AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Character Breakdown & SPOILER Discussion Part 1
Some of you have seen the Avengers sequel by now, some of you have not. Unless you fancy being spoiled on pretty much every aspect of the plot, this discussion of the film is most definitely only for those that have! Click on for the first part of our detailed breakdown...
Avengers: Age Of Ultron only hits US theaters this coming weekend, so if you haven't seen it yet you are urged to read no further because pretty much every major plot and character detail will be SPOILED. There's so much going on in this movie that it's probably best to break down the details as they relate to the various characters and how they influence the plot... and there are so many characters that we'll be splitting it into two parts. We'll begin with the catalyst for the carnage, Mr. Tony Stark.
Iron Man
As you've probably guessed even without reading any of the leaked spoilers prior to this, it's Tony Stark that's most directly responsible for the creation of Ultron... but he definitely has his reasons. The movie opens with a raid on Baron Strucker's compound, and while his team-mates hold off HYDRA's forces, Stark retrieves Loki's sceptre which is being held there. Before he can lay hands on it though, Scarlet Witch hexes him and he has a vision of the rest of the Avengers laying dead or at death's door on an asteroid of some kind while the Chitauri forces descend on Earth. With his dying breath Cap makes it clear that this is somehow Stark's fault, and this prompts him to try to place a "suit of armor around the world" by using the sceptre to create artificial intelligence; and so Ultron is born.
Throughout the film Stark clearly feels guilty about causing the deaths of his friends (and, y'know, everyone on Earth) but he holds firm to the belief that creating an AI protector is what is needed to prevent it, and this leads to Vision (more on him later) and also sows the seeds of the Civil War to come.
Captain America
That war will of course see Steve Rogers on the other side, and though this movie definitely sets up some discourse between the two (they even come to blows at one point), they part on good terms at the end. Stark leaves to see if he can find some semblance of a "normal life" with Pepper and Rogers realizes that's something he no longer wants, and sticks around to whip the new team into shape. That's pretty much Cap's arc for this movie, as Scarlet Witch's hex gives him visions of what a life with Peggy Carter could have looked like if he had never went into the ice. When the team goes to Hawkeye's farm to lick their wounds he seems to finally let go of any hope of settling down and focuses on being every bit the soldier he was created to be.
Aside from that, it's basically all action for this character... not that you'll be complaining, though Winter Soldier fans might feel a bit short changed. There's also a great running joke about Cap's distaste for bad language, and he gets one of the best lines in the film: "You get hurt, hurt 'em back. You get killed, walk it off."
Black Widow
Easily a highlight for me, and Scarlett Johansson delivers one of the best performances in the movie. We've had glimpses of the human being behind the assassin before but thanks to a burgeoning relationship with Bruce Banner we really get under Miss Romanov's skin this time. In what is by far the most emotional scene in the film, she tells Banner she can't have children because as part of her Black Widow training she was sterilized in order to make her a more efficient killer.
Unfortunately she is also involved in one of the sillier moments. After spending the entire movie trying to kill the Avengers, Ultron manages to get his hands on Widow and... locks her in a cell because he wants someone to talk to. Right. As I mentioned in my review, it may also be a suspension of disbelief too far to see her and Hawkeye dispatch the robot army so easily; but relatively minor nitpicks really. At the end Banner goes AWOL, leaving Romanov free to stay on with Cap to train the new team.
Thor
The God of Thunder is mainly used as muscle, though he does get a few moments to shine aside from the action scenes. His vision actually leads him to... the Vision! After Wanda's hex sends him to Hel he is greeted by Idris Elba's Heimdall, who rather aggressively explains that everyone around him is dead and it is somehow Thor's fault. This will ultimately lead to Thor: Ragnarok no doubt, but short-term it makes the mighty one realize that he must leave the team and try to figure out what it all means. He contacts Doctor Selvig and they both travel to a magical pool where the water spirits allow Thor to return to his nightmare, in turn enlightening him about the existence of the Infinity Stones and the need to help give life to the android who will come to be known as Vision.
If that just made your head spin, imagine how it plays in the actual movie! This is all very rushed, and quite frankly a little ridiculous. Plus, anyone who is new to MCU lore will probably find themselves completely lost. After this, Thor is instrumental in foiling Ultron's plan by helping Stark destroy the floating Country containing the vibranium (yeah, you'll have to come back for part 2!), before also leaving the team to find more answers.
The Hulk
Bruce Banner has evidently spent his time since the last movie assisting the team scientifically, but actively trying to avoid a "code green". When he does Hulk-out the only thing that seems to calm him down is Black Widow's "lullaby", and this has clearly brought the two much closer. Banner helps Stark create Ultron but only after some convincing, and seems somewhat wary of Tony's ultimate goal. Even still, he also assists in activating the Vision towards the end. We don't see what Wanda shows Banner to get him to transform unfortunately, but transform he does and goes on a rampage. This leads to the Hulk/Hulk-Buster -- the suit is actually called Veronica, and Banner helped create her too -- scrap we were all waiting for, and it doesn't disappoint.
For me it's the best set piece of the film, and it has some pretty severe consequences for Banner as he realizes he's too dangerous to be around others. He's determined not to Hulk-out again, but in a funny moment in the final act, Widow kisses him only to throw him from a height so the "other guy" will show up and help them defeat Ultron. That he does, but then commandeers a Quinjet and ignores Romanov's pleas for him to return to Earth. His whereabouts are unknown by the close of the film, though we're led to believe he's just laying low as Banner.
That does it for part 1, but be sure to check back soon to find out about Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Ultron, Vision, and all of those cameo appearances you've heard about that may or may not be true! I'll also discuss the ending, the new team, and how the events of Age Of Ultron could help shape what we'll see in future movies.
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