Bring on the obscure characters (AKA keep the universe growing)
I want Ant Man. And the Wasp. And Dr. Strange. And, I dunno, the Vision, or Scarlet Witch, or Wonder Man. Marvel has a vast and rich universe to draw from, so please, please, please continue to do so. While I can forgive not setting up future heroes in The Avengers, it is a trademark of the team that the line-up is always shifting. That means we’ve got to meet some new folks in the upcoming films, just like we did with Black Widow and Hawkeye in Iron Man 2 and Thor (but preferably better this time).
This could mean releasing a solo Dr. Strange movie or Antman movie (which Edgar Wright is supposedly working on, so it’s pretty much guaranteed to be good), or it could simply mean setting them up in the next Captain America film. My point is that the universe needs to continue growing, rather than simply staying the same size. I know that it can be hard to squeeze a bunch of heroes into one movie, but I promise you, us comic book fans are easier to please than you think.
Ultimately, I hope to get to the point where The Avengers are not the only team movies spun out of the Marvel Universe, but we can also get a (considerably lower budget, I imagine) movie about the C-listers teaming up to deal with a threat that the Avengers can’t face, because they’re off in space fighting Thanos.
Oh hey. That Thanos guy again. I hope we see him soon.
Continue hiring great directors (AKA bring Whedon back for Avengers 2)
Joss Whedon, who I’ve been an obsessive fan of for years, brought such a wonderful and unique voice to The Avengers that it’s difficult for me to imagine getting anyone else for the sequel. It’ll be perfect for his career ‘cause it gives him plenty of time to make passion projects between films, and he’s demonstrated an understanding of how these characters interact as a team.
What it also means is that Marvel needs to step it up and continue getting great directors for the other lead-in movies. They’ve made a good step in this direction with Shane Black (the guy that did Lethal Weapon and the hugely underrated Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) for Iron Man 3, but they got some guy I’ve never heard of for Thor 2. While he may be great, he’s probably no Kenneth Branagh.
Look, Marvel, I know great directors are expensive, but if each of the solo hero movies have as strong of a vision behind them as The Avengers did, then I promise that it will be worth it — to me, at least. And we all know that I’m the only fan that matters.
Step up the secrecy about the crossover elements
I know that this one can be hard to control in our spoiler-happy internet culture, but I think that it’s important. I don’t want to see headlines saying ‘Hemsworth to appear in Captain America 2!’ I just want him to show up. When I’m reading a comic, and Thor pops up to help Captain America fight, I dunno, Stilt-Man (who is totally a real bad-guy whose power is that he has stilts), I’d rather not know about it ahead of time. The same goes for the films.
This will be harder if the appearance is longer than a two-minute cameo, which it should be, but I know in my fanboy bones that audiences will appreciate the shock when Ruffalo walks into frame for the next time. While it’s satisfying to say ‘Nick Fury popped up after the credits! I had no idea,’ it will be even more satisfying to say ‘Oh man, this is practically a Captain America/Hawkeye buddy movie! I wasn’t expecting that, and it’s exactly as cool as it sounds!’
This may be wishful thinking, but a man — boy? Let's go with boy. A boy with an extensive comic book collection can dream.
Let the threat unite the heroes, not S.H.I.E.L.D
I’m about to really geek out on you guys: Thanos, the guy introduced at the end of Avengers, is known for trying to assemble something called the Infinity Gauntlet; it contains 6 gems that, once united, give the wearer mastery over pretty much everything. I’m pretty positive that that blue doohickey in Loki’s staff was the Mind Gem. Do you see where I’m going with this?
One of the gems can pop up in each of the next wave of Avenger movies! Then, when we get to the Gauntlet in the Avengers sequel, viewers who have been following along will be rewarded for their knowledge, while new viewers can be caught up with a line or two. In the previous films, S.H.I.E.L.D has been the thread that unites our heroes. Now that they have, rightly, divorced themselves from S.H.I.E.L.D, it makes perfect sense for it to be the next bad guy that ties the stories into one another.
This way we can see how Thanos is too big of a threat for each of the heroes, which will make it all the more satisfying when they have to face him in Avengers 2. Not to mention, it will cut down on people asking ‘is that the purple guy we saw five years ago? What’s that glove he’s wearing? I’m gonna go get a third ICEE. Fill me in when I get back.’
Honor the connections made in the Avengers
Something that will be important to remember coming out of The Avengers, as the new wave of solo films slowly forms, is that these people know each other now. The most enjoyable relationship to watch in Avengers was most definitely Bruce Banner and Tony Stark, who are not only the two smartest guys in the room at any given party, but also the ones most capable of kicking your ass. Stark invites Banner to check out his cool toys at Stark Tower, and the two of them even ride off together at the end of the movie.
So what does this mean? Well, it had better mean that Banner is in Iron Man 3, or I’m going to Hulk out and SMASH Marvel headquarters. I don’t even need a lot — just, like, two scenes with Banner, and one where he gets to Hulk out and help Iron Man. This is now an established relationship in the universe in which these films are set. This means that we need to see it continue playing out, and not just in Avengers 2.
Also, they need to address the idea that there are other heroes floating around in each film. For instance, say that Cap is having to save the world in the next Captain America movie, and he’s facing insurmountable odds (which seems likely); he should give Black Widow, or Hawkeye, or Thor a call for help. They don’t necessarily need to answer, but it’ll be a plot hole if he doesn’t at least pick up the phone and ask.
I’m not going to bother asking you if you’ve seen The Avengers yet, because if you haven’t, then you should probably stop reading this article. Just go see it — it’s great. Not only is it a wonderful movie that makes sweet, sweet love to your eyeballs, but it hate-f*cked box office records into oblivion, and more importantly, accomplished something totally new: the creation of a shared cinematic universe. Yeah, yeah, we technically already had that starting with Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, etc, but this is the first time where the characters from those tonally disparate films got to really live in their new house together and remind all of their many (many, many, many) viewers that they live in the same world.
It’s the thing that sets comic books apart as a medium — the idea that any one story can have an effect on another one going on elsewhere in the Marvel Universe. However, I read a comment from Marvel Studios honcho Kevin Feige today indicating that the next wave of films will be a bit more self-contained, and I have to say that I feel like that’s a major step in the wrong direction. We HAVE a cinematic Marvel universe now, so I want to explore it! (Cause it has Thanos in it! We saw Thanos on a big screen! Like, WHAT?!?!?!) And so, here, from the depths of my Avengers-addled brain (I’ve seen it three times already), are the steps that I think Marvel needs to take to continue the astonishing feat they’ve accomplished with The Avengers.
Don’t ignore things for the sake of accessibility
I understand that movie studios need to think about getting people into the theater to see their movies, and a complicated continuity can be off-putting. Joe Normal isn’t gonna know who the hell Thanos is, much less why Hulk can’t pick up Thor’s hammer. (The Answer: ‘Cause it’s, like, a rule.) The more movies that get thrown into this universe, the more things there are that could potentially confuse someone who hasn’t seen the other films.
This is, fortunately, something that The Avengers dealt with very well, doling out information quickly, cleanly, and efficiently without ever slowing down the action. First of all, anyone who is going to see Avengers 2 should obviously at least watch Avengers, which means there are cornerstones of the Marvel movie universe — films that you should watch if you’re going to watch certain other ones without having to resign yourself to bingeing on every Marvel movie ever made.
Since audience will have these cornerstones, build on them. Avengers tower was set up at the end of the movie, which means that we had better see it in Iron Man 3. If the whole movie takes place in LA again and totally ignores the things Stark has going on in New York, I will feel lied to. Don’t lie to me, Marvel. I’ve always been good to you. I don’t even care that you’re seeing millions of other people.
