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ladybusiness
Spoilers.
A funny thing happened on the way to last Tuesday’s episode of Agents of SHIELD: the Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer that was supposed to air during the episode (presumably to boost ratings on a struggling show) got leaked on Wednesday. Marvel, bless them, decided to just go ahead and drop the trailer in glorious high definition, amusingly blaming the leak on Hydra. Clare and Renay decided it would be a good idea to discuss their feelings about it.
At length.
NO FOR REAL SPOILERS
Renay: HELLO CLARE thanks for coming to cry with me over the Age of Ultron trailer. I don't generally watch teaser trailers and have stopped watching regular trailers for films I am overly invested in emotionally, so I didn't expect to watch this one, either. Except then I got spoiled on Twitter (I'VE GOT MY EYE ON THE PERSON WHO DID IT, so much revenge is coming, she doesn't even realize yet) about the part I was most invested in not knowing about so I caved and watched it. And then I screeched in agony because Marvel knows all my buttons, exactly how to push them, and they mashed them and kept mashing them, and it was THE WORST. Please tell me about all your emotions and then we can sit in a puddle of fangirl for awhile and recover. .___.
Clare: Thank you for having me at ladybusiness! It’s always fun.
I love well-made trailers (I purchased Scala’s cover of “Creep” due to its PITCH PERFECT usage in the trailer for The Social Network), but I do tend to be very selective about what promotional materials I consume. I mean, I turn off subtitles so I’m not spoiled these days. (To be fair, I’m re-embarking on my quest to watch all of Saturday Night Live, and spoiled delivery is one hundred percent a thing in comedy.) I usually stop at the first theatrical trailer.
Do you need any help in revenging yourself on this person? I can Photoshop a little.
The Trailer In Order
0:16: Wanda and Pietro participate in a protest. Pietro’s hair is still brown.
Clare: As a fan of both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the X-Men, I’ve been curious to see exactly how Marvel would retool Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver without access to their status as mutants or their father. Between this shot and Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s first stinger, I have a feeling that the twins were captured by Baron Von Strucker and experimented on using power generated from Loki’s staff. It’s a bit of a shame that Marvel is just completely sidestepping mutants altogether, but it’s an efficient means of doing so.
The bigger question, however, is how will this make Steve Rogers sad? I think it will remind him of Bucky, to the point that he’s the one who says they have to try and rescue them.
Renay: I will admit to no knowledge of the X-Men beyond some of the films I've seen over the last 15 years (hahaha god I feel old), so my experience of the film won't be colored my any knowledge of Wanda or Pietro. Do you think the protest where we see Pietro looking different, is going to be part of their backstory — how Baron Von Strucker found them? My emotional investment is therefore pretty low right now, beyond the fact that I don't want them to be on the evil robot team. SAVE THEM, STEVE.
Clare: Oh, yeah, definitely. I think that they’ll be experimented on in revenge for their protest, assuming they’re protesting Baron Von Strucker’s undoubtedly very poor environmental practices or something like that.
0:23: Cap wanders through a destroyed Eastern European street.
Clare: And Steve is already sad. This is very promising.
Renay: This is why I was avoiding the trailer. I NEED SOME LEVITY. I'm not coping well with sad Steve at all.
Clare: Neither is Steve! Ha ha ha weep.
0:28: TENSION ON THE QUINJET! Nobody is looking at each other and Bruce clutches at himself in a cardigan.
Clare: This is clearly the aftermath of the Hulkbuster action set piece. Bruce is destined to break my heart in this film: look at how devastated he is. He failed. The other guy got out of his control, presumably through Ultron’s devices.
Renay: The thing I noted first about this scene on the Quinjet is the absence of Clint and Tony, and then Bruce, because like you I assumed this shot is set after the Hulkbuster piece. More and more I marvel at the excellent casting choice for Bruce, because Mark Ruffalo inhabits this role in ways that make me want to lie down and expire. I don't know much about how the Hulkbusters fit into comics canon, but given the last movie, and the ways in which the other guy interacted with the team, it's horrific to imagine the context here. The last time we watched the Hulk interact with the Iron Man suit, he was saving Tony and this is the exact opposite. My heart. :(
Clare: Oh, you’re right! Age of Ultron looks primed to flip a lot of those relationships, hopefully in ways that further them instead of take them back a step.
0:38: As Ultron menaces the party, everyone reacts—particularly Natasha, who gently takes Bruce by the arm in her usual subtle way.
Clare: People have been trying to parse everyone in the party scene, as there’s a woman nobody can identify positively in the mix—is she Jane Foster? Is she Carol Danvers? But they’re missing the most important part of this shot: Natasha immediately goes to Bruce in the subtle way she has of maneuvering herself into just the right position just before she needs to be there.
As characters who do not get their own films, Bruce and Natasha necessarily require a little more character development in the Avengers films. I am delighted by how this trailer highlights shots that put them not only in the same shot, but positively interacting with each other. Especially after their major scene in The Avengers, where Natasha is terrified for her life. For her to turn around and protect someone who she has honestly feared in her life is quite a step.
Renay: I was really happy to see Natasha get a speaking part, and her relationship with Bruce highlighted so clearly in the trailer (which brings me to my grumbly complaint about Tony being the only other Avenger to speak). Their relationship has been one of the most interesting to me since the first film, where she was specifically chosen to fetch Bruce for the initiative, and her comment to him when he shows up to fight the Chitauri.
(When I was screeching about this to someone else, I kept going "but wouldn't a Black Widow film with Bruce as someone Natasha turns to a la Natasha and Steve be wonderful?" Oh, things I want but will ultimately never be given...)
Because I know so little about Ultron, though, what caught my eye as he approaches is the symbol on his chest — and the chest of machine he destroys. Does Tony start building robot/suits to help the Avengers or on a more widespread level? Does Hydra somehow get control of some of his AI and twist it? Is that where Ultron comes from? I know the MCU often remixes and changes comics canon to suit what will work in a visual medium, and that originally Hank Pym created Ultron, but since he doesn't yet exist in the MCU as an on-screen character, are they positioning Tony here against his team by having him be responsible for Evil Robot Shenanigans?
Clare: Ugh, right? But here’s the thing: Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark is the beating heart of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His presence legitimizes films (like The Incredible Hulk), he lures actors into the franchise, and he is always in charge whenever there’s a large media event. Robert Downey Jr.’s current career is thanks to Marvel, and the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is largely thanks to him. I mean, have you seen Iron Man lately? It does not hold up that well as a film, but as a set piece for Downey Jr. to play Tony, Iron Man is amazing. It’s a fascinating symbiotic relationship…
That nonetheless means that he gets the lion’s share of attention when other characters who don’t have their own film franchises could use it. I am one hundred percent down for Black Widow, a film featuring Natasha on a covert mission, Clint as her sidekick, and Bruce as her conscience. If you don’t have Bruce Hulk out, then that could be the cheapest movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and still make mind-bogglingly amounts of money. The numbers don’t lie, Kevin Feige!
As for Ultron… you are one hundred percent correct. I’m not sure if it’s been confirmed by Marvel per se, but the Internet currently treats as writ the idea that Tony created Ultron, in an attempt to automate some of the more boring parts of superheroing. (Some people online suspect that the robot Ultron crushes is meant to function as a Stevebot, because it’s blue. Make of that what you will.) I have no idea how Hydra will fit in, but I think Ultron develops sentience and determines that the greatest threat to humanity is… humanity.
Dun dun dun.
0:45: A creepy cover of "I've Got No Strings!" DELIGHT!
Clare: It’s kind of spooky that I mentioned the Scala and Kolacny Brothers' cover of "Creep," because this is also a creepy cover being used for maximum effect. Ultron’s dialogue indicates, though, that this might be something in the film itself. Why, beyond the delightful fact that Marvel has legal access to the Disney vault, use this? Presumably it’s a reference to Ultron’s "strings," having previously been pulled by Tony, now being pulled by himself. But I alternately theorize that this is part of Ultron’s contrast with the Vision. You’ve got a robot who does not want to be human to the point of genocide (Ultron) versus a robot who desperately wants to be human (the Vision). Given that the Vision has been confirmed but remains out of sight in this trailer, I think this is likely.
Renay: Remember when Maleficent came out and Lana Del Rey did a cover of "Once Upon a Dream?" That was also really affecting, because these covers are repurposed to be menacing in the very best ways, playing on everyone's memories of the songs from when they were kids — the breakdown of innocence and complications of adulthood, where all sides have a particular, complicated position.
I also wonder how much of this is a through line to the political commentary we've been seeing creep into the films. "You're all puppets tangled in strings," Ultron says, which to me makes me think about the World Security Council, Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D., and all the ways that The Winter Soldier made it apparent that everyone was being manipulated in various ways, but that even then S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers — both from before the revelation of Hydra — live on.
I like your theory about the Vision, though, given what I've read about him. That's a very good catch that he wasn't represented here at all.
Clare: And given that Age of Ultron apparently begins immediately after Captain America: The Winter Soldier, we necessarily have to touch on the new political climate. Ooh.
0:49: Cap investigates an abandoned castle
Renay: Is this the same castle we see the robots climbing later, in a scene eerily reminiscent of I, Robot? Is this, perhaps, where the flashbacks take place? Although I've heard theories that the flashbacks might be an element of Wanda's power, so now I'm wondering if they encounter the twins/Ultron here and get caught up in them here.
Clare: I think so! This might be their first skirmish against Ultron? Hmm. Now I’m thinking that Ultron takes out Baron Von Strucker, to prove that he is a Threat, so the Avengers head off to tackle Von Strucker but face Ultron.
And that is a genius theory. Oh, Wanda, you nightmare child. Is that better or worse than Steve having a vivid, painful dream?
0:57: Bruce wanders half-nakedly through the wilderness.
Renay: This trailer is rough on Bruce. So many of his scenes, or the Hulk scenes, are distinctly unhappy. I didn't expect him to become one of my favorite characters. What happened?
Clare: All of the Avengers are emotionally vulnerable (STEVE, she banshee shrieked into the night), but Bruce is the one who actually has to sit down and process his emotions in order to keep both himself and other people physically safe. The Iron Man 3 stinger is funny because Bruce isn’t that kind of doctor (hyuck hyuck), but it also makes sense for Tony to try and talk through something with Bruce because Bruce is the most emotionally mature person he knows.
So the question for Bruce is how much is that worth when his anger has the capacity to turn him into an unreasonable beast? But that’s a trick question, because the Hulk can be reasoned with, can be reached. It’s just that Bruce doesn’t know that.
Sam needs to take Bruce to brunch, stat, is basically what I’m saying.
0:59: Natasha is ponderous in an interesting office space.
Clare: This shot is framed similarly—not the same, but similarly—to the ballet shot we get later. I think this might be the framing for that flashback; it’s very easy to see the ballet shot fade into this one, with none of the composite elements overlapping.
Renay: I caught this on the first time through (I also want to note how often this trailer pairs Natasha and Bruce moments, even when they're not in the scenes together) because of the lighting and the directions the characters are facing, which feels very specific (your point about overlap is also spot on!).
Clare: Aw, thanks! And your point about the trailer contrasting Natasha and Bruce is spot on as well. We don’t know what Bruce has been up to since The Avengers, but we do know that Natasha, after the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, is trying to discover who she really is underneath all of her cover identities. (Is the fact that she’s gone back to her Avengers look evidence of backsliding? Oh, no, Natasha, my heart.) I wonder if Bruce might be going through something similar, especially after the Hulkbuster incident. It could prove to himself that he’s still a monster. Oh, no, Bruce, my heart.
1:01: Hospital/castle view, presumably taken from a creepy scene of experimentation.
Renay: Does this scene feature a Avenger and their past, or is this a nod to Wanda and Pietro's experiences under Hydra?
Clare: Nice catch! I personally think that this means that Wanda and Pietro will be experimented on in the course of the film (assuming a pre-The Winter Soldier stinger prologue), but it could be something from Steve’s past.
Steve, hoist these children over your shoulder and rescue them immediately. Steeeeeve.
1:03: Wanda and Pietro report to Ultron.
Clare: I am kind of confused as to why Wanda and Pietro are reporting to Ultron? Presumably, they were experimented on, brainwashed, and then used for nefarious purposes by HYDRA. Do the Avengers fail in rescuing them? Does Ultron rescue them? I’m curious to see what motivation they can have for two humans to jump on the destroy all humans bandwagon. Especially without the mutant backstory to motivate them. (Although they might do something like that?)
Renay: I assumed (perhaps wrongly) that the reason they go with him is that he is the one to save them from where they were kept as prisoners, and bound them to him via evil robot loyalty powers. I'm not sure what specific skills they have in the MCU that might make them useful to his cause? Their motivations are the most unclear out of the whole trailer.
Clare: That pesky evil robot loyalty! Either that or the twins are huge Boston Legal fans. I do hope they’re elaborated on, especially in such a packed cast.
1:07: Back in the castle — the team
Renay: The group shots we get never include the whole team; the only time we see them all framed together in the beginning, when, I assume, Ultron crashes the party and everything goes to hell. It's similar to the Quinjet scene where Clint and Tony are missing; here's it's Bruce and Tony.
Clare: And that’s interesting, especially since The Avengers so heavily promoted that hero shot of the whole team. I can imagine why Bruce wasn’t invited, but Tony opting out? Either this means that Tony has kept to his Iron Man 3 promise of not putting the suit on again, or that the team is doing this without Tony’s knowledge.
1:12: Back at Stark R&D
Renay: The robot Tony is standing over, shocked, seems to have the same logo as the busted up version of Ultron did. I'm really curious about what this means given the end of Iron Man 3; he stopped building suits but decided a robot army would be the next best thing? As this scene shifts, he appears in plaid in what could be a barn?
Clare: I assume that Ultron is a freefloating AI, much like Jarvis, able to hop from system to system as he sees fit. That could very well be the first incarnation of Ultron after Ultron is done with it. For some reason, I’m seeing him nab anything flight-worthy from Tony’s workshop.
1:16: Fury wears a henley buttoned all the way up. Natasha does not care.
Renay: This moment was a nice callback to the first Avengers film, with Natasha's no-nonsense approach to disruption of the establishment, which is subtly brought forward with Fury's appearance to represent S.H.I.E.L.D. I don't trust trailers, so I don't think she's talking to Tony here, but it's nice moment of connection between the events of the last few films.
Clare: That’s something I love about Natasha; how nonplussed she is about earth shattering but largely abstract notions. It’s the personal that she cares about.
1:18: Scarlet Witch loses it.
Clare: This is a good time to mention that for some reason I think movie!Scarlet Witch has no eyebrows. I have no idea why I think this, but I am always surprised to see her with eyebrows. Shrug.
Renay: I keep looking at her face and going, "Michelle Tanner?" Every time. It's a problem.
Clare: Now I can’t decide if John Stamos should be Tony or Thor.
1:24: Tony puts on the Hulkbuster armor.
Clare: Hulkbuster armor! I’m sure this is very cool for the more tech-oriented among us, but all I can think about is where Tony’s legs are. I’m sure there’s a place for him to sit, but I like to think his legs are just dangling.
Renay: Back when Iron Man 3 was being teased all over creation, there were spoilers about the last scene of the film when Tony calls all his suits and I kept seeing tons of people get excited about the potentiality of the Hulkbuster armor. But its existence makes it a little sad because science bros. :(
Clare: Oh, no, do you think they drew up the schematics for that one night, in either a fit of sadness ("Someday you’ll have to use this.") or while being totally stoned ("Ha ha what if Iron Man was also the Hulk?") and then Tony has to actually make it?
1:29: Pietro attacks an Ultron bot; is he saving Cap?
Clare: I can’t quite parse Wanda and Pietro’s roles here; he’s obviously attacking an Ultron bot.
Renay: Perhaps they're deliberately confusing us by showing us scenes with these two on both sides.
1:31: A very brief glimpse into what looks like a flashback featuring Cap.
Renay: If Wanda's ability to fuck with people's minds is a thing and she's actively sending Steve into past events I may have a breakdown, because I cannot handle a film full of super sad Steve Rogers as he interacts with everyone he's lost. :( LEVITY, MARVEL.
Also, I just want to point out Steve's shoulder to hip ratio in this scene. MAXIMUM DORITO.
Clare: Steve, you beautiful, sad corn chip. If Wanda can do this, I hope it’s not something she does on purpose, especially assuming that her powers are, like, a week old. And then, at the end of the film, she can offer to give Steve closure by letting him interact with his past, and he politely declines. Tears.
1:32: Andy Serkis! Hi, Andy Serkis!
Clare: Word on the street is that Serkis might be playing Ulysses Klaw, a villain whose story is all about mining vibranium—the metal that Captain America’s shield is made out of. This disappoints my theory that Serkis was secretly playing Dr. Strange (Serkis was my "If It Has To Be A White Guy" pick), but Klaw is also Black Panther’s archnemesis. Now that Black Panther is go (BANSHEE SHRIEK!), it appears that they’re seeding T’Challa versus Klaw in Age of Ultron.
Renay: I really hope this theory is true because I have heard SO MUCH about Blank Panther. Is the Klaw word from the street Variety-level word or Twitter born rumor-level word?
Clare: Twitter-level. I heard it from io9’s shot by shot comparison. But that beard is a pretty compelling argument.
1:35: Bruce and Natasha touch hands.
Clare: I teared up just hearing about this shot back during San Diego Comic-Con and now I have clapped eyes on it. The look in Natasha’s eyes really makes me see this as a bookend to their major scene in The Avengers—Natasha is still terrified of the Hulk, but she’s learned. There is an emotional, perhaps even intellectual, level that she can reach him on. And considering that Natasha is still in the process of finding out who she really is after Captain America: The Winter Soldier, having someone to connect with like this is really fascinating. I’m very interested to see where Natasha’s identity will take her.
Renay: What I hope for from Bruce's story line here (which I admit is probably a pipe dream) is that he's able to make emotional connections like this with his team, both as Bruce but also as the other guy. We see that in Avengers, between Bruce and Tony, and I would love to keep watching this develop, both for the reasons you stated and both because Bruce has been so lonely and alone, so he and Natasha can probably really understand each other and the lengths they feel like they need to go through to protect themselves and atone for their pasts.
Clare: Actually, I think that’s less of a pipe dream than you think. The trailer is obviously putting them together thematically, and Natasha is already in the process of redefining herself. Bruce may very well be in the process of realizing that the other guy isn’t the other guy—the other guy is also him.
1:36: Ballet school.
Clare: I think we’re a lock for Black Widow backstory. Baby Natasha! Or as I believe we call it on tumblr, Hanna.
Renay: If they drop all of these great characters hints and we don't get a Black Widow movie in the next four years (JUST ADD IT TO PHASE THREE MARVEL. JUST DO IT.), I'm going to burn the world down.
Clare: I have been threatening to haunt Kevin Feige’s dreams for months now about this very topic.
1:54: Cap’s shield is broken.
Clare: Comic-Con footage reported made mention of a shot of Tony looking down at the seemingly dead bodies of his comrades. Dream? Reality? Waking nightmare? It’s a very potent symbol and, of course, given that Captain America 3 is a lock, we’re in no danger physically. But emotionally… well, making Steve unbearably sad is a lucrative business for Marvel.
Renay: This is legit where I lost it. I was avoiding the trailer specifically for Steve Rogers related reasons, and then someone was all, "Is that Cap's shield broken in half?" and my soul SCREECHED IN HORROR. Since the cat was out of the bag I watched this piece of no-info, hint-packed, emotionally manipulative trash and then went, "BUT HOW DOES IT BREAK? THIS IS THE WORST."
(Therefore, I hope your theory about Klaw is right, because if this isn't some vision Tony is having of himself as a monster, and the shield is actually broken, I may need some kind of MCU intervention until they fix it. CAN STEVE BE HAPPY A LITTLE, MARVEL? A SMALL BIT? Have you SEEN Chris Evans smile? Don't you want more of that in your films? I do.)
Clare: I really hope so. If Klaw also subscribes to the Evil Robot Loyalty Program, then Ultron might have a way of destroying vibranium. Of course, that doesn’t help the fact that Steve is unconscious and bleeding on a battlefield. He’s super strong, not indestructible!
Renay: Somewhat related to your point about Tony: a few months ago, Max Gladstone wrote a post about totems in the MCU, re: Tony's suits, Thor's Hammer, Steve's shield, and how important those objects were in relation to the characters. He said: "Phase Two movies, on the other hand, tend to be about reclaiming the human properties from these objects." Give your point above about Ultron's motives and Vision's motives, the fact that Wanda and Pietro have powers, possibly staff based, possibly serum based (both?) I am curious about whether Age of Ultron is going to be about the humanity and fallibility of the heroes themselves, both personally and politically.
Clare: I love that article! Especially since Iron Man 3 divorces Tony from his suits. Age of Ultron may well be about divorcing the heroes from their totems, in order to better prove that they are heroes, even without it. And then to go exploring characters whose distant relationships with humanity shape them. It’s almost a shame that Pietro and Wanda aren’t bonafide mutants, because that would play so well with that theme.
Conclusion
Clare: Well, I had a lot more depressing thoughts in me about Bruce Banner than I thought I did when I watched the trailer. You?
Renay: I have learned I am way more invested in Steve's shield than anyone else. And I never, ever, expected to care about Bruce Banner the way I do now. Dear Marvel, put that man in the Black Widow movie you should ADD to PHASE THREE now. *cries forever as dreams are continually crushed*
Clare: If Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the current standard of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then The Avengers: Age of Ultron has a lot of work to do. But, from this trailer, the groundwork is there for success, if success is measured by a grown woman weeping openly at superhero films. At midnight. Dressed as Thor.
Please, Marvel, continue to feed me deliciously tragic, nuanced character development with crowd-pleasing action and witty one liners, although I must warn you: it can’t be all white dudes mostly named Chris all the time. You are going in the right direction with Black Panther and Captain Marvel, but we know you’re going to cast Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange and you’re not going to give a Black Widow movie a shot. Hopefully, Black Panther and Captain Marvel will make so much money that superhero or action fare featuring ladies, people of color, or, le gasp, both will be the next big thing, and we’ll get a punk rock Storm movie starring Lupita Nyong’o.
Renay: I second your request about these two movies killing it at the box office and would only add that there's nothing stopping them from having Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau in the Captain Marvel outing as friends and punchy badasses (they could knock out bad guys with space sharks!).
We have ideas, Marvel! CALL US.
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Date: 2014-10-30 11:01 pm (UTC)YES THIS.
I have Ideas about that Steve in the castle shot, but they involved a casting spoiler so I'm not sure how much to say.
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Date: 2014-10-31 02:01 am (UTC)SHARE
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Date: 2014-10-31 04:57 pm (UTC)I WOULD SEE THAT MOVIE 25 TIMES.
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Date: 2014-11-02 06:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-01 12:40 pm (UTC)I've only watched the trailer once and amn't going to watch it again. I wasn't going to read this post because I love going into a film unknowing, but then I figured speculation and feels is all good (all the time) so I'd risk it. I'm trying to stay relatively unaware of whats going to happen, although obviously the internets, and tumblr in particular, are going to be overflowing with thoughts as time goes by.
Thanks for the link to Gladstone's post. Interesting read.
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Date: 2014-11-02 06:39 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2014-11-02 06:47 pm (UTC)