryan Reynolds stars as an ordinary guy who gains superpowers from a ring bestowed by a dying alien. As the first human to join the Green Lantern Corps - essentially, interstellar cops on the beat - his character becomes the key to stopping an evil force. But he encounters a little alien bigotry along the way.
"Human beings' inclusion in the corps is a point of contention for some of the other Green Lanterns," Reynolds said. "They feel we're kind of a subspecies, sort of a laughable group of creatures that inhabit Earth. So there's definitely a bit of an integration process for them." "X-Men: First Class" features James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender as the future Professor X and Magneto - superpowered mutants who start as allies but end up deadly enemies in their quest to find a place for their freak-of-nature kinsmen.
