What to expect from Marvel’s The Avengers

On 25th April, 2011, principal photography began on Marvel’s The Avengers. In less than a year, it will arrive on our cinema screens. This is it - the culmination of all those references to S.H.I.E.L.D, all those Samuel L Jackson cameos, and the millions upon millions of dollars invested in the franchise. If X-Men kick-started the superhero movie revival over a decade ago, then surely Marvel’s The Avengers is its peak. Until the inevitable sequel, anyway.

For the unacquainted, The Avengers is like the super group of comic book heroes. Just like Dave Grohl, Josh Homme and John Paul Jones joined forces to create Them Crooked Vultures, The Avengers recruits the likes of Iron Man, The Hulk and Thor to do battle for S.H.I.E.L.D, a mysterious organisation designed to deal with superhuman threats.

Understandably, it's a film with high expectations, and a quick glance at the talent involved suggests it might meet them. It's written and directed by Joss Whedon, the mastermind behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly. Robert Downey Jr. is reprising his role as Tony Stark/Iron Man, and Chris Hemsworth is set to return as the muscular-yet-slightly-camp Thor. Scarlett Johansoon, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L Jackson are also expected to feature. The only major omission is Edward Norton as The Hulk: after a very ugly - and very public - dispute with the film studio over "creative differences" (read: “they weren't giving me enough money") he was replaced by Shutter Island star Mark Ruffalo. But despite that minor quibble, there's no denying that this is not only a famous, but a talented group of people.

So, by all accounts, this should be awesome. Right? It's too early to judge yet, but trying to cram in so many characters may be a cause for concern. It's a problem that has plagued many superhero movies in the past. An overabundance of pointless villains in Batman & Robin helped put the franchise in limbo for almost ten years, and by the time the third X-Men and Spider-Man movies rolled out, it was becoming hard to care for their increasingly large casts. The more may not necessarily be the merrier.

But let's not be too pessimistic. The individual films that make up The Avengers have, on the whole, been rather good. The first Iron Man is the clear standout, mainly because of a great central performance from Robert Downey Jr. and a script that didn't take itself too seriously. Last year’s sequel wasn't as fresh, but it was a solid follow up, and any film that sees Mickey Rourke chewing up the scenery in a bizarre foreign accent deserves to be seen at least once.

The Incredible Hulk, a reboot of the franchise only five years after the previous installment, was a surprisingly enjoyable romp that wasn't afraid to challenge its audience – again, like Iron Man, this was mainly down to Edward Norton’s turn as Bruce Banner. Norton’s casting was an unusual choice, but it’s proof that superhero movies are no longer the domain of campy overacting and Z-list movie stars. Hollywood appears to have finally realised what many comic book fans have known forever: these are good stories that require good actors.

Still, Thor demonstrates that having a multiple Oscar-winning cast doesn’t always yield great results. It's another paycheque for Anthony Hopkins, and between this and Your Highness, Natalie Portman seems intent on undoing the goodwill she received from her terrifying performance in Black Swan. Chris Hemsworth as Thor is all muscle and no substance, but then again, maybe that's the point. Leave the technical weaponry and the inner conflict to Iron Man and Hulk – Thor is all about smashing stuff with the hammer. And at the very least, Thor contains a healthy dose of hammer smashing.

Captain America: The First Avenger is set to land in July, which should set the stage for Marvel’s The Avengers arrival in 2012. Beyond that, Iron Man 3 is already in pre-production. A series of interrelated, crossover films is certainly a bold move by the studio, but the franchise has already grossed over a billion dollars at the box office. There's a lot of pressure on Marvel’s The Avengers to deliver, both artistically and financially. The 00s have mined pretty much every comic book character of note for the big screen, from Spider-Man to The Punisher – haven't we all had enough? We’ll find out next May when Marvel’s The Avengers finally arrives.

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