Annnnyways..... Spoilers ahead! And I promise I'm not going
to knit pick at this film about what it got "right/wrong" in terms of
accuracy to comics. Believe it or not, I'm a comic purest that believes that
film treatments only need to get the "soul" correct. Comics have an unfair advantage to
film in that they get all the time in the world to set up plot points through
meticulous and drawn out story arc's that typically create a continuous chain
of events that all fall back to something else from years past... So with that
said, last chance.
***Spoilers Below!***
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What if I told you that Avengers: Age of
Ultron was really Marvel's way of producing an X-Men film without violating
FOX's claim to the Mutant kingdom?
You may or may not be aware that the film rights to the X-Men franchise are owned by FOX Studios (much like Fantastic Four and Spider-man are owned by Sony), and as such, Disney/Marvel can't officially use mutants in their films. They can't even mention the word "mutant". There is a whole laundry list of things Marvel can't use in their films due to this legal choke hold. It really sucks. As much as I enjoyed the first 2 Bryan Singer X-Men films, it would be amazing to have a unified Marvel film universe... But that's an entirely separate blog to be written some other time... We're here to dissect the Avengers: Age of Magne... I mean Ultron !
You may or may not be aware that the film rights to the X-Men franchise are owned by FOX Studios (much like Fantastic Four and Spider-man are owned by Sony), and as such, Disney/Marvel can't officially use mutants in their films. They can't even mention the word "mutant". There is a whole laundry list of things Marvel can't use in their films due to this legal choke hold. It really sucks. As much as I enjoyed the first 2 Bryan Singer X-Men films, it would be amazing to have a unified Marvel film universe... But that's an entirely separate blog to be written some other time... We're here to dissect the Avengers: Age of Magne... I mean Ultron !
Ahh yes. Good Ole Ultron. I was really stoked when he was announced as the Avengers next Film Foe. His stories throughout the comics are quite rich with drama and despair. His abilities and ambitions are unique, and his threat level is astronomical. The sky was the limit... If you've seen the film you're either smiling or shaking your head at that adorable pun... Overall I was pleased with the execution of Ultron himself and the reach he had over the entire world, but what left me feeling empty was the unholy union of his story and that of another major Marvel baddie...
Magneto... Erik Magnus Lhensherr. The Master of Magnetism. The founder of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants - Proponent to evolution and the extermination of homo sapiens - but most importantly for my argument, the father of Pietro and Wanda Maximoff. Recognize those names?
The MCU & Avengers wonder twins make their cinematic debut in the new film. In the film they're orphans out for revenge against Tony Stark for manufacturing the bombs that were dropped on their home and killing their normie (cinematic) parents. The twins are known to comic fans everywhere as Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch... Code names not mentioned in the film... Again, this is an issue that Marvel had to tip toe around... So lets break it down.
Magneto... Erik Magnus Lhensherr. The Master of Magnetism. The founder of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants - Proponent to evolution and the extermination of homo sapiens - but most importantly for my argument, the father of Pietro and Wanda Maximoff. Recognize those names?
The MCU & Avengers wonder twins make their cinematic debut in the new film. In the film they're orphans out for revenge against Tony Stark for manufacturing the bombs that were dropped on their home and killing their normie (cinematic) parents. The twins are known to comic fans everywhere as Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch... Code names not mentioned in the film... Again, this is an issue that Marvel had to tip toe around... So lets break it down.
Pietro and Wanda make their comic debut in Uncanny X-Men #4 (1964). Evil
mutants following the orders of their father, Magneto. A year later in Avengers #16 they decide to break from Magneto's ranks are
recruited to the Avengers thus beginning their tenure as heroes.
They have been widely used in both the Avengers and X-Men titles, but are
primarily thought of as Avengers. It's a fine creative line Marvel has to tow
introducing the characters into the film.
In the film the twins are depicted as being volunteers to HYDRA
for experiments and gain powers as the result of being exposed to the power
of the Infinity Gem in Loki's staff. The nature of their powers were loosely explained,
but also left open on purpose... Because who knows, maybe Marvel will have
mutants one day?
So what does this have to do with Avengers 2 being an X-Men film? Ultron is a parallel for
Magneto. A proxy if you will.
To make it short and simple. He served as a brief "father figure" to the twins. He gave them direction and lead them down a misguided path... And in the scene where they turn on him, he speaks openly about the evolution of the world. Evolve or die. Humans are the inferior species... The theme of Evolution is all over this film, and if you're a comic fan that should sound VERY familiar. The Master of Magnetism preaches a very similar sermon.
Ultron's powers could even be interpreted as to be a master manipulator of metal... He built android clones of himself and had and is obsessed with vibranium... And perhaps another parallel is when Sokovia is lifted into orbit it looked a lot like Asteroid M (Magento's Secret Base) to me. While none of this is a smoking gun to drive my point home, there is still a lot of symbolic pandering for people like me to cling to for such a notion to grip us.
To make it short and simple. He served as a brief "father figure" to the twins. He gave them direction and lead them down a misguided path... And in the scene where they turn on him, he speaks openly about the evolution of the world. Evolve or die. Humans are the inferior species... The theme of Evolution is all over this film, and if you're a comic fan that should sound VERY familiar. The Master of Magnetism preaches a very similar sermon.
Ultron's powers could even be interpreted as to be a master manipulator of metal... He built android clones of himself and had and is obsessed with vibranium... And perhaps another parallel is when Sokovia is lifted into orbit it looked a lot like Asteroid M (Magento's Secret Base) to me. While none of this is a smoking gun to drive my point home, there is still a lot of symbolic pandering for people like me to cling to for such a notion to grip us.
A tumultuous parent/child relationship is a classic plot mechanic and one that is used often in all forms of literature.I believe that Marvel used the two mutants they could and
mapped out a story that echoed the presence of their father Magneto. Call me crazy, but it's there. Joss
Whedon is a master story teller and a true architect of subtle "Easter Eggs". If you ever watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer you'd know he's a maestro in the complexity of symbolism and story layering, so I'm clinging to this belief no matter how far fetched you might think it is!
Other East Eggs in the film that I noticed:
1. The Hulk leaves the team in the second movie... Much like
he did after issue 2 of the Avengers.
2. Pietro dies. Maybe not an Easter Egg, but a necessary
sacrifice to set up a few things... 1. Wanda being emotionally triggered and unleashing her raw power (House of M
anyone?). 2. Validation for Wanda staying with the team. 3. Also he was a pretty
disposable character, so his death seasoned the story for added dramatic effect.
3. The Vision saves Wanda and they briefly share that look.
Their marriage in the comics was the basis for a lot of drama in the comics. It's a really juicy pressure point to squeeze one day.
4. Ulysses Klaue, also known as The Klaw, is a minor Avengers villain who will undoubtedly be
making an appearance in the Black Panther movie... Which leads to..
5. Wakanda! The home of Black Panther, who will be in
Captain America
3 and be joining the Avengers as well as having his own film.
6. Veronica is the name for the Hulkbuster armor... Betty Ross is Bruce
Banners long time love. I'll let you decipher that cheeky little morsel.
7. The "New" Avengers. The team roster is
constantly in a state of flux in the comics. People come, go, die, return. It
gets confusing. But ending the film with the a new team lineup was pretty much a typical
Avengers moment.
8. Thanos approaches... Time for part two of my little witch hunt !
Thanos is being paraded to much. It's very hard to argue
that anyone else could be the mastermind and the "big bad" for the epic
showdown that's on the horizon, but... I think could just be the blunt instrument.
Joss Whedon, as mentioned, is a master craftsmen. He loves surprises. He loves to drop subtle hints and red herrings. He's rarely the kind of guy to just show it all. Thanos has the gauntlet, and he'll certainly get the gems.
Joss Whedon, as mentioned, is a master craftsmen. He loves surprises. He loves to drop subtle hints and red herrings. He's rarely the kind of guy to just show it all. Thanos has the gauntlet, and he'll certainly get the gems.
But how? Why? .... Loki! Yep, that evil little minx. His
whole assault on Earth in the fist Avengers made no sense (to me). He wants Asgard. I think he
failed to conquer Earth on purpose. I think he's working with Thanos, and even trying to play him. At the end of Avengers: Age of Magne... Ultron, Thanos retrieves
the Gauntlet, that's suppose to be secured away in Asgard, which is currently
under rule of Loki, who is posing as Oden... Interesting right?
And how about Loki just leaving the staff with the Infinity Gem on Earth this whole time? Because it keeps Thor away. Loki losing in the first Avengers film ultimately gave both he and Thanos what they wanted. There was also that sweet little line Thor said at the end about a "puppet master" in regards to the Infinity Gems showing up. Loki is the ultimate puppet master. That's just a fact.
And how about Loki just leaving the staff with the Infinity Gem on Earth this whole time? Because it keeps Thor away. Loki losing in the first Avengers film ultimately gave both he and Thanos what they wanted. There was also that sweet little line Thor said at the end about a "puppet master" in regards to the Infinity Gems showing up. Loki is the ultimate puppet master. That's just a fact.
(Gauntlet in Asgard, in the Thor movie)
As for conclusions, I think Avengers: Age of Ultron was a good film. It was action packed, gave each character a showcasing
scene to show their value, and the story was fairly well
developed. The action was great and actually progressed the main story. The
creation of the Vision wasn't as campy as I feared it might and ultimately
it worked for the film. A lot of great plot points for future films were created, and it contained
its own story well. I'm a massive DC fan
boy through and through, but Marvel sure is doing it right...
I mean Disney and Marvel could have let this happen... But then I might be charged with murder.
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