- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I’m still no fan of the show but because I’m a Marvel fanatic, I do follow it from afar. OK, I did watch a few episodes after Captain America: The Winter Soldier dropped since they tied it in (guilty as charged). Now I’m simply looking forward to how the television shows’ characters intertwine in this film and vice versa.
- The Vision. Paul Bettany will play The Vision. His character will mirror the comics, as he will be a creation of Ultron. My guess is he will also naturally be an ally/teammate of the Avengers team no different than he is in the comics. I am really looking forward to his depiction.
- Quicksilver. Regarding Quicksilver, I’ll just say this: “the dude [Aaron Taylor-Johnson] who’s portraying him in Age of Ultron better bring it kid because that dude Evan Peters, who played the character in X-Men: Days of Future Past totally killed it and was a total scene stealer!” If Johnson is half as good, I’ll be satisfied.
- Black Panther. By all indications, there is no appearance planned by Chadwick Bozeman (who was recently cast as T’Challa/Black Panther). But with trailer images of Captain America’s broken, Vibranium (only found in T’Challa’s home country) shield and Ulysses Klaw-a longtime rival, this film appears to have huge teaser potential for the 2017 release.
- War Machine Rocks? I thought Iron Man III would feature him prominently but according to my counter, other people, not-named James Rhodes spent more time in his gear than he did. Let’s hope he lives up to his computer password (“War Machine Rox”) in this one!
- Introducing Ultron. I’ll be honest. I initially found it head-scratching that Marvel decided to redefine the sinister robot’s origin story. He’s a Hank Pym/Ant-Man creation in the comics but is unintentionally spawned by Stark Industries in this film. I look forward to seeing how they make this work.
- Who you gonna call? Hulk Buster! I know I’m not the only one anticipating the on-screen fight between the Hulk and his robotic nemesis, the Hulkbuster (armor created by Stark Industries). We all know who will probably win (Hulk) but who cares. Let’s get ready to rumble!
- End credits scene. Marvel Studios has been a trendsetter when it comes to its post-film credits bonus scenes. Days of Future Past tried something similar with its post-credits Apocalypse teaser, but it was missing something. Marvel’s most recent end credit scenes in Iron Man III and Guardians of the Galaxy had no direct tie-in to future films, so I’m hoping for a big one this time.
- Who’s going to die? I’m all for the World’s Mightiest Heroes doing their thing, but where is the drama if nary a hero gets killed? In a film that promises to be darker than its predecessor, look for a key character to die. But your guess is as good as mine on who that person (or android) might be!
- May 1, 2015. The release date of this film has been added to all of my personal calendars, in Cozi, Google, the magnetic one in my kitchen as well as the desk one in my office. Marvel Cinematic Universe weekend releases have become a staple of my annual calendar of events. Add this one to the list.
