Too damn long.

Let’s watch this first proper taste of Avengers 2: Evil Android Boogaloo

– “It is… ALIVE!”

It’s hard to tell if this is Ultron’s first appearance in the film (everyone seems pretty shocked about it) or if it’s a return from being smashed up. Either way, it’s in bad shape.

By the way, did you see Rhodey in the background? Nice to see him hanging out with the big boys!

– No More Mu… I mean, Ultrons. No More Ultrons

Wanda Maximoff has a sordid history in the Marvel Universe. A lot of writers have been very cruel to her. It seems that her luck hasn’t changed much.

Having said that, this is Whedon. He knows how to write women (I recognise that’s a dumb phrase to say, but lord knows there are too many people out there who can’t write women properly). I’m sure The Scarlet Witch is going to have a great role to play in this story.

– Awwwwwww Yeeeeaaaaaaah

Lets face it. We were all dying to see this. The Hulkbuster suit.

People have been hinting at this thing happening since Iron Man 2. There are going to be a lot of nerdgasms.

– Fashion Tips From Comic Strips

Ok, so I know this is a tiny thing, and I recognise I’m a bit of a loser for spotting it but…

You may have seen an alteration to Hawkeye’s costume. No? His coat is longer and flaps about. Yeah, you see they gave him is old design:

Alright, alright. It’s not exactly the same but still, it’s little touches and references like this that makes this Marvel fanboy happy.

——————————————————————-

Overall: While the trailer doesn’t give away an awful lot (still no Vision and who the hell is Andy Serkis?) but it still has lots of little details to digest (Cap’s broken shield and hey, look, it’s Andy Serkis!).

This movie is not a hard sell, we’re all dying to see it. As long as the trailers don’t damage that status, and this one certainly doesn’t, then Marvel are due to break records all over again.

Nothing Personal starts out strong as we get Cobie Smulders return as Maria Hill, seemingly attending similar hearings as Black Widow at the end of The Winter Soldier. Cobie is a welcome sight, as her performance is spot on. Throughout the episode, Cobie brings her A-Game, effortlessly being the most Whedon-esque character in any given scene. A casual name-drop of Man-Thing later and Maria comes face-to-face with May and, again, two very strong performances.

Tension is thick in the A Plot as Skye and Ward are heading towards the location Skye needs to decrypt the data drive.  Skye, fully aware of Ward’s deception, acts FAR too cagey not to tip off a supposed specialist like Ward watching her but they do point it out a little later on, so at least they address it. The over-hanging dread in these scenes are like watching an abusive relationship play out.

And that’s kind of the point. Ward is a psychopath. All of his actions to date have been all about lying and killing. He kills and injures several Police officers in this episode alone and then has the gall to tell Skye that his love for her is real. She rejects him in disgust and rightly so. I know I bang on about it but Ward doesn’t deserve redemption, he’s too far gone and I know someone is going to point at the scene where Skye finally gives up the information after Deathlok stops Ward’s heart. I don’t think that was her love for him, that was basic human decency. Just like Mike said: “Yes, he’s a murderer. Are you?” She’s been betrayed, kidnapped, hurt, and almost killed but she still values a human life, any human life, more than vengeance.

Meanwhile, in the B Plot, the rest of the team discover Ward’s betrayal and are ready to head after them when General Talbot shows up at Providence, led there by Maria Hill. She led him there to hopefully get Coulson to join the private sector but Coulson manages to talk her round and soon her and the team are heading off. Talbot (played by Adrian Pasdar) is the perfect gung-ho military blowhard, fitting for someone who worked with Thunderbolt Ross.

Coulson manages to John McClane himself onto the Bus after a distraction from Hill. He rescues Skye, barely escaping Deathlok by driving Lola out of the back of the plane. It’s great to see the old girl in action. The team bunker down in a Motel 6 and May returns, having literally dig up the secret behind project TAHITI.

I don’t want to spoil it because it is such an amazing reveal but it’s bloody chilling and, in perfect Whedon fashion, topped off with a laugh.

Two episodes to go and things don’t show any sign of getting brighter or easier for our team. I’ll see you all next week for Rag Tag.

Right out of the gate, we’re introduced to the downtrodden, out of work father of one, Mike Peterson (played by Angel Alumni, J. August Richards) as he’s witness to an apartment explosion and wastes no time in jumping in to rescue a woman. His heroic efforts catch the eye of a young hacker and, eventually, the attention of SHIELD as Coulson and Maria Hill gather a new team together in an effort to recruit new heroes as they appear and put a stop to foreseeable threats.

Being the pilot for a new show, we’re hit with a lot of information very fast but none of it feels especially rushed. We spend a little more time with Maria Hill and learn that she actually has a sense of humour, as well being conspiratorial with SHIELD physician, Dr. Streiten, played by Firefly Alumni Ron Glass. If more and more actors from Whedon’s past projects show up, I’ll be a happy camper. Who wouldn’t want to see the likes of Nathan Fillion, Jewel Staite and Adam Baldwin in this show?

Now, to the subject of speculation: Phil “Agent” Coulson. We all saw the Son of Coul die in New York but why is he here now? According the man himself, Fury faked his death and sent him on vacation to Tahiti but Hill and Dr. Streiten seem to know more. Is he a clone? A Life Model Decoy? Hell, is he even human? This will no doubt be an underlying subplot throughtout the season but my personal take is this: He is Coulson. Doesn’t matter what he is, he’s still Coulson and that’s good enough for me. For now.

The rest of the team is assembled and is a surprisingly diverse bunch. Ward is a specialist, conflict resolution, that kind of deal, but he admits to being scared of women and that he loves his Grandma. Admittedly, he said that after being nailed with truth serum by Coulson but still. Melinda May is Mulan the pilot and obviously has a mysterious reputation as a field agent. Fitz and Simmons are the adorable techies who have a really fun brother/sister bond and Skye is the hacker I mentioned earlier. They don’t get much development but you get a good sense of each character and we’ll be seeing more of them throughout the season so it’s a good introduction.

One thing I love in my entertainment is continuity and references so this show will be perfect for me. All the little nods to the cinematic universe and to a larger Marvel Universe made me smile. Mentions of Puente Antiguo, Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., and freakin’ Longshot all had me sitting there saying:

The pilot episode was quick, to the point and highly entertaining. I can see so much potential for this show being the springboard for concepts later seen in the movies and vice-versa. We could have all-new heroes and villains to deal with and, budget be willing, maybe even some A-list guest stars (The A stand for Avenger). I’m looking forward to what wonders and woes this series will bring us and I hope you’ll be following along with his here on The Website of Doom! See you next weeeeeeeeeek!

I don’t have to explain what this series means, you ought to know by now but to the uninitiated, S.H.I.E.L.D. is the covert ops organisation involved in all the Avengers movies. Led by Nick Fury, they protect the world from bad guys but also watch over the good guys, often involving themselves in their affairs and uniting them against planetary threats. Take a look at the trailer, everything will be explained better.

Interview from Hell
Brett Dalton seems to be our POV character, Agent Grant Ward, as he explains what S.H.I.E.L.D. stands for and what his security clearance allows him to know, shortly before his expectations are firmly kicked in the teeth by the arrival of…

The Son of Coul

Coulson Lives, bitches! Clark Gregg reprises the lovable Phil “Agent” Coulson. His apparent demise in Avengers won’t keep him from doing his job though as he leads this new team and show. How is he alive? What happened to him? We can only whisper of Life Model Decoys and Cover-Ups until the show airs but I bet it’ll be a fantastic reveal.

Blue Window
Agent Melinda May, portrayed by ER’s Ming-Na Wen, is the team’s pilot and Black Widow proxy as she’s seen taking out dudes left and right.

Agents of N.E.R.D.
Iain De Caestecker and Elizabeth Henstridge play Agents Fitz and Simmons, respectively. They are the team’s Tech expert and Biology expert, again respectively. I’m sure these two will be a fun double act to follow.

Avon Calling
Chloe Bennet is Skye, outspoken civilian recruit and hacker. Not much say about her but look at Coulson’s smile when they go to snatch her in the middle of a rant against S.H.I.E.L.D. He’s just precious!

Acting Cage-y
J. August Richards, he of Angel fame, plays an unspecified superhero in the pilot but it’s not much of a stretch to think that he may be playing street-level hero Luke Cage. We’ll just have to wait and see but he’s a damn fine actor so I wouldn’t have a problem with him playing Cage.

Hands off the Lady!
One last joke before the trailer ends and it’s Coulson being protective of his car, Lola. They’re my new OTP <3

That’s it for now folks! When this series debuts in the Fall, I have no doubt that the pilot will be spectacular but whether the series will be a mainstay is up to the creative team and the stories but I have faith that it will be awesome.

JJ and his amazing friend Jason return things to “normal”. The duo touch on the aftermath of The Avengers, and try to make sense of the backlash. Jason tries to tell JJ the story of how he spent a very interesting weekend at a Dallas ComicCon, but JJ keeps derailing the show with stories of his hatred of tennis and other sporting woes. The pair wrap things up with a request for you fine folk, as your input will shape next week’s episode…or not.

(Well, it won’t if you don’t send input)

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