Joss Whedon: AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Is About Being 'Strong But Damaged By Power'

Joss Whedon: AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Is About Being 'Strong But Damaged By Power'

Hit the jump and check out the latest from Joss Whedon on his Avengers sequel via set reports, in which the director talks the Hulk, Ultron, and "Frankensteins" in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

By DCMarvelFreshman - Dec 17, 2014 08:12 AM EST
Source: Fandango


The embargo has lifted (early) for another round of Avengers: Age of Ultron set visits reports and interviews, this time with writer/director Joss Whedon. According to Fandango, a number of journalists were on the London set earlier this year while Whedon was a directing a fight scene between Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and The Vision (Paul Bettany). "The cast is bigger," Whedon told the press. "The scope is bigger. We have more to work with. We have a bigger world to work with and a bigger world for [the Avengers] just to be in. Once they exist as a team, we have to deal with what everybody thinks about that, and what that means to the world. So it's not as simple as it was." Joss Whedon then reiterated that he had wanted Ultron to be the villain of The Avengers sequel even before he agreed direct the first movie. "Before I took the first job," he started, "I said, 'Well, I don’t know if I’m right for this or if I want it or you want me, but in the second one, the villain has to be Ultron and he has to create the Vision, and [he] has to be Paul Bettany.' It took me three years before I could tell Paul that I’d had that conversation." The filmmaker then discussed the creation of the titular Avengers: Age of Ultron robot villain, which is initially considered Tony Stark's and Bruce Banner's "next great idea." Whedon explains, "In the Marvel [Cinematic] universe, there's a lot of Frankensteins. Steve Rogers himself, one of the better-looking Frankensteins of our era. There’s a lot of people, whether they're trying to do good or bad, who think they have the next big idea. And the next big idea is usually a very bad one."

Joss Whedon continued, "'Strong but damaged by power' describes every person in this movie. It may, in fact, describe what the movie is about. You know, the more power that we have, the less human we are." This especially applies to the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). "What makes the Hulk so hard to write is that you're pretending he's a werewolf when he's a superhero," Whedon says of his approach to the character. "You want it vice versa. You want to see him and Banner doesn't want to see him, but you don't want Banner to be that guy who gets in the way of you seeing him. So the question is, how has he progressed? How can we bring changes on what the Hulk does?" Whedon went on to explain how Ultron will be the ultimate villain or, perhaps, the ultimate hero. "Ultron feels a certain distance from humanity. When he’s in his scenes, you want to feel like he will never understand that he’s not the hero. Hopefully, you will come out of this... if not agreeing with him, (then) getting him, and getting his pain, which leads to a lot of damage, and some humor." With James Spader behind the villain's portrayal in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Whedon had nothing but praise for the actor. "[He's] very game and has been the whole time," he said. "Very interested in the mechanics of the mechanics, and of finding the humanity. He and I share a genuine love of this version of Ultron, and he has an innate eccentricity in his delivery that is everything that I had hoped Ultron would be." Of the motion capture duds Spader had to wear for his scenes, Whedon describes it as "...a giant thing with red dots on it for his eye line, and a giant pack, and a helmet with two cameras in his face with lights to record his performance."




Marvel Studios presents Avengers: Age of Ultron, the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to the Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure. Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron stars Robert Downey Jr., who returns as Iron Man, along with Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk. Together with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and with the additional support of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, the team must reassemble to defeat James Spader as Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell-bent on human extinction. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen, and Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision. Written and directed by Joss Whedon and produced by Kevin Feige, Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” published in 1963. Get set for an action-packed thrill ride when The Avengers return in Avengers: Age of Ultron May 1, 2015.
MARVEL'S AVENGERS Will Finally Add Spider-Man To The Game This Month In With Great Power Hero Event
Related:

MARVEL'S AVENGERS Will Finally Add Spider-Man To The Game This Month In "With Great Power" Hero Event

Quicksilver May Still Be Dead In The MCU, But He Is Getting An AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Marvel Legends Figure
Recommended For You:

Quicksilver May Still Be Dead In The MCU, But He Is Getting An AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Marvel Legends Figure

DISCLAIMER: ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and... [MORE]

ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

1 2 3 4
NightWatcher
NightWatcher - 12/17/2014, 7:20 AM
Great, this means were going to be getting a lot more AOU news over the next few weeks!
NightWatcher
NightWatcher - 12/17/2014, 7:21 AM
"Ultron feels a certain distance from humanity. When he’s in his scenes, you want to feel like he will never understand that he’s not the hero. Hopefully, you will come out of this... if not agreeing with him, (then) getting him, and getting his pain, which leads to a lot of damage, and some humor."

This should be interesting...

Pasto
Pasto - 12/17/2014, 7:22 AM
O'rly?
Pasto
Pasto - 12/17/2014, 7:23 AM
Did Joss just say humor? Oh boy, this film will automatically suck according to some people.
NightWatcher
NightWatcher - 12/17/2014, 7:59 AM
Love the poster.
MercwithMouth
MercwithMouth - 12/17/2014, 8:07 AM
@Pasto

Sounds whimsical...Mantitties will love it.
MercwithMouth
MercwithMouth - 12/17/2014, 8:17 AM
Good thing I copied the link for this article...can't find it anywhere on the site...
NightWatcher
NightWatcher - 12/17/2014, 8:35 AM
@MercwithMouth

It'll go live in a few minutes or so...
JoeMomma29
JoeMomma29 - 12/17/2014, 8:35 AM
I love how Vision is already a member of the Avengers and yet poor WM and Falcon are still left on the outside looking in..........
ZeoTV
ZeoTV - 12/17/2014, 8:39 AM
YESSSS!!! were getting a fight scene between Vision and Thor
MonsterSquad35
MonsterSquad35 - 12/17/2014, 8:42 AM
All I know is when they hired this guy, they picked the perfect guy for the job.
TheAntiGrif
TheAntiGrif - 12/17/2014, 8:42 AM
Am I the only one who prefers the iron man design from the first two Iron Man Movies. I don't mean the bulk or uncomfortability for Downey, but the more robotic feel in his torso and helmet. They're trying way to hard to Make the iron man suit more organic and flexible. Isnt that thw point to feel like an assembly line is about to fight you...I long for those armored days
MercwithMouth
MercwithMouth - 12/17/2014, 8:44 AM
@NightWatcher

I figured so, but thanks for the confirmation.

All of this sounds incredible. This could very well top Cap2 as Marvel's best work. Vision and Scarlet Witch are definitely my most anticipated characters. (Would've added Quicksilver to that list, but I don't think ATJ will top Evan Peter's performance. Even short, it was bloody brilliant)
imkennypowers
imkennypowers - 12/17/2014, 8:44 AM
a lot of Frankensteins?


Ohhhh, he means Frankenstein's monsters!!
TheAntiGrif
TheAntiGrif - 12/17/2014, 8:45 AM
Also the gray parts throw me off alot, give more hot rod red and gold titanium alloy
Batvision18
Batvision18 - 12/17/2014, 8:46 AM
Really? Just because he said that word you think Oh god he said humor this will suck? That's an stupid idea.
Dotanuki
Dotanuki - 12/17/2014, 8:48 AM
@ Jollem

Yeah, kill it with fire.
imkennypowers
imkennypowers - 12/17/2014, 8:49 AM
@kicksilver18

I feel like the use of "humor" when describing a comic book movie elicits the same reactions/responses as "dark" "grounded" and/or "gritty." hahaha
tokens
tokens - 12/17/2014, 8:51 AM
.... *tries to imagine ultron and thanos working together*













... *head explodes*
Chekkarma
Chekkarma - 12/17/2014, 8:52 AM
Thor vs Vision fight scene....

gambgel
gambgel - 12/17/2014, 8:52 AM
Ultron + 'humanity'

Fox/Singer haters in 3, 2, 1....... none, why? well, because its a Marvel movie, lol
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 12/17/2014, 8:54 AM
This movie is going to Rock your Socks off!




TheRationalNerd
TheRationalNerd - 12/17/2014, 8:54 AM
@Pasto

Not going to say that the film will suck but I just don't picture "humor" when I think of Ultron. I'm glad they're trying to add different dynamics to his character by making him more human? But I just hope Whedon's humor doesn't get in the way of the catastrophic scope Ultron should/will represent within this film.
MonsterSquad35
MonsterSquad35 - 12/17/2014, 8:54 AM
@cinnamon

I'm with you there Bud. That would be pretty damn fantastic.

It's crazy to think by infinity war you'll add more (Black Panther, Strange, Ant man etc).

It just gets me [frick]ing amped.
1 2 3 4
View Recorder