“The Avengers” is already set to be one of the summer’s biggest blockbusters and it’s easy to understand why. Superhero films already do well at the box office and this one has an outstanding cast with more Academy Award winners than any other film of its genre. It’s also helmed by a worshiped (though polarizing for some) director. Most importantly, this is a film that we’ve basically been watching two hour-long trailers for since 2008. Yet as excited as many are, “The Avengers” is a bit of an overwhelming prospect for some average moviegoers. So you haven’t seen all the other Marvel movies leading up to this film and you haven’t read the comics. Will you still enjoy this film? The answer is yes, but it might help to do a little brushing up on these heroes before hitting the theater. That’s why we’ve put together this handy article to help you learn about the characters and movies leading up to this film and their end scene teasers. Here’s a guide to how Thor fits in. 

Thor

If you’re somewhat familiar with Norse mythology, you probably know a bit about “Thor.” The comic book character’s story is fairly similar to his mythological counterpart’s. True to mythology, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) lives in Asgard. He is the God of Thunder and the son of Odin. He wields a mighty hammer, known as Mjolnir. As the son of Odin, he is poised to rule the realm after his father. Thor’s brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), is known as a trickster (a trait which is important in “The Avengers”). As a god, Thor is a bit arrogant, his father knows this to be a flaw for an aspiring ruler, so after Thor slips up and opens war on the Ice Giants, an old enemy of the Asgardians, Odin decides to teach his son a lesson in humility. He strips Thor of his power and banishes him to Earth. When he does this, he also throws Thor’s hammer down to our planet, binding it with the magical rule that only the worthy will be able to lift the hammer and have the power of Thor.

On Earth, Thor encounters a team of scientists, which includes Jane Foster (Natalie Portman and Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard). These humans find Thor to be a crazy man, rather than the god he is and we’re then provided with a hilarious sequence where Thor gets his ego knocked down quite a few notches. Over at the crash site of his hammer, some redneck humans have turned trying to lift it into a bit of a contest…that is until the government group S.H.I.E.L.D. arrives and Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Agent Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) work on trying to free the hammer from the Earth. When Thor gets wind of where his beloved hammer is, he goes barging into the site, fighting his way past many government agents to retrieve it and his hammer. Much to his devastation, he is not yet deemed worthy enough to wield and resigns himself to capture by the government. While in captivity, his brother, Loki appears to him and lies to Thor saying Odin has died and Loki has become king in the aftermath. Loki also tells Thor that their mother blames Thor for Odin’s death and he will not be allowed to return. Loki has been struggling with his own inner demons after recently learning that he is adopted from the Ice Giants. Since Loki is a trickster and liar he hatches this crazy plot to break Thor and ensure the Asgard throne remains his. Poor, trusting Thor is further devastated and humbled by Loki’s visit and upon being freed from the government, he has resigned himself to life on Earth. Meanwhile, we learn that Loki continues his schemes and is now plotting with the Ice Giants. Fortunately, some of Thor’s Asgard friends know that something suspicious is up, so they sneak off to Earth to try to get Thor to return. Enraged, Loki sends a robot-like creature to take out the currently mortal Thor. What Loki doesn’t forsee is Thor sacrificing himself to save all his friends. It is in this moment that Thor is finally worthy enough to wield his hammer and Mjolnir returns to him along with his godly powers. He makes a quick example of the robot-like creature and before Agent Coulson has a minute to spit out an invite to “The Avengers,” Thor’s rushing back to Asgard to save his people. Loki and him clash, and in yet another sacrifice, Thor breaks the bridge to his beloved Earth to stop Loki from destroying worlds. Loki seems to fall to his death. Thor returns to his father and is made ruler of Asgard, but our hero is saddened by his separation from Earth. Though we know he’s to return in “The Avengers,” this film ends without  a clear path back for our hero.

There is an end credits scene that reveals Dr. Selvig working with S.H.I.E.L.D. It also shows that not only has Loki survived, but he has already begun his next manipulative plot. Thor’s jealous brother is set to return in “The Avengers” to continue his manipulative tricks and to best his brother.

Uniform: Shirtless? Jk, I wish that was his uniform. For the most part, Thor’s uniform in the films is a chain mail-based outfit with a red cape (very medieval/old timey). His main accessory is his mighty hammer, Mjolnir.

Key Powers: He’s a god, so he has the immortality thing going for him, not to mention he’s specifically the God of Thunder, so he can do some impressive things with lightning and thunder. Also, he’s incredible strong – even among his own people. A lot of his key powers though come from his formidable hammer, Mjolnir. When wielded by Thor, the the thing is practically unstoppable once in motion. He can even use it to fly. Only one worthy of his power can wield this hammer, so even the mighty Hulk can’t lift it. Oh, and I’m pretty sure his abs are a super power. Those abs can make all the ladies melt like butter.

Weaknesses: Like Iron Man, Thor can be a bit arrogant (he is a god, after all). As a non-human, he can lack empathy. Also, since he isn’t from Earth, he’s not the most dependable – you can’t ever be sure he’ll show up when you need him to. Also, if you take away his godly powers, he’s just an average buff guy that’s fairly easy to beat (but you’d have to get his dad to help you take those powers away).

The Avengers Tie-ins (this is not definitive, but shares some key notes): The main tie-in here is a big one: Loki. Thor’s brother, Loki, is the main antagonist in “The Avengers” film, so though the “Thor” film is supposedly all about Thor, it’s really a big villain origin story to set up “The Avengers.” “The Avengers” does reference their brother relationship and the fact that Loki is adopted from a race called “The Ice Giants.” You’ll also hear references to the rainbow bridge, Bifrost Bridge, and plenty of references to the Tesseract in “The Avengers.” “Thor” also introduces Agent Barton, better known as “Hawkeye” in “The Avengers.” Hawkeye is the world’s best archer and he is the only other Avenger aside from Black Widow not to currently have his own movie. A few other characters from “Thor” have parts in “The Avengers” as well. Agent Coulson (who also had a big role in the “Iron Man” films) is helping with the government operation in “Thor.” And one of Thor’s earth friends, scientist Dr. Erik Selvig, plays a pivotal role in “The Avengers.” Thor’s love interest, Jane Foster, though not present, is addressed in “The Avengers” as well. “Thor” also has one of those wonderful credit teaser scenes in which Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) talks to Dr. Selvig about the Tesseract (which we’ve also seen as part of the plot in “Captain America” and briefly referenced in “Iron Man 2″). “Iron Man 2″ crosses back to “Thor” during its end credits scene, which reveals Agent Coulson discovering Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. “Thor” also alludes to “Iron Man” when its robot-like villain creature is questioned by a government agent as “is it one of Stark’s?” The agent thought maybe it was another of Stark’s Iron Man spin-off designs. “Captain America” loosely reference’s “Thor” by describing the Tesseract as “the jewel of Odin’s treasure room.” Even though on Thor’s world his time is well before any of the other Avengers were even born, his time on Earth takes place after most of the others, so he has fewer references to the other movies, but it’s also why so many of his allusions are simply to the upcoming “The Avengers.”

Stan Lee Appearance: This is a little Easter Egg in many of the Marvel movies. Stan Lee, a primary creator of many of these characters in the Marvel-verse, likes to make little cameos in the films. In “Thor,” Stan Lee has a cameo as a pick-up driver during a scene where the locals try to lift Thor’s hammer.

Sequel Alert: Thor 2 is anticipated in Fall 2013.

Watch the Trailer:

Watch the Hidden Credits Scene/Avengers Teaser: 

Get to know the other Avengers by film*: Captain America: The First Avenger | Iron Man & Iron Man 2 | The Incredible Hulk

*Black Widow and Hawkeye, while a part of the Avengers team, do not currently have their own movies.

Bethany Smith

I'm a geek; I love music, technology and grammar.

More Posts - Website

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“The Avengers” is already set to be one of the summer’s biggest blockbusters and it’s easy to understand why. Superhero films already do well at the box office and this one has an outstanding cast with more Academy Award winners than any other film of its genre. It’s also helmed by a worshiped (though polarizing for some) director. Most importantly, this is a film that we’ve basically been watching two hour-long trailers for since 2008. Yet as excited as many are, “The Avengers” is a bit of an overwhelming prospect for some average moviegoers. So you haven’t seen all the other Marvel movies leading up to this film and you haven’t read the comics. Will you still enjoy this film? The answer is yes, but it might help to do a little brushing up on these heroes before hitting the theater. That’s why we’ve put together this handy article to help you learn about the characters and movies leading up to this film and their end scene teasers. Here’s a guide to how The Incredible Hulk fits in. 

The Incredible Hulk

Ok, yes there are two recent Hulk movies, but we’re going to pretend that 2003 Ang Lee “Hulk” doesn’t exist (Sorry, Eric Bana, but that movie sucked). Marvel reacquired the rights shortly after that “Hulk” movie received mixed reviews and in 2008, they released a rebooted version, “The Incredible Hulk,” with an updated back story that better set up this character to tie-in to “The Avengers.” This time, Ed Norton would take on the role (Norton is the only one not to reprise his character for “The Avengers” film – Mark Ruffalo takes over for the upcoming film). This movie skips past the genesis story a bit more than the other superhero films do, but for the unfamiliar, Bruce Banner (Norton) is a scientist who was researching gamma radiation. In an experiment that went terribly awry, Banner Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde-d himself. The timid Dr. Banner (Jekyll) suffers from poor anger management, and post-experiment, his anger turns him into a massive green punching machine: The Hulk (Mr. Hyde). While Banner is a smart, but timid man, his alter ego is a being based solely on emotion – the brains just aren’t there, which is why you have the 2-year-old speak dialogue “Hulk smash.” So though he’s a strong hero, he’s also a very loose cannon and not dependable – he’s just as likely to take out the good guys as he is the bad guys. The one thing that keeps the Hulk in check is Banner/The Hulk’s love for Betty (Liv Tyler). Nonetheless, Banner finds his alter ego too unsafe for his regular life, so when this movie first hones on him, we learn that he has isolated himself South America and is working on meditation and flying under the radar. Unfortunately for our reluctant hero, the government (and specifically his love interest’s father, General Ross) still have a great interest in finding and controlling his alter ego. So when his contaminated blood falls into a bottle that gets an American sick, the government discovers his location and begins to hunt him down. Meanwhile, another scientist has been working on a cure for Banner to get rid of the Hulk. But one of the government guys, Blonsky, discovers this and since he covets the Hulk’s power he forces the scientist to use the cure in reverse on him – he turns into a villainous super beast that only the Hulk can take out. In a twist of fate, General Ross finds himself in a reverse position – he no longer is hunting the Hulk, but trying to help him save the day. At the end of the film, we still have our Banner/Hulk, but he disappears back into hiding at remote location, doing his best not to Hulk out and smash up anything else.

Uniform: Pants? Being green? There isn’t exactly a uniform for this guy. When this character is regular ole Bruce Banner, he tends to wear a loose white shirt and khakis. When he hulks out, he turns all muscular and green. For our modest viewing audience, he does keep tattered pants on covering his naughty hulk bits, but everything else – shoes, shirt, etc gets ripped off.

Key Powers: Ridiculous strong in Hulk form. As a human, he’s pretty weak, but he’s a super genius.

Weaknesses: Banner’s emotions -whether anger or his weak spot for his lady scientist friend, his emotions are the easiest way to push his buttons and manipulate him. Also, his human form is generally pretty weak. As Hulk, though virtually unstoppable, he’s not the brightest of superheroes. You’re lucky if he smashes the enemy and not you, so he’s not very dependable.

The Avengers Tie-ins (this is not definitive, but shares some key notes): “The Incredible Hulk” has quite a bit of tie-in to the “Iron Man” films. While many of these cross film references are a bit more subtle or hidden away in credits,   Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) makes a small appearance toward the end of this film to discuss “The Avengers” project with Bruce Banner – these references also indicate that the Hulk film is sometime between the two Iron Man movies. In “Iron Man 2,” we see some footage in  a background news story that shows the aftermath of a Hulk rampage. “The Incredible Hulk” also has quite a bit of crossover with the “Captain America” film. We learn that the whole reason that the government and banner were researching the formula that created the Hulk was because they were trying to recreate the original super soldier serum – the very serum that made Captain America. In a deleted scene, Captain America’s frozen body can be glimpsed (this also indicates that this film is set shortly before the epilogue of the “Captain America” movie when that character joins the modern day.

Stan Lee Appearance: This is a little Easter Egg in many of the Marvel movies. Stan Lee, a primary creator of many of these characters in the Marvel-verse, likes to make little cameos in the films. In “The Incredible Hulk,” Banner cuts his finger at the bottling factory he is working at during the start of the film. His contaminated blood is consumed by a U.S. citizen, played by Stan Lee. This person falls ill, giving away to the military where Banner’s position is in South America.

Sequel Alert: Not currently anticipated (but hey, they already had 2 tries to make this movie in the last decade).

Watch the Trailer:

Watch the Hidden Credits Scene/Avengers Teaser:  (We couldn’t find the Incredible Hulk’s scene by itself, so this sequence includes the other movies as well. To watch just the scene from the Hulk film, jump ahead 38 seconds.)

Get to know the other Avengers by film*: Captain America: The First Avenger | Iron Man & Iron Man 2 | Thor

*Black Widow and Hawkeye, while a part of the Avengers team, do not currently have their own movies.

Bethany Smith

I'm a geek; I love music, technology and grammar.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me:

“The Avengers” is already set to be one of the summer’s biggest blockbusters and it’s easy to understand why. Superhero films already do well at the box office and this one has an outstanding cast with more Academy Award winners than any other film of its genre. It’s also helmed by a worshiped (though polarizing for some) director. Most importantly, this is a film that we’ve basically been watching two hour-long trailers for since 2008. Yet as excited as many are, “The Avengers” is a bit of an overwhelming prospect for some average moviegoers. So you haven’t seen all the other Marvel movies leading up to this film and you haven’t read the comics. Will you still enjoy this film? The answer is yes, but it might help to do a little brushing up on these heroes before hitting the theater. That’s why we’ve put together this handy article to help you learn about the characters and movies leading up to this film and their end scene teasers. Here’s a guide to how Iron Man fits in. 

Iron Man & Iron Man 2

In “Iron Man,” we meet Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr), a billionaire playboy who is a bit full of himself, but his heart is in the right place. Stark’s company, Stark Enterprises, has long been in the weapons business, but after being taken a prisoner of war during a business trip to Afghanistan, Stark has a change of heart and announces he’ll take his company in a new direction (much to the disappointment of his shareholders and U.S. military). Additionally, Stark’s imprisonment nearly costs him his life when a piece of shrapnel lodges itself close to his heart. An electromagnet keeps the shrapnel piece from penetrating Stark’s heart, but this is something he’ll have to live with for life. Being the genius mechanic that he is, Stark turns this weakness to a strength and builds himself his Iron Man suit, which is powered by the same electro device that is keeping the shrapnel at bay. Iron Man is born, but meanwhile, his business partner sees the Iron suit project as just another weapon and a way to make more money (this guy was already doing some other shady things throughout the movie). Tony has to take out his lunatic partner in the climax of the first “Iron Man.”  A government agent, Phil Coulson (Coulson returns in “The Avengers”), tries to help Tony keep his Iron Man identity a secret, but Tony openly admits it to the press by the end of the film – he’s one of the few superheroes to openly admit who he is, while the rest try to stay under the radar. At the end, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) shows up to talk to Tony about the Avengers project. Honestly, the real reason to see this movie is Robert Downey, Jr. He is hilarious as Iron Man – playing the character with just the right amount of dry wit.

“Iron Man 2″ seemed more like a stepping stone to “The Avengers” than any of these other precursor movies. It picks up where the first “Iron Man” left off, with the world discovering Tony Stark is Iron Man. We then see how Tony is using his suit for good and to bring about world peace – he even reinstates his father’s Stark’s Expo, a convention for ideas and technological advancements. Of course, we get a big bad who sees how to turn Stark’s Iron suit into a weapon (deja vu, anyone?). Of course, things get a bit more complicated for Tony because his life-saving core (the one that’s keeping the shrapnel from entering his heart) is also poisoning him. As he searches for a new power source, he puts his lady friend, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), in charge of his company and promotes another lady, Natalie/Natasha (Scarlett Johansson), to be his personal assistant. This lady turns out to be a government spy that we’ll come to know better as Black Widow in “The Avengers.” She and Iron Man don’t exactly get along (and this will be alluded to in “The Avengers.” Long story short, Iron Man and friends save the day, but at the end of this film, Nick Fury shows up again, but this time he tells Tony that while “Iron Man” would be a great addition for his super-powered team, our arrogant and brash Tony would not.

Uniform: A powerful red and yellow suit, powered by Tony Stark’s life-saving energy core. Though he can take the suit off, this core must stay powered and in his chest or else he’ll die.

Key Powers: Though it’s debatable if these are ‘powers,’ Tony Stark’s smarts and his vast fortune are definitely to his advantage. His ability to fly, emit energy beams and be super strong all come from his special suit.

Weaknesses: Stark is arrogant and lacks respect for authority, but his main weakness is that without his suit, he’s just a mere man. Not only is he a mere man, but he’s a man that’s always on his death bed as his special power core for his suit is also the only thing keeping a piece of shrapnel from penetrating his heart.

The Avengers Tie-ins (this is not definitive, but shares some key notes): As one of the first Avengers-related films to be released in theaters, “Iron Man” and “Iron Man 2″ really set the stage for “The Avengers” film. A lot of its characters return for this new movie crossover. Iron Man’s lady friend, Pepper Potts returns briefly and the government S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) figures pretty heavily into the plot of “The Avengers.” “Iron Man 2″ also introduces us to the spy, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), who is part of the Avengers though she doesn’t have her own movie (yet). Throughout the other films, there are little mentions or allusions to Tony Stark’s company, Stark Enterprises. Often, it’s just a logo or the company name stamped on an object. Tony makes a cameo in “The Incredible Hulk” to speak about the Avengers project. In “Iron Man 2,” we also see a bit of the Hulk’s rampage on the background in a newser. In “Thor,” when the big bad robot-like villain thing shows up, one of the government officers asks if it’s one of Tony’s (referring to Tony Stark’s alternative Iron Man-like inventions). In “Captain America,” we meet Tony Stark’s father, which is a cool comparison because Howard Stark was practically besties with Captain America, but Tony and the Captain will clash in the Avengers. It’s also cool to meet Tony’s father like this because “Iron Man 2″ gives us the return of the Stark Expo, which was first seen in “Captain America.” Speaking of “Captain America,” you know that tesseract cube thing that figures so heavily into the “Captain America” film? It’s seen briefly on one of Tony’s screens as a blue print from one of his father’s past projects. We also get a glimpse of the Captain’s shield in the Iron Man movies – it’s being worked on in Tony’s workshop (we’ll see this newly built shield in the Avengers movie). Like in many of the other Avengers-related movies, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. makes an appearance during the end credits scenes to discuss the Avengers projects with Tony. Finally, the end of Iron Man 2 overlaps with “Thor,” showing Agent Coulson discovering Thor’s hammer in the desert.

Stan Lee Appearance: This is a little Easter Egg in many of the Marvel movies. Stan Lee, a primary creator of many of these characters in the Marvel-verse, likes to make little cameos in the films. In “Iron Man,” Tony Stark mistakes him for Hugh Hefner at a party. In “Iron Man 2,” he is mistaken for Larry King.

Sequel Alert: “Iron Man 3″ is expected in May 2013.

Watch the Trailer:

Iron Man:

Iron Man 2

Watch the Hidden Credits Scene/Avengers Teaser: 

Iron Man:

Iron Man 2:

Get to know the other Avengers by film*: Captain America: The First Avenger | The Incredible Hulk | Thor

*Black Widow and Hawkeye, while a part of the Avengers team, do not currently have their own movies.

Bethany Smith

I'm a geek; I love music, technology and grammar.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me:

“The Avengers” is already set to be one of the summer’s biggest blockbusters and it’s easy to understand why. Superhero films already do well at the box office and this one has an outstanding cast with more Academy Award winners than any other film of its genre. It’s also helmed by a worshiped (though polarizing for some) director. Most importantly, this is a film that we’ve basically been watching two hour-long trailers for since 2008. Yet as excited as many are, “The Avengers” is a bit of an overwhelming prospect for some average moviegoers. So you haven’t seen all the other Marvel movies leading up to this film and you haven’t read the comics. Will you still enjoy this film? The answer is yes, but it might help to do a little brushing up on these heroes before hitting the theater. That’s why we’ve put together this handy article to help you learn about the characters and movies leading up to this film and their end scene teasers. Here’s a guide to how Captain America fits in.

Captain America: The First Avenger (Read Jude’s full review of this film here)

As his title says, Captain America (Chris Evans) is the first of the Avengers, though his movie came out in theaters last (2011). This film is set during WWII in the 1940s (it does a great job paying homage to films from that era). We watch Steve Rogers turn from a scrawny, but brave and determined young man into a powerful super soldier. And we do mean super, Rogers is part of government experiment that uses a special serum to turn him into the buff Captain America. Unfortunately, the serum and its creator are destroyed before the U.S. government has time to turn anyone else super. Captain America eventually finds himself going up against a Nazi villain powered by a similar serum. This villain, Red Skull, has possession of a powerful cube (later called a tesseract) that he plans to use in his quest for world domination. Lucky for us, the Captain is able to stop him, but at a great sacrifice to himself. He crashes into an icy tundra and is thought to be dead during his time. Attempts to recover his body during that era fail, but the tesseract is recovered. Fast forward to the modern day and a secret government group recovers him from his icy prison, finding him frozen, but still alive. The revive him in the modern day New York. This is how he becomes the ‘first’ Avenger. He’s recovered by S.H.I.E.L.D and as a man out of his time, he virtually has no other option, but to say yes and join the Avengers initiative.

Uniform: A patriotic, mostly blue, outfit with a big A on his cap. Most notably he has a red, white and blue circular shield that is indestructible.

Key Powers: Super strength, accelerated healing, super agility, super speed and an indestructible shield that he can use for defense or as a weapon

Weaknesses: Doesn’t know when to question authority, insecurity from being out-of-time with the modern world, pretty ladies

The Avengers Tie-ins (this is not definitive, but shares some key notes): The tesseract has been recovered in “The Avengers” and is a central plot item. Everyone has a different purpose for it, and though its use is debatable, everyone agrees it is powerful. As such, they fight over this object. Also, one of Captain America’s friends in this movie and one of the main financers for the Captain America experiment is Howard Stark. Howard’s son, Tony, would later grow up to be another of the Avengers: Iron Man. In “The Incredible Hulk” it is revealed that the experiment that causes Bruce Banner to become the Hulk was a failed attempt to replicate the Captain America experiment. There’s also a deleted “The Incredible Hulk” scene where you can glimpse the Captain frozen in ice in the background. There’s also a brief “Thor” reference when one character refers to the tesseract as “the prize of Odin’s treasure room,” Odin being Thor’s father. Finally, when Captain America wakes up in the modern world, we see he has been rescued by S.H.I.E.L.D. (the main government operative in “The Avengers”) and he is later invited to the Avengers initiative by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).

Stan Lee Appearance: This is a little Easter Egg in many of the Marvel movies. Stan Lee, a primary creator of many of these characters in the Marvel-verse, likes to make little cameos in the films. In “Captain America,” he plays a general.

Sequel Alert: Captain America 2 is expected in Spring 2014.

Watch the Trailer:

Watch the Hidden Credits Scene/Avengers Teaser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKmvpq9zWnI&feature=related (embedding disallowed, but be sure to watch as this scene gets a special nod in “The Avengers”)

Get to know the other Avengers by film*: Iron Man & Iron Man 2 | The Incredible Hulk | Thor

*Black Widow and Hawkeye, while a part of the Avengers team, do not currently have their own movies.

Bethany Smith

I'm a geek; I love music, technology and grammar.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me: