It was the ultimate drop-the-mic moment. Marvel was bringing its insanely electric Hall H panel to a close at San Diego Comic-Con, but Kevin Feige reveals they have one final guest, with one final announcement. Joss Whedon walks on stage, and introduces the above video, which tipped Marvel’s hand as to the direction of the planned Avengers sequel. We knew, at that moment, that Ultron would be the super-group’s nemesis. And I kid you not, Hall H worked itself into a frenzy. It was the loudest I’d ever heard the building. Fans were cheering on a title. A TITLE! Marvel had us eating out of the palm of its hand.
I’m so happy that you can now watch the moment, courtesy of this Daily Motion video. I get chills just watching it. The video gives us our first official look at Ultron’s robotic head, then leans on quotes from the original Avengers movie to get us fired up for the sequel.
One quote stands out above the rest. Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury says, "They’ll come back. Because we’ll need them to." And SlashFilm thinks they know why our planet might need Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow to reunite. The site points out an IMDB plot synopsis that explains key details about Age of Ultron. Here’s what it says:
As the US Government creates a force, known as Ultron, The Avengers are told they are not needed any longer. But when Ultron turns against Humanity, it's time for The Avengers to assemble yet again for their most dangerous challenge ever."
Has IMDB been wrong in the past? Absolutely. It isn’t like Wikipedia, where virtually anyone can log on and upload anything. But it has floated ideas on major projects and been proven incorrect in the long run.
Still, if this is the direction behind the story for Age of Ultron, it could make sense. As far back as Iron Man 2, Marvel Studios has expressed an interest in our government using weaponry – perhaps created by Stark – to protect our planet against threats that have surfaced thanks to the existence of heroes like Iron Man. The theme continued in Iron Man 3, forwarding the notion that people are terrified following the Battle of New York, and might look to a new form of protection in Ultron. Of course, we know it will go horribly wrong. Otherwise, what kind of a sequel would be have to look forward to?
Here’s what we know about Ultron. The robot will be voiced by James Spader. He’ll create pure hell for our heroes. The Avengers, this time out, will be joined by at least two new characters in Scarlett Witch and Quicksilver. And the movie will be in theaters on May 1, 2015.
