Disclaimer : This is purely for the enjoyment of us and our readers. All pictures used are owned by Disney/Marvel unless otherwise stated.
WS : Welcome everyone to our first ever movie commentary. Due to the fact that Avengers: Endgame is on the horizon, we thought it would be worthwhile to watch each Avengers movie, and add our own (hopefully) intelligent commentary. Tonight with us we have frequent contributor and furry enthusiast Al (Red Lanyard)
RL : Let’s go baby!
WS : Also, our HR director Ginny (Raven) joins us for Loki expertise.
R : Sup.
WS : Obviously our vaunted Leader Jacob (Vance McCarty) is here as well.
VM : You’re welcome.
R : Oh my god.
RL (After having waited for 30 minutes for us to gather drinks, snacks and our particular seating arrangements) : Holy @%&$ I just wanna start the movie
WS : And your boy, Wise Sage(Josh) is going to be doing everything he can to keep up with this mess.
RL : I could’ve watched so much anime in this time
R (Referring to Josh’s slow typing) : Josh is using a RAZR everyone. Im so sorry.
WS : Alright… BEFORE we start the movie: Lanyard, do you remember what your thoughts were going into this movie in 2012?
RL : I was actually a bit of a skeptic; I thought no way they were gonna do every character justice in such a time frame. But I was mostly just excited for ScarJo
WS : Ginny, same question.
Vance, talk a little about the groundwork for this movie. Truly nothing like it had been done before.
RL : Wait, have we started the movie?
WS : No.
RL : Ok, Just Making Sure.
Sorry readers, I’m in a different city.
R : I wasn’t too excited about it because tbh I wasn’t super into comics other than X-Men and Spider-man at this point and was super annoyed by Jacob’s obsession with it. Obviously, times have changed.
WS : Fair point.
VM : That’s a fair annoyance
This film had to do a lot. It had to finish the Introductions for Hawkeye and Black Widow, be the first film to show off Ruffalo as Hulk and make sure that 8 primary characters were able to share the screen without overshadowing anyone. This was the culmination of everything the MCU was building and in my opinion is the key to everything that’ happened since.
Sorry, I’m long winded.
WS : Cant intro the film better than that. With that, let’s start the movie.
RL : Thank God
VM : I loved the pacing of the intro, starting off with the Macguffin of the film(Tesseract) and the sinister voiceover. It always reminded me of a bond film.
Rl : Chitauri Slow AF
R : So, i guess the tesseract made itself known when goose coughed it up?
VM : That’s a good point
WS : Well, we are about to get our answer. Somebody is tugging on the other side of the Tesseract.
RL : Holy #@$& I forgot Maria Hill was a thing in the MCU
VM : Fury saying “Do Better” will never not be intense to me.
RL : Oh hey, it’s the best boy
VM : The best boy is the one who figures it out too!
R : Id like to point out, since perfection (loki) is about to come on the screen, that it has been said, he was under mind control by thanos during this time.
VM : But Thanos doesn’t have the mind stone.
RL : “Its sending out gamma radiation”
Fury and Clint stand in front of it casually
Fury and Clint stand in front of it casually
VM : In fact, Thanos gives Loki the Mind Stone.
R : *breaks jacobs phone* thats all EIC.
WS : Thank you Ginny.
If we were to rank the 3 Avengers villains, how would you guys rank them?
R : Pretty sure marvel said it was cannon. But 🤷🏻♀️
Ill look it up later.
Ill look it up later.
RL : 1. Thanos
2. Loki
3. Ultron
If you consider Loki a villain
2. Loki
3. Ultron
If you consider Loki a villain
R : I was about to say…
VM : I’m with Al.
RL : Man, everyone in that room should be dead as soon as Hawkeye gets corrupted
Like, yeah big explosion. But Hawkeye is evil now
R : Beautiful Line, *burdened with glorious purpose* same, loki.
VM : Oh @#$%! They killed Fury!
R (Refusing to give up) : If loki can control people with the tesseract, could thanos not control him that way, or nah?
RL : This bit with Hawkeye leads to one of my favorite fan theories in the MCU that I’ll talk about when it comes up
VM (Not giving up myself) : Nah.
WS : To Al’s point, Loki’s efficiency is one of the things I love about this movie.
VM (Refusing to take elsa’s advice from Frozen) : Loki’s Scepter has the Mind Stone inside.
Very, Very True. It’d take something Mighty to Stop Loki…
R : The mind stone is yellow.
RL : Enjoy this action sequence with Hill everyone. Wont see her too much after this movie
WS : Everything Loki does has purpose, and every time we see him he is moving the story along. It makes for a beautifully paced movie.
VM : Man, there’s a scene that’s gonna blow your mind in Age Of Ultron, Gin.
VM : What a Title Card! It’s both an answer to the question (“What do we do?”) and the title of the film!
RL : It’s my bae!
Love the red hair
WS : This first scene with Widow is perfection.
VM : She’s the best!
RL : Chair combat is my favorite combat
R : Also, sorry.
1) ultron
2) zemo
3) thanos
WS : Coulson standing there while listening to her destroy these guys will never not be funny.
VM : It’s the Tiny Future Shield Agent!
RL : Ultron would be at the top of my list if he had like 30 more minutes of screentime
WS : Zemo is not a villain in an Avengers movie.
R : He destroys them though lol by definition, he is a villian to the avengers.
But if he doesnt count, fine. I guess i just have a top 2 🤷🏻♀️
VM : And lo, Ginny refuses to acknowledge Loki as a Villain.
RL : Also this intro with Banner is my favorite character intro in the movie
It fits his character so perfectly
WS : Time to talk about Ruffalo. Is there any chance Norton would be better than Ruffalo?
RL : No, Zero chance.
Norton wasn’t even a good banner
R : And this is why
https://screenrant.com/avengers-loki-theory-mind-stone-thanos/
Marvel confirmed it my friends.
Im sorry 🤷🏻♀️
And Ruffalo oozes the complexity and restraint that makes the character
RL : Boom.
And yeah, norton would have been garbage.
VM : I also say No, one of the main points of the movies is that the actors work so well together. Norton was known to not work well together.
RL : God, that bit
VM : Yeah, “Stop Lying To Me” always makes me Jump.
RL : “I’m sorry, that was mean”
That is why Ruffalo was the only choice
WS : Ruffalo is just way more likable as well.
VM : Oh Good Lord, I forgot about the World Security Council.
R : Same.
WS : Its won by soldiers.
Transition to the best soldier ever.
R : Steveeee
VM : Oh there he is!
R : Those shoulders though 😍
VM : My favorite Marvel Hero!
R : Love this scene.
Great.
Great.
RL :That’s me when someone talks crap about Spider-Man
VM : To clarify : Ginny hated the ending of First Avenger and hates how often they bring it up in the following films.
RL : Man, that line
WS : Which line?
VM : Which one Al?
We just had 6 oscar winners basically.
RL : “They told me we won; they never said how much we lost”
VM : Oh Gotcha, yeah that’s a great line.
WS : Fantastic Tony Stark intro.
RL : I love the intros for the scientists. What’s stark and banner doing? What they can to make the world a better place
VM : Exactly!
R : Hell yeah
RL : Helps establish that they’re heroes and not just people who fight villains
R: Love that 💃
VM : Paul Bettany is the perfect Jarvis/Vision.
WS : Also, we subtly are shown that Stark has continued to perfect the Iron Man suit.
VM : That’s true, he’s come a long way from getting stuck in it in the first Iron Man.
Also, I want that holographic Laptop thing.
WS : Volatile. Self Obsessed.
R : Coulson is so adorbs.
RL : Man, Stark is legitimately reluctant to help.
That’s a character change in the making
VM : I never really noticed that honestly.
WS : One of the great things about Stark in this movie, to Al’s point, is it plants the seed that Iron Man does not want to just punch villains anymore.
RL : I will always ship Couldgers
VM : Steve : “I hope I’m the man for the Job”
He’s frickin’ Captain America and he’s still nervous about being enough for everyone! He’s everything I would want to be as a hero.
RL : There it is.
WS (Intentionally trying to start something.) : Hey Jake, what do you think Zack Snyder would say about that old-fashioned line?
VM (It worked) : Oh Son of a @#$&!. Zack Snyder Would hate the idea of any kind of Hope being anywhere in his film.
RL : Man, I’m not sure I’ve ever cared less about a marvel villain than The Other
R: Same.
WS : Loki seems genuinely formidable, though.
R : Well yeah.
VM : Hahahaha I was intrigued by him at first, then Ronan just says “Nope” in Guardians.
RL : God I love banner in this movie
WS : He really is perfect.
R : I really want that ship.
VM : Is there anyone who is Cooler than Samuel L. Jackson?
RL : Stan Lee is the only one I can think of.
VM : Amen, Al.
WS : Steve just handing the money to Fury is genius.
VM : I love/hate that Banner just wants to leave.
RL : It makes his character!
Hulk wants to smash
Bruce just wants to be left alone
WS : Well, he runs from the fight because he knows he will win, Jake.
VM : Ginny’s Bae is about to commit an Atrocious Act.
WS : Yeah, but adorably though.
R : Yeah. Well thanos, technically.
But ya know.
But ya know.
More handsome than adorable.
VM : Yup, it becomes an Off-Screen Kill from Saw basically.
RL : Whoo, that altar imagery is nice
R : Classy.
VM : Classically Breaking that man’s Jaw
WS : I will say he is smooth as silk in this part.
VM : And then Stealing a Man’s Eye.
One of the guest : “Janet, I didn’t even wanna come to the Gala!”
R : Tom Hiddleston is perfect.
He’s chill AF til the avengers get there
WS : I’m not sure yelling “KNEEL!!!” Is chill AF.
RL : Someone in that crowd has a bondage kink and is getting quite hot and bothered
VM : Alright, I’m curious : Would Hiddleston have been good as Thor?
R : Yes, he would have.
WS : No.
RL : He would give an excellent performance because he’s a world class actor
But it not have been as good as his Loki
R : Precisely.
VM : “There are Always men like you” beautiful.
Chris Evans is Steve Rogers.
R : He was born to play loki, but yeah, tbh, tom hiddleston could do a one man show of the avengers and nail every character.
VM (This and Al’s following comment were sent at the exact same time) : Literally the only time I enjoy AC/DC.
RL : Iron man intros are the few times I’ll vibe to ACDC
Ayyy!
R : Awww you guys. Twinning
WS : I respectfully disagree Ginny.
R : Yeah, i figured you would.
WS : But only because every character is perfectly cast.
RL : “There’s a lot of things fury doesn’t tell you” Another great line.
R : “Not overly fond of what follows”
VM : I also love that Tony is the only one who isn’t completely enamored by Steve. Which is something that I honestly didn’t notice as much until this viewing.
R : Yeah, because he’s jealous of him. Because, daddy issues.
WS : Oh snap! It’s Thor everybody!
RL : Thor is just a total badass
Ok, I’ve personally never been a fan of Cap’s God line there
WS : “There is only one God maam, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t dress like that.
Why not? Perfect for a dude from the 40’s.
RL : It’s fine as a line. I just never got all the hype over it when the movie came out
WS : I think it’s a perfect line for Cap, because there is nothing postmodern about Cap.
VM : “I remember a Shadow” what a fantastic script.
This entire conversation is a great Epilogue to the first Thor Film. “You think yourself above them?” “Well, Yes.”
RL : So why does stark go for thor and not Loki there?
That’s always bothered me
R : Hmmm. Interesting point! I guess because we wouldnt have this scene?
WS : Because he needs to get him out of the way or else Thor would just grab him again.
VM : That’s my Thought Too.
R : If he grabbed loki, thor would have followed him anyway.
RL : Still, seems reckless to not first secure the guy you come on the mission for in the first place
“Good news, I fought thor and it was awesome. I have no idea where Loki went. So we’re back to square one”
VM : They are Reckless, which is why they need Steve.
RL : Ok, but Steve runs into the battle too!
WS : That’s fair, but its also very Tony. He doesnt take Loki seriously.
RL : They would 100% have lost Loki if he hadn’t wanted to be caught there
VM : You could make the argument that none of them are the perfect heroes that we know them to be yet.
Which is why this movie works so well.
RL : I would think they’d be smart still though. Idk
WS : I mean that’s fair. They are way more efficient in Age Of Ultron.
So Al, you would grab Loki and turn your back on the dude with the hammer that controls lightning?
VM : Fury and Black Widow are honestly the only characters who remain the same from beginning to end in this film.
RL : I would probably use any of the 1000 things in my iron man suit to trap Loki and secure him while using my words with the man who has been confirmed as a friendly ally
WS : Volatile.
Self obsessed.
R : Thor is tiny in comparison to what he becomes later on.
WS : “He’s adopted”
Volatile does not mean idiotic
WS : It can.
VM : The meeting of Tony and Bruce is also a perfect scene.
How could they not notice he was Playing Galaga?
RL : The sound was even om
VM : Exactly!
He wasn’t trying at all.
R : Tony is so pissy lol
RL : I like that Tony conditions Bruce to question shield with peanuts
Blueberries. Sorry
VM : I like that Tony doesn’t Trust anyone except the guy who becomes a Monster and Tony actually Encourages him to become a hero with everyone.
WS : “Following is not really my style.”
RL : Yeah Josh, what a change that occurs between this and civil war
WS : That’s fair, although I think Tony is arrogant enough to believe he can still run the show, even after the accords.
R : Jane Foster, gross
R : Thor, she WILL get mad at you for not visiting her during an alien attack. Red flag, bro.
RL : Such a wonderful actress with such a poorly utilized role
VM : Definite Red Flag.
WS : Yeah, he should leave and go check on her.
R : Thats true, fury….
“Why do i feel like he’s the only one who wants to be here”
WS : Love is for children.
VM : The control of the Screen that they have is absolutely Phenomenal.
I’m Curious, do you think that she was genuinely taken aback by the fact that he knew her History?
Or was she playing him the entire time?
WS : I mean, she turns on a dime.
RL : I think she went in expecting anything. That’s how she be
VM : True points.
R : She was playing him. 100 percent
WS : What were you lying?
RL : Man
The thing that sets banner off about S.H.I.E.L.D. is the potential for death by using the tesseract.
VM : I’ve always loved Thor’s Surprise there when Fury says “Because of him”
R : “Everything special about you, came out of a bottle” Which isn’t true at allllll
WS : Well, Steve is wrong too Ginny.
R : He is, but they are both more than they realize
VM : Hawkeye is 100% the most underrated Avenger.
R : Well duhhh
VM : “Put on the suit” “Yeah”
WS : So… Al, since you seem to be the expert on logic in this movie, how do you feel about Hulk appearing here?
RL : He responded to the physiological stress of being exploded and falling through the floor
R : Thats fair.
RL : I thought it’s been pretty well established that banner has control over hulk except in extreme cases where hulk feels banner is really threatened
WS : I get that, but why is he in control later then?
RL : Later when?
WS : During the attack on New York?
R : I always thought it was weird he started chasing black widow
Then fights along side her and everyone else
WS : Exactly.
RL : Because he’s more consciously aware of what’s happening compared to being taken by surprise by an explosion
RL : I mean, what we’re seeing rn is defense mechanism, evolutionary energy hulk
Not controlled, harmony with banner hulk
VM : In this scene he has no control at all. As opposed to the final battle.
RL : That’s the difference
R : Ok, i see that.
RL : Also, banner at this point doesn’t have any reason to trust the rest of the team then he does
WS : I mean yeah, it makes sense, but it requires him to grow as a character by the end. Kind of like when Tony recklessly goes after Thor.
VM : There it is.
RL : I mean, if you want to compare animalistic rage to genius level intellect, it’s a perfect equivalence
WS : I’m not, but functionally they do serve the same purpose in the script.
Not sure I’d equate genius with infallibility the way you do, Al.
RL : Not infallible. Just expectantly reasonable
WS : Also, not sure genius can be equated with reason either.
RL : Favorite fight scene in the movie here btw
R : Love this fight scene.
VM : Best Fight Scene
WS : Pause the argument for a great fight scene.
It makes you wonder how the movies would be different if he was alive.
WS : Gave us 2 and a half good seasons of Shield, though.
RL : Ok, we’re coming up on my favorite fan theory in a couple scenes
VM : I liked Season 3…but I didn’t watch much after that.
“So that’s what it does.”
RL : I saw someone do calculations for this scene and they theorized that stark would have to be flying st around mach 2 to make this work
Freaking awesome
WS : Ha!
I love that!
VM : “Not an Option”
Jackson manages to make Fury so vulnerable here. It’s really a rare and special moment for his character.
And I love his explanation of the Avengers here.
RL : I really like that he doesn’t call mjolnir there
R : Subtle, but telling.
VM : Yup, the doubt that he has is brought to us so well.
WS : I wish that old guy was in more movies
RL : Ok this! The scene where Barton comes too
VM : I’m ready
WS : Ready.
RL (I could not find a picture or gif and it upsets me greatly. It’s at 01:32:30 of the film.) : The theory that I’ve heard and like a lot Is that the ultraviolet type vision thing going on there is not an after effect or the mind control that’s just how Hawkeyes vision works all the time It’s what allows him to place and follow targets and lead his shots so well.
WS : I like that as well!
R : Ooooh. Yeah, i like that. Makes sense.
VM : Real Quick, their(Black Widow and Hawkeye) conversation here says so much about them. I think the brilliance of this script is that there’s no wasted scene or wasted lines. Everything has a purpose.
R : Agreed.
VM : And I love that Theory by the way.
WS : I also love that Natasha talks about being unmade. We are way overdue for a Black Widow movie.
RL : Also, Tony’s indignation at being called soldiers is a great moment
VM : There’s so many subtle things in this scene such as the fact that his eyes keep avoiding where Coulson Died until the very last part of the scene. He wants to be near it but he can’t bring himself to actually look at it.
WS : Well, Tony doesnt want to be a soldier. He wants to stop fighting, because he knows what the end result of the fighting is. This is true even before his vision in Age of Ultron.
VM : Which also then leads into Civil War. Ahh! I love this series!
VM : Best finale in a Film?
Or best 3rd act, I suppose.
WS : That’s a stretch.
But it’s pretty solid.
RL : It’s up there.
Dark knight possibly?
VM : Definitely another Solid choice.
WS : This is a great interaction between Stark and Loki.
VM : “There’s no Version of this where you come out on top”
WS : “It takes us a while to get traction”, in my opinion, is enough to answer both the seeming plot holes we have discussed.
RL : Man, those people have terrible gas burns now
WS : I’m glad he didnt fry those bystanders.
VM : If Zack Snyder was directing then they’d be dead.
RL : Its around this part of the movie that I started to feel like a kid again
VM : Me too!
R : Another great fight scene
VM : The waitress here is Ashley Johnson who is also the Voice of Ellie in The Last Of Us. She’s also consistently cast in Joss Whedon films.
R : Coo.
VM : It’s what I bring to the Table.
WS : Shes also the youngest seaver in Growing Pains!
Beat you!
VM : Dude!
I didn’t know that!
RL : What incredible biology this creature has
WS : I love the “Sentiment” line.
VM : “Captain, it would be my genuine pleasure.” I love Hawkeye So Much!
RL : In one scene they established a better archer character than 7 seasons of arrow
WS : You ain’t lying!!!
R : That freaking budapest line!!!
WS : “Why the hell should I take orders from you?” Smartest police officer in any movie.
VM : Cap taking charge as always.
RL : Banners intro is so understated and I love it
WS : “So… this all seems horrible.”
RL : Here we go! My favorite line!
“I’m always angry”
WS : Way less stressful than a small fire and falling 10 feet.
WS : Smash.
RL : My favorite thing about talking to Josh is how he ignores the inconvenient 70% of what I say
R : SO TRUE.
WS : My favorite thing about talking to Al is his pedantic insistence on logic when it suits him.
R : Yalls dynamic is very tony and steve at times.
VM : Ah, yes, Thor using the empire state building as a lightning rod.
R : And Jane Foster is just sitting at home, thinking “um why hasnt thor called me?”
RL : If zack snyder was writing our friendship we would’ve killed each other long ago
WS : Black Widow doing Black Widow things.
RL : Love that shield-reactor beam combo
VM : The scene that began my love of Tracking Shots.
WS : It really is a great shot. Uses CGI very effectively.
RL : Man, the world security council is really useless
R : Too bad he didnt call capt marvel
WS : They went to Nuclear really quick there.
R : The only time loki looks scared
WS : Fantastic Hulk scene. He is a scene stealer throughout this movie.
R : Security council are the real bad guys.
WS : Is the World Security Council the thing that Robert Redford is in charge of in Winter Soldier.
VM : I mean, Powers Boothe is Hydra.
Yes, yes it is.
WS : Did any of these dudes keep their jobs after ordering a nuclear attack?
R : Oh im sure.
RL : Absolutely
VM : All of them except for Powers Booth actual.
Agents Of Shield and Winter Soldier confirm that.
RL : Is there a fictional story where the government is not evil?
I feel like it’s a little-talked about trope
R : Essentially, they are fighting aliens and the security council
Nah, Al. I dont think there is
WS : Minas Tirith?
RL : Hulk is a very good boi
VM : Minas Tirith is ruled by Denethor when we first see it.
RL : Damn, now I want schwarma
R : So good.
VM : I totally want some Schwarma.
WS : Schwarma is delicious.
RL : Stan Lee <3
WS : That little kid is Jake.
VM : That little kid is absolutely me.
“A Promise”
RL : Man, I’m hype for age of Ultron
I feel like it gets glazed over a lot, and unfairly so
VM : Right?!?
R : Its my favorite avengers film.
WS : Mine too.
R : So, are we watching the films in order, or just the avengers films?
RL : I skipped ahead in the credits a bit and I never noticed the line “to challenge them is to court death” line to thanos
WS : Just the Avengers.
Really?
RL : Been a long time since I’ve seen it
WS : I’ve always wondered if there was a time when Marvel thought about making him obsessed with death.
RL : Also, I almost feel like we should watch civil war too
Possibly. But I’m Glad they didn’t do that to him.
Infinity war thanos is significantly better than original comic book thanos imo
VM : I fully agree about both Civil War and Thanos.
WS : Alright, closing this out, everyone give me a weakness of this movie, If possible.
VM : The only real weakness would maybe be the fact that the appearance of the Tesseract in Captain Marvel doesn’t make perfect sense now but that’s a mild complaint.
RL : Probably the soundtrack other than the OST. Marvel has done so well in recent years with their soundtracks that this one felt a little lacking
OST is excellent tho
VM : And honestly, with 22 films in the narrative Plot holes are expected.
R : Yeah, a few plot holes with the tesseract. But other than that, very few weaknesses.
Especially watching this knowing loki is being controlled by thanos is honestly a different viewing for me.
Especially watching this knowing loki is being controlled by thanos is honestly a different viewing for me.
RL : Wait, why doesn’t it make perfect sense?
R : Thats true too, Jake.
WS : I’m not sure I have a real weakness. I wish for more Hawkeye, but I like his arc as well.
RL : I figure fury got it back from Goose, and gave it to R&D at shield
R : So, Fury says they found the tesseract when they found capt.
In the ocean.
RL : Hmm
R : Which is weird because they found on Mar-vell’s ship.
VM : Hang on, we’re rewinding it.
R : But also, fury lies about small details.
R : You right.
RL : Since he didnt trust shield with it in captain marvel
WS : In order to keep Captain Marvel a secret? That makes sense, actually.
RL : My timeline understanding is it went down with cap, Mar-Vell found it, then we get the ending of captain marvel and Fury tweaks the truth a out it
WS : Howard Stark fished it out of the ocean. Nevermind.
R : We figured it outtttt
(Official Tesseract Timeline : It goes down with Cap over the ocean, Howard Stark gets it and presumably they start experimenting with it. Mar-Vell knows what it actually is and somehow steals it since S.H.I.E.L.D. was pretty quiet following Howard’s death. Fury/Goose gets it in Captain Marvel and Fury experiments with it until Avengers happens.)
WS : Alright, biggest strength of this movie.
RL : The distribution of screen time for everyone. No one felt shortchanged. Everyone had pretty satisfying arcs
R : Agreed.
WS : Look at this, Al and I are going to end this on an agreement!
R : Beautiful!
RL : The scrolls were true
VM : For me, it’s the fact of how important the film was. It sets up about 6 different films and does so beautifully! To do that while still giving everyone proper screentime and creating a near masterpiece of film is very impressive.
R : When are we doing the next one?
WS : Sometime next week probably.
R : Coo. Good night friends!
RL : Night! This was a blast!
WS : Goodnight!
VM : Good night everyone and thank you for joining us on this! This was so much fun and we hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did. We’ll see ya’ll next time for Avengers : Age Of Ultron!
