Trailer Review: Avengers - Age of Ultron

There has been a lot of news coming out about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and now we get to finally get our hands on the trailer for the end of Phase 2 with Age of Ultron. The one thing that truly sticks out from the trailer is the tone, it is much more grim then any previous film coming from Marvel. Between James Spader's voice as Ultron and the music "I Got No Strings" it certainly has a creepy feel to it. However, for a teaser trailer it certainly gives away a few things to the most eagle eyed of fans. For one, it is surprising how much the Maximoff twins are in the trailer. The star of the trailer is clearly Spader's turn as Ultron and how he seems to be affecting our heroes. The clear cut message to take away from the trailer is that Ultron is a formidable villain that will be the Avengers biggest test to date that also could break them apart.

Throughout the trailer we rarely see anyone happy, but Bruce Banner seems much more of a pariah than anyone else. There have been rumors that the Hulk has become uncontrollable leading them to send him off into space on a rocket, now I can't see the Avengers doing that to their friend no matter how far gone he may be, but Ultron would in light of how much of a threat the Hulk would be to him on a physical standpoint. Back on track though, Bruce is often seen in the trailer on the verge of crying as if he is ashamed of himself and scared. It may just be as simple as he had to fight his friend Tony in the middle of a city like we see in the trailer but I think it is again Ultron breaking him down as he plans to do to just about everyone. There is a touching moment in the trailer however where we see Hulk placing his hand up against Natasha Romanoff's. The two seemed to share a bond in the first film which is likely expanded in this film as she seems to be the only one that can get through to both Bruce and the Hulk.

Again, it is very surprising how much Wanda and Pietro Maximoff were in the trailer. I didn't expect them to be such a big part in the film but it seems that they have a fairly significant role. The trailer opens with a shot which is most likely a flashback of sorts where Wanda and Pietro are at a riot of sorts, likely against heroes. This would most likely endear them to Baron Von Strucker, leading him to believe that they are perfect for his experiments for "miracles." We know that Baron Von Strucker had experimented on them in an underground HYDRA lab and it has also been reported that the film opens with an Avengers assault on that lab led by Captain America. The Maximoff twins traditionally started off as villains in the comics, and due to their shaky mental condition following being experimented on and given abilities, it is easy to assume why they would give in to Ultron's "charm". Eventually that will break as in the trailer the only person we ever see fight Ultron or his army of drones is indeed Pietro and at one point we see a very distraught Wanda which is most likely their breaking point where they realize the error in their ways.

It is still unknown and Marvel is staying tight lipped as to who Andy Serkis is playing in the film. However, taking into consideration his look and his voice along with the overall story of the film it leads me to believe that he will be playing Ulysses Klaw. In the comics, Klaw was frequently a scientist of sorts who liked to conduct experiments. Take that into consideration with the twins and you can make the connection. Even more so, a portion of the film will take place in South Africa which just so happens to be the home of another vastly popular Marvel hero, none other than Black Panther. Klaw is Black Panther's most notable villain in the comics and in some iterations of the character, Klaw was responsible for stealing vibranium out of the Panther's home of Wakanda. Oddly enough, in the film Ultron's final form will be created from viibranium which may also be the reason why Captain America's shield is broken in the trailer. Another easy way to include Klaw in the film is to say that he is a part of HYDRA working for Baron Von Strucker. Doing so, would also likely unite Black Panther and Captain America to potentially work together to take down their enemies and then who knows, maybe Black Panther will go and re-forge Cap's broken shield?

Wait, what? Captain America's shield breaks? But how? Captain America's shield is created from vibranium, much like Ultron's exterior so it does seem likely that the two would be able to break each other. However, the destruction of his shield goes much further to show how broken the Avengers are as a team due to the power of Ultron. It is also interesting to me how little we see Captain America in the trailer, however when we do it is usually a quick cut or a down trodden Cap walking away from the camera. There is however one quick cut of him back in the 40's in his military suit at what seems to be a ball of some sort. It could be a flashback he has of Peggy Carter and Howard Stark starting SHIELD and their thoughts of starting the Ultron movement. Another possibility of what it maybe is a showing of Wanda's power where she loses control of herself and sends Captain America into a vivid hallucination of where he feels most at home.

The big theme of the trailer is that Ultron has come undone and no longer controlled by his maker, Tony Stark. At the end of the trailer he states, "There are no strings on me." Tony had created Ultron from broken down pieces of her previous suits and when he goes and sees what he had created it obviously is met with fear. Tony had good intentions, but ultimately he no longer wanted to fight the fights that he and the Avengers have. However, this causes a rift clearly as we see Tony being lifted up by the throat by Thor and presumably fighting Hulk in a Hulkbuster suit. I would not be surprised if the group decides to fight Ultron on their own, without Tony's help, making him an outcast but without him they end up getting defeated. At the end they all have one last stand together where Tony must put down the monster that he had created.