By Damon Martin – Editor/Lead Writer
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One of the biggest reveals during San Diego Comic Con this year was Joss Whedon’s ever so brief appearance during the Marvel pictures panel where he unveiled the title of Avengers 2, which will be called “Age of Ultron”.
It was a surprise to many Avengers fans because at the end of the last film following the trailers, the big bad revealed to be pulling the strings on Loki was cosmic juggernaut Thanos. It was believed he would be the villain in the upcoming sequel, but it appears for now he will take a backseat (his appearance would be a grand conclusion in part 3).
Instead, robot human killing machine Ultron will take the lead role as bad guy in the upcoming Avengers sequel slated for release in 2015.
When the name was announced, rumors immediately began circulating about the shared title of the just recently concluded comic book mini-series of the same name written by Marvel favorite Brian Michael Bendis. “The Age of Ultron” was a book set in a dystopia future where the robot had eradicated the world of heroes and humans alike, and now ruled with an iron fist. In the book, Wolverine is sent back in time to kill Ultron’s creator Hank Pym to stop this atrocity from ever happening.
While the name of the book and the sequel are the same, director and writer Joss Whedon promises that his film will not share much, if any at all, of the story with the comic book. Instead, Avengers 2: Age of Ultron will focus on the creation of the robot and obviously how it backfires on the superhero group.
“We’re doing our own version of the origin story of Ultron,” said Whedon at Comic Con when speaking to Marvel Now. “In the origin story there was Hank Pym, so a lot of people assumed he was going to be in the mix, but he’s not. We’re basically taking the things from the comics for the movies that we need and can use. A lot of stuff has to fall by the wayside.”
In the small footage shown at Comic Con, the Iron Man mask is beat up and blasted from all sides, and after a small spin the mask of Ultron is revealed. It would indicate that instead of Pym playing a hand in Ultron’s creation, it will be genius billionaire playboy Tony Stark who will craft the killer robot.
Another interesting note from Comic Con 2013 was the almost news released by Vin Diesel during his panel for the upcoming film Riddick, due in theaters this September.
Diesel was asked by a fan about a possible role in an upcoming Marvel movie, and the Fast and the Furious star almost revealed too much before saying that we could all expect a major announcement by month’s end. It all but cemented his rumored role as The Vision in the upcoming Avengers sequel.
In the comic books, The Vision is created by Ultron so again this all seems to fit the puzzle coming together for Whedon’s upcoming script. Then again, Whedon is the master of misdirection so this could all be smoke and mirrors.
It has to be noted that Whedon said that production for Avengers 2: Age of Ultron will begin in February or March 2014 in London. Diesel will be wrapped by then for his filming of Fast and the Furious 7, which is set for a July 2014 release date.
Beyond that not much is known or will be known about the film for several months, but this teaser will certainly set the stage for what could be one of the biggest film releases of all time.
