Veronica Mars upsets Kickstarter backers with download issues

When the Kickstarter campaign started to fund a much demanded, among the fanbase, movie for the canceled TV show Veronica Mars, the backers were promised a free digital download of the film on the theatrical release date. Due to demand and some lousy download production, many fans were unable to download the movie.

A consumer download company, VHX, works with Kickstarter to give the backers their downloads and they released a lengthy statement regarding the issue. It urges the distributors to "think like fans" and is blaming the difficulties on the production for not thinking like their backers. They cite the DRM-based Ultraviolet download template for the failures claiming the technology is not versatile and prevented downloads of Veronica Mars on any and all mobile devices. If you weren't downloading on a computer you couldn't get your free download.

You can read the full statement here.


Basically, this was an oops. I never really saw the point in offering the free download because a majority of people who backed the Kickstarter are the ones who would be seeing it in theaters... but you are giving them the movie at home for free. *shrug*

Age of Ultron receives another villain

In addition to a main villain battling against The Avengers in the upcoming sequel, we will have another villain to test the team. This villain is rumored to be more relevant to recent additions of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch.

HitFix is reporting that Baron Von Strucker is the second villain in addition to Ultron that will be battling The Avengers, Von Strucker is another H.Y.D.R.A. leader (along with Red Skull whom we saw in Captain America: The First Avenger) and former Nazi soldier who has been altered to practically no physical vulnerability. He also possesses a super healing power which allows him to cheat death.As far as casting this character goes, apparently Marvel is seeking a physically imposing man aged 40-50. Rumors are already swirling around Dougray Scott and Marton Csokas.
Now, how does this come into play? Well, it is being said that Von Strucker is the one who brings Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch into the mix because they are both on his side. If this is true it will be an interesting storyline to see exactly how the twins join The Avengers. Unless they are altering the characters to be more of a "frenemy" situation than an ally.The other question is how this villain will tie into Ultron or to the other Avengers. I also want to bring up that most people are forgetting that we still might have Thanos in some capacity, so if that is the case this makes three villains total.

I am not putting too much stock in this just yet, but I am not counting it out. Until we get more info on the plot of The Avengers: Age of Ultron I imagine we will be getting a lot of rumors and word on the street situations.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to get full season

ABC has ordered 9 more episodes from Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to round out a full 22-episode season. The superhero based show is being boasted as one of the best new shows on television and opened as the highest rated show in four years averaging around $7 million viewers per episode. This will mark Joss Whedon's first full season since The WB yanked Angel off the air in 2004 and Dollhouse went off after two seasons.

Agents becomes the third fall premiere show to be picked up for a full season. Others include Sleepy Hollow on Fox and The Blacklist on NBC. 

Loki will not appear in The Avengers: Age of Ultron

So Tom Hiddleston says.

Joss Whedon had already confirmed that the last Marvel movie we will see Loki in will be Thor: The Dark World but then kind of contradicted himself when discussing the potential future of Loki at Comic-Con. However, Loki himself (aka, Tom Hiddleston) has now confirmed that Loki will not be in The Avengers: Age of Ultron. 

“Loki’s not in it. Here’s the thing: I don’t think there’s anything else Loki could contribute to The Avengers, narratively. Joss gave me so many wonderful things to do in that first film that we’d only be trying to repeat ourselves, and probably less well in the second one.”

Now this doesn't necessarily rule out any potential part of a Phase Three movie, but it is still pretty unlikely. I think both guys are right in trying to move onto more villains rather than have The Avengers just face Loki's mischief over and over again. 

Black Widow a huge part of The Avengers 2

It appears that Joss Whedon is trying to make up for lost screen time.

After revealing that Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) was going to have a bigger role in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Whedon also elaborated on how Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) will be a big part of the sequel as well. This comes after some criticism came after the two characters had very low screen time compared to the other heroes despite the fact that Black Widow had more screen time than both Thor and Hulk in The Avengers.
Hawkeye brought in a whopping 12:44 and Black Widow had 33:35. She brought in just 4min less screen time than Iron Man and Captain America and is a main focus in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, so I don't know how she can be an even bigger part in The Avengers: Age of Ultron unless she surpasses the other heroes and becomes the absolute main character.

Also added for Age of Ultron are Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, the twin children of Magneto. Whedon expressed his fun with Black Widow due to the fact that she is just a spy who doesn't have the same morality the others possess.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron not based off comic arc

Or so Joss Whedon says. Now bear in mind this is the same guy who assured us Iron Man 3 wouldn't have the Iron Patriot, so I take what he says with a grain of salt.

But on with it... Joss Whedon has said that the upcoming Avengers sequel, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, will not be based off the Age of Ultron comic arc where Wolverine and the Invisible Woman are sent into the past to kill Ant-Man so he can't create Ultron. Whedon assured us that they are working on an original interpretation of the origin of Ultron story. He basically also said that people should stop thinking Ant-Man (aka, Henry Pym) will make a cameo in The Avengers 2 as a lead into Edgar Wright's Ant-Man movie.

Other than that he mentions that Age of Ultron will feature Hawkeye in a bigger, more important role and we will see him as more than the possessed scapegoat he was in The Avengers. Age of Ultron will also be a more global film in regards to the team not only worrying about the United States but about the fate of Earth and the whole galaxy.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron opens May 1, 2015 and will be followed by Ant-Man on November 6, 2015.

Robert Downey Jr. will return for The Avengers 2 & 3

There has been much rumor and speculation around Robert Downey Jr.'s future as Iron Man. People were saying Iron Man 3 was the last time we would see Downey as Tony Stark, others said he had already signed on for more movies, few said that Iron Man was gone for good, etc..

We now have confirmation that Downey will indeed reprise the role of Tony Stark for The Avengers 2 and The Avengers 3. Now keep in mind that this is a 2-picture deal and it does not include a commitment to a fourth Iron Man movie. This also pretty much guarantees that Tony Stark will not make an appearance in any other Phase Two or Phase Three movies no matter how small the part. Not unless separate contracts are signed.
Seeing that Robert Downey Jr. has made it public that he doesn't want his career to be centered around Iron Man and that he thinks he would like to retire from the character at 50, I think it's safe to say The Avengers 3 will be the last time we have Downey as Tony Stark. If Marvel continues with these characters past Phase Three he will no doubt be absent.

Loki will not return for The Avengers 2

For all of you Loki fanatics out there you might as well soak in the parts of Thor: The Dark World that he will appear in because it seems they will be his last... at least as far as the movies go.

Joss Whedon has confirmed that Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) will not appear in The Avengers 2. He is quoted as saying,

"First of all, imitating what I did before is the surest way to do it not as well. Second of all, Loki’s not there to say those terrible things. Although I do think we should bring the word back, not as an insult, it’s just a nice word.”

So there we have it. I can respect that Whedon isn't relying on the tricks and humor that has worked in previous movies and wants to give us something new. I also think with the villains they are introducing are badder and a bit beyond the scale of Loki, so he is the least of their worries at this point. 

Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch confirmed for Avengers 2

Joss Whedon (The Avengers) has confirmed that the brother-sister team that will be included in The Avengers 2 will indeed be Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch.

There was a potential legal issue with these characters as they are intertwined with X-Men seeing as they are both mutants and their father is Magneto. The concern was since Fox owns X-Men they could potentially own these characters as well. However, Whedon assured everyone that the characters are available for them to use and they intend to do so.

If you know nothing about Quicksilver or Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver has a power of super speed. Scarlet Witch can cast hexes which can alter probability, alter reality, and chaos magic. The siblings also have several years worth of story arcs so it isn't possible to really predict exactly which arc Whedon is targeting for The Avengers 2. There is also a rumor that Saoirse Ronan is in the running (aka, the prototype) for Scarlet Witch, but that is pretty preliminary.

Joss Whedon shoots down Planet Hulk rumors

Joss Whedon, the director of The Avengers, was asked about the rumored "Planet Hulk" story arc involvement for a future Hulk movie. In an interview with IGN this is pretty much what he had to say:

"Well, I'm really not supposed to comment, but no, that's nonsense."

So that pretty much shoots my entire prediction for the future of the Hulk right in the damn foot. Thank you, Joss. I'm going to go cry in a corner now... that is until we find out he was just lying to prevent any spoilers about future story arcs. =^D

Ant-Man confirmed for Marvel Phase 3; Doctor Strange included

Kevin Feige, Marvel's President of Production, has confirmed some early details regarding Marvel Phase Three which will begin after The Avengers 2 in 2015. The first major detail being confirmation of Edgar Wright's Ant-Man project. Feige stated in an interview with MTV that Ant-Man will launch Phase Three on November 6th, 2015.
Also mentioned was the long awaited inclusion of Doctor Strange. There was no real confirmation of exactly where Doctor Strange is going to pop up first, but Feige hinted toward Guardians of the Galaxy so it's possible he may have his first cameo there. He also could show up in The Avengers 2. At this point anything is possible.


And before getting too excited about this news don't forget we still have Phase Two which kicks off this May with Iron Man 3. Following Iron Man we have Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, and The Avengers 2.

Agent Coulson to return in S.H.I.E.L.D. television show

Joss Whedon has confirmed that Agent Phil Coulson played by Clark Gregg will be featured in the upcoming S.H.I.E.L.D. television show. Whedon explained at New York Comic Con this past weekend how Agent Coulson became an important character to both the writers and the fans and there was no way the show would exist without him.

We all saw Agent Coulson's fate during The Avengers so it will be interesting to see how the television show will play out.

Thanos confirmed for two Marvel Phase 2 films

If you saw The Avengers you know Thanos appeared in the mid-credits scene. There was a lot of speculation as to where Thanos would show up in future Marvel films. There is now confirmation that Thanos will appear in two Marvel Phase 2 films; Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers 2.

I assumed/guessed Thanos wouldn't appear sooner than Guardians of the Galaxy and I am happy to see that I was right. People were trying to say he would show up as early as Thor: The Dark World and that was a mistake, imo. Thor already has a lot of villains and introducing a big villain like Thanos that early would have been dumb. 

Guardians of the Galaxy is set to be released on August 1, 2014 and The Avengers 2 is set for May 1, 2015.

ABC orders S.H.I.E.L.D. television pilot from Marvel

The ABC television network which is owned and operated by Disney has ordered a television pilot from Marvel Comics, also owned by Disney, revolving around S.H.I.E.L.D. (aka, Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate). There is no information of how the show would tie into the movies, if at all, or what characters would be used but it has been ordered and will happen.

It is also said that The Avengers writer/director Joss Whedon has been tapped to co-write the pilot and possibly direct. Collaborating with Joss is his brother Jed Whedon and Jed's wife Maurissa Tancharoen. Joss Whedon is involved with The Avengers 2 along with several future Marvel projects for Phase 2, so I guess they figured why not add a television show to the platter.

I think this could be really cool, but I do also think there is such a thing as there being too much Marvel going on at one time. I also would like to see how they would get big name characters like Iron Man, Thor, or Captain America on an ABC television show when they have their own respective Marvel films. We will see how this one unravels. I am very intrigued.

The Avengers 2 release date announced

An official release date, which is subject to change, has been released for The Avengers 2. It appears we can expect the anticipated sequel. for May 1, 2015.

This is roughly 3 years away but they had to give enough time for the rest of "Phase 2" which is as follows:
Iron Man 3 (May 3, 2013)
Thor: The Dark World (November 8 2013)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4, 2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy (August 1, 2014)

There are also still rumors swirling around a movie centered around Ant Man directed by Edgar Wright. It is rumored that might have a late 2013 release or an early 2014 release, if it happens at all, but either way The Avengers 2 will be the finale of Phase 2. Guardians of the Galaxy will most definitely be introducing Thanos as a lead into The Avengers 2 so that is going to be bomb.
It was also recently announced that Joss Whedon will be involved with Marvel and The Avengers through 2015 so it's pretty safe to say he will be back to direct The Avengers 2.

The Avengers - Review

Now that I was able to control myself and actually sit down and watch The Avengers without feeling like my brain was exploding I think I can talk about it. I will warn you when spoilers are coming.


If you don't know the basic plot... basically SHIELD gathers "The Avengers" (Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye) to fight against Thor's brother Loki and his army in an attempt to take over Earth and/or destroy it. The movie is kinda split into parts, or chapters if you will. It starts with kind of a re-introduction of each hero/character, it morphs into the main plot set up of the problem, and then the resolution with the major battle against Loki and his army.

Overall, this movie is badass. The effects are great, the sound design was well done, the character development (for the most part) was decent, and the general flow of the movie was smooth and fun. They evenly mixed comedy and action, like great comics do, and it worked out very well. I was dying laughing at parts along with everyone else in the theater. It was a bit closer to the newer Ultimate Avengers rather than the older ones but I think that was more for the characters than the storyline. I do have some complaints which I will mention with spoilers, but honestly the minor gripes don't take away anything from the overall movie. I still loved it just as much if not more.
If you haven't seen it yet, definitely stay through the credits. There is a mid-credit scene and a scene after the credits. Both times I haven't stayed all the way through but from what I have heard the scene after the full credits is pretty minor and was stuck in just for fun. When I see it a third time I'll stay all the way through.


Now for SPOILERS! If you haven't seen The Avengers yet don't read on. Seriously. Don't spoil it for yourself. Let the awesome be a surprise.



























So... I will start off with my gripes which, like I said, are quite minor.

1. I didn't like how Iron Man was basically the main character. It was almost like he was the #1 leader of the group and was basically just an asshole to everyone until the very end. Granted Tony Stark is an asshole in general, but come on. Even assholes have their limits.

2. Thor didn't have nearly enough screen time. Even Hawkeye had more screen time than Thor did. Not to mention it was barely mentioned how he made it to Earth. Loki briefly says Odin must have used a lot of dark magic to get Thor back to Earth but it is left at that. Even the guys at SHIELD including Agent Coulson and Nick Fury didn't question Thor's presence. None of the other Avengers questioned it either. I assume that full explanation will be saved for Thor 2, though. Especially since Jane Foster has been confirmed to return in Thor 2.

3. Bruce Banner's sudden control of "the other guy" was a bit confusing. When he first changes on the aircraft in Black Widow's presence he nearly kills her and can't seem to control himself whatsoever. He fights Thor and practically destroys the aircraft in the process, but when he arrives in NYC mid-battle he magically is like "I'm always angry" and has full control of himself and knows which team he's on. I didn't quite understand it.

4. Black Widow and Hawkeye both were a bit pointless, imo. Her main motivation the whole time was to keep Hawkeye safe. Set up for a future plot line I think. I doubt either of them will ever have their own movie the way the rest of the characters have had.

5. Agent Coulson dies. wtf...


That's about it, though. I loved the way they eventually found a way to work together and all that junk. It was funny how they were all kind of paired up, too. Iron Man and Captain America kind of stayed together, The Hulk and Thor made a good pair, and Hawkeye and Black Widow were a good team as well. I also loved how we now know that Thor can stop Banner with almost no effort.

And like I mentioned above, definitely stay for the mid-credit scene. The big character reveal is none other than Thanos. He is the one who provided Loki's army and apparently found the way to get Loki to Earth to capture the Tesseract. If you don't know who Thanos is he is basically one of the big bad villains in the Marvel universe. He is a part of the Titan Eternals who exercises superhuman strength, stamina, and durability. He also possesses a certain level of telekinesis, manipulation, and is able to project and absorb cosmic energy. In a way it makes sense for him to use Loki to try and obtain the Tesseract. However... Thor took the Tesseract and Loki back to Asgard with him so who knows is Thanos will appear in Thor 2, Iron Man 3, or The Avengers 2. Or all of the above. Either way, Thanos' presence is definitely a big and exciting reveal.
I kind of am wondering if there will be any explanation of how the Tesseract escaped Asgard to begin with. The way this movie made it seem, in slight contradiction to Captain America, is that Asgard is its rightful owner and that it belongs in the artifact room along with the Yodenheim casket.


Anywho, I could just go on and on. My most basic advice is to go see The Avengers. Despite the gripes I have now it is a great movie, both as a comic book movie and a general movie. It has a lot of fun elements for anyone to enjoy.