Avengers: Age of Ultron

Avengers: Age of Ultron is a 2015 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to The Avengers (2012) and the 11th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was written and directed by Joss Whedon and features an ensemble cast that includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Anthony Mackie, Hayley Atwell, Idris Elba, Stellan Skarsgård, James Spader, and Samuel L. Jackson. In the film, the Avengers fight Ultron, an artificial intelligence obsessed with causing human extinction.

Premise
With S.H.I.E.L.D. destroyed and the Avengers needing a hiatus from stopping threats, Tony Stark attempts to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program with Ultron, a self-aware, self-teaching, artificial intelligence.

However, his plan backfires when Ultron decides that humans are the main enemy and sets out to eradicate them from Earth, and it is up to Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, along with support from Nick Fury and Maria Hill, to stop him from enacting his plans. Along the way, the Avengers encounter the powerful twins, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, as well as the familiar Vision.

Full Plot
In Sokovia, the Avengers – Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Thor, Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanoff, and Clint Barton – raid a Hydra outpost led by Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, who has been experimenting on humans using the scepter previously wielded by Loki. They encounter two of Strucker's experiments – twins Pietro, who has superhuman speed, and Wanda Maximoff, who can manipulate minds and throw energy blasts – and apprehend Strucker, while Stark retrieves Loki's scepter.

Stark and Banner discover an artificial intelligence within the scepter's gem, and secretly use it to complete Stark's "Ultron" global defense program. The unexpectedly sentient Ultron, believing he must eradicate humanity to save Earth, eliminates Stark's A.I.J.A.R.V.I.S. and attacks the Avengers during a victory party at their headquarters. Escaping with the scepter, Ultron uses the resources in Strucker's Sokovia base to upgrade his rudimentary body and build an army of robot drones. He recruits the Maximoff twins, who harbor a grudge against Stark for weapons responsible for their parents' deaths, and together, they visit the South African shipyard base of arms dealer Ulysses Klaue to obtain vibranium. The Avengers battle them, but Wanda subdues the heroes with haunting visions, causing the Hulk to run amok and forcing Stark to use his powerful "Veronica" armor to stop him.

A worldwide backlash and the doubts and fears Wanda's hallucinations have caused send the team into hiding at Barton's safehouse farm, where they meet Barton's wife, Laura, and children. Thor departs to consult with Dr. Erik Selvig on the meaning of the apocalyptic future he saw in his hallucination. Realizing an attraction between them, Romanoff and Banner plan to flee together after fighting Ultron. Nick Fury arrives and encourages the team to form a plan to stop Ultron. In Seoul, South Korea, Ultron forces Banner's friend Dr. Helen Cho to use her synthetic tissue technology together with the scepter's gem to create the perfect body for him. When Ultron begins uploading himself into the body, Wanda is able to read his mind; discovering his plan for human extinction, the Maximoffs turn on Ultron. Rogers, Romanoff and Barton hunt Ultron and retrieve the synthetic body, but Ultron captures Romanoff.

The Avengers fight amongst themselves when Stark secretly uploads J.A.R.V.I.S.— who is still operational after hiding inside Ultron on the internet—into the synthetic body. Thor returns to help activate the body with lightning, explaining that it was part of his "vision" and that the gem is one of the six Infinity Stones, the most powerful objects in existence. Together with this "Vision" and the Maximoffs, the Avengers head for Sokovia, where Ultron has used the vibranium to build a machine to lift a large part of the city skyward, intending to crash it into the ground to cause global extinction. As the city begins to lift, Banner rescues Romanoff, who awakens the Hulk for the battle. The Avengers fight Ultron's army while delaying Ultron from activating his plan's final procedure. Fury arrives in a Helicarrier with Maria Hill, James Rhodes and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to assist in evacuating civilians, but Pietro dies when he shields Barton from a barrage of fire. A grieving Wanda abandons her post to destroy Ultron's primary body in revenge, inadvertently allowing one of his drones to activate his machine. The landmass plummets, but Stark and Thor overload the machine and shatter the city into pieces. In the aftermath, the Hulk, unwilling to endanger Romanoff by being with her, departs in a Quinjet, while the Vision confronts Ultron's last remaining body and destroys it.

Later, the Avengers have established a new base in upstate New York, run by Fury, Hill, Cho, and Selvig. Fury assures Romanoff that Banner likely escaped the crashed Quinjet. Believing the Mind Stone is safe with the Vision, Thor returns to Asgard to learn more about the forces he suspects have manipulated recent events. Stark and Barton retire from the team, and Rogers and Romanoff prepare to train new Avengers: Rhodes, Wanda Maximoff, the Vision, and Sam Wilson.

In a mid-credits scene, Thanos retrieves the Infinity Gauntlet and, dissatisfied by the failures of his pawns, vows to hunt for the Infinity Stones personally.

Characters

 * Tony Stark (film)


 * Steve Rogers (film)


 * Bruce Banner (film)


 * Thor (film)


 * Natasha Romanoff (film)


 * Clint Barton


 * Nick Fury (film)


 * Wanda Maximoff (film)


 * Pietro Maximoff (film)


 * Ultron (film)


 * James Rhodes (film)


 * Vision (film)


 * J.A.R.V.I.S.


 * Maria Hill (film)


 * Sam Wilson


 * Peggy Carter


 * Dr. Cho


 * Ulysees Klaue

Items

 * Iron Man Armor (film):
 * Mark 43
 * Mark 44
 * Mark 45

Locations

 * New York
 * Avengers Tower (formerly known as the Stark Tower)


 * Sokovia
 * HYDRA Base
 * Village

Cast
A billionaire and philanthropist, as well as self-proclaimed genius and playboy who owns a multi-billionaire company, and is also famously known as the super-hero Iron Man, through his own invention of mechanical suits of armor. He is also the Co-Leader of The Avengers.
 * Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man:

An experimented super-soldier, who was a World War II Veteran and was frozen in suspended animation until being revived in the 21st century. He is also the Co-Leader of The Avengers.
 * Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America:

A scientist who is an expert on gamma radiation, and turns into a giant green monster when angered.
 * Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Bruce Banner / The Hulk:

An Asgardian, and the crowned prince of Asgard who is well known as the God of Thunder and is the protector of the nine realms. He is one of the members of The Avengers.
 * Chris Hemsworth as Thor:


 * Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow: A highly trained spy working for S.H.I.E.L.D.


 * Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye: A master archer working for S.H.I.E.L.D.


 * Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch: The twin sister of Quicksilver, who has telekinetic abilities and can weave spells.


 * Aaron-Taylor Johnson as Pietro Maximoff / Quicksilver: The twin brother of the Scarlet Witch, who can move at superhuman speed.


 * Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury: The former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and one of the founding members of "The Avengers Initiative".

An artificial intelligence taken up in the form of a robot, who was created by humans, and truly despises his creators. He is the film's main antagonist, who plans to dominate the world with his own spawn.
 * James Spader as Ultron:


 * Thomas Kretschmann as Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker: (Unspecified Role) In the comics, the character is a Nazi Officer who becomes the head of H.Y.D.R.A. He is the film's secondary antagonist.


 * Paul Bettany as
 * Vision: A robot created by Ultron to serve him, but later on turns against his master and joins The Avengers.
 * J.A.R.V.I.S.: A super advanced and high level A.I. created by Tony Stark, and is one of his main helpers, as well as a friend.

Don Cheadle has reported to reprise his role as James Rhodes / War Machine Mark II and will make an appearance in the film. Cobie Smulders and C will reprise their roles as Maria Hill, and Peggy Carter respectively. Claudia Kim has been cast as Dr. Cho, a friend of Tony Stark. Andy Serkis was confirmed to be Ulysees Klaw. Avengers co-creator Stan Lee will make a cameo appearance.

Development
In October 2011, Feige said during the New York Comic Con, "Iron Man 3 will be the first of what we sort of refer to as phase two of this saga that will culminate, God willing, in Avengers 2". In March 2012, Joss Whedon, director of the first film, stated that he would want a sequel to be "smaller. More personal. More painful. By being the next thing that should happen to these characters, and not just a rehash of what seemed to work the first time. By having a theme that is completely fresh and organic to itself."

At the premiere of The Avengers, Feige said the studio had an option for Whedon to return as director. In May 2012, after the successful release of the first film, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced a sequel was in development. Most of the film's cast members were under contract to potentially appear in the sequel; however, Robert Downey, Jr. was not, as his four picture deal with Marvel would expire after Iron Man 3.

At the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con International, Joss Whedon said he was undecided about directing, stating, "I have not come to a decision on directing Avengers 2. I am having too much fun with this Firefly reunion now." However in August 2012, Iger announced that Whedon would return to write and direct the sequel and develop the Marvel television series, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., for ABC. Later in the month, Disney set a May 1, 2015 release date.

Asked about his decision to return, Whedon said "Avengers 2, it wasn’t a tough decision. For a long time I thought, 'Well, it’s just not going to happen.' Then when I actually started to consider it, it became so clear that I desperately wanted to say more about these characters, it wouldn’t’ve been an easy no and it was a spectacularly easy yes. There was no wrestling." Whedon said that they intended for the film's production to not be as rushed as the first one. In a December 2012 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Whedon stated that he had completed an outline for the film.

In February 2013 at the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival, Whedon said that death would play a theme in the sequel. In March, Whedon said that he looked to The Empire Strikes Back and The Godfather Part II as inspirations. Also in March, Mark Ruffalo, who played the Hulk in The Avengers, tweeted that he will reprise the role in the sequel.

Pre-Production
In April 2013, it was reported that filming was scheduled to begin in early 2014 at Shepperton Studios in England. At the Hollywood premiere of Iron Man 3, Whedon said that he completed a draft of the script, and had started the storyboard process and to meet with actors. Whedon also mentioned that he wrote with Downey in mind and included a "brother/sister act" from the comic books.

Entertainment Weekly reported that Whedon was referring to Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, which Whedon confirmed. During an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Whedon explained his rationale for including the characters in the film: "Besides the fact that I grew up reading them, their powers are very visually interesting," said Whedon. "One of the problems I had on the first one was everybody basically had punchy powers... [Quicksilver]’s got super speed. [Scarlet Witch] can weave spells and a little telekinesis, get inside your head. There’s good stuff that they can do that will help sort of keep it fresh."

In May 2013, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Downey was in negotiations to extend his contract with Marvel Studios and reprise his role as Iron Man in the film, as well as a third Avengers film. Also in May, the chairman of Cape Town Film Studios said that Marvel Studios was interested in shooting the film in Cape Town, South Africa. In June 2013, Variety reported that Aaron Taylor-Johnson had entered talks to play Quicksilver, which Taylor-Johnson confirmed in a July 2013 Collider interview. Later in the same month, Downey signed on to return as Iron Man for the film and The Avengers 3. Marvel also announced that filming was expected to begin in March 2014.

At the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con International, Whedon announced the film would be subtitled Age of Ultron. Despite the subtitle, the film is not based on the 2013 comic book miniseries Age of Ultron. Feige explained, "We came up with a few titles, but every month a new comic book appeared, and that's a great title. Age Of Ultron is a great title. We had a few other 'Of Ultrons', but that was the best one. So we're borrowing that title, but taking storylines from decades of Avengers storylines." Whedon added, "We're doing our own version of the origin story of Ultron....We were crafting our own version of it where [Ultron's] own origin comes more directly from the Avengers we already know about. The other thing is 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." Whedon also said the film would have a darker tone due to Ultron's involvement, and confirmed that Hawkeye and Black Widow would return. The title of the film came as a surprise to many fans who were expecting Thanos, the mastermind behind the events of the first film, to be the main villain in the sequel. When asked about Thanos' involvement, Whedon responded, "We have to stay grounded. It's part of what makes the Marvel universe click - their relationship to the real world. It's science fiction, and Thanos is not out of the mix, but Thanos was never meant to be the next villain. He's always been the overlord of villainy and darkness."

In August 2013, Deadline reported that Chris Evans would return to play Captain America in the sequel after making his directorial debut on 1:30 Train. Later in the month, USA Today reported that Samuel L. Jackson would reprise the role of Nick Fury. Also in August, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Marvel Studios was in negotiations with Elizabeth Olsen to play the Scarlet Witch. At the end of the month, Marvel announced that James Spader would play Ultron.

In September 2013, Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson confirmed they would be returning as Thor and Black Widow respectively, with Johansson mentioning that filming would begin in January. Also in September, extensive scans were taken of Spader's head and body in preparation for the role. In October 2013, Samuel L. Jackson confirmed that Elizabeth Olsen had been cast as the Scarlet Witch, while The Wrap reported that Taylor-Johnson closed the deal to play Quicksilver after working out scheduling conflicts in promoting his appearance in the 2014 Godzilla reboot. Marvel later officially confirmed Olsen and Taylor-Johnson in November 2013.

In November 2013, Cobie Smulders confirmed in an interview that she is reprising her role as Maria Hill. Also in November, Feige commented on finding the right balance between technology and fantasy based heroes in Avengers: Age of Ultron saying, "Iron Man is a very technological hero his movies are always technologically based. The first Thor was all about introducing Asgard and Thor in that more fantastical realm into the more reality-based MCU, and explain that obviously it might look like magic, but it's another form of science and technology.

As we go into Ultron clearly he does come out of technology, but we're using all of our tools at our disposal that we've established so far as part of the MCU to build the storyline of Age of Ultron. At the end of the month, Screen Rant reported that portions of the film would also be shot in the United States. In December 2013, USA Today reported that Don Cheadle will have a part in the film.

Filming
Production started on February 12, 2014 and filming officially began. Principal Photography began on March 2014 and would last around three to four months. By the end of May, Josh Brolin joined the cast to play Thanos. On June 1, Joss Whedon tweeted that that they were halfway through shooting. In mid-June, scenes were shot at the University of East Anglia in Norwich and at Dover Castle in Kent. On August 6, Whedon announced on social media that he has completed principal photography on the film. On August 8, Jeremy Renner also announced on his Twitter account that they finished filming for Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Post-Production
In February 2014, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) announced plans to open a facility in London, citing Avengers: Age of Ultron as a catalyst for the expansion. ILM developed a new motion capture system for the film called Muse, which can better capture the actor's performance and combine different takes. In June 2014, the IMAX Corporation announced that the IMAX release of the film will be converted to IMAX 3D. In August 2014, Stellan Skarsgard revealed he would reprise his role as Erik Selvig.

Marketing
During the San-Diego Comic-Con in 2013, Joss Whedon released a Teaser Trailer of the film as well as it's Official Logo. A Sneak Peek for the creation of the film was also released in the Iron Man 3 Blu-Ray companion application, called JARVIS: A Second Screen Experience.

On early March, art concepts for the film was released, together with other teaser images for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Guardians of the Galaxy, and Ant-Man.

Music


The film's score will be composed by Brian Tyler, who previously scored the soundtracks for Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World. Tyler stated that the score pays homage to John Williams' scores for Star Wars, Superman, and Raiders of the Lost Ark and references the scores from Iron Man, Thor and Captain America films in order to create a similar musical universe, saying, "That’s the goal for sure. You have to build in nostalgia and do it upfront so you can relate to it."

Trivia

 * This will be the first Avengers film to feature James Rhodes / Iron Patriot in it.