Avengers Assemble!

The title says it all :) With the recent release of Marvel Studios' official "The Avengers" trailer and the film set for full release in May 2012, everyone is EXCITED! I would never have dreamt that I would live to see the day when "The Avengers" movie would be made and yet, here it is, coming to a theatre near you! What makes it even more exciting is knowing that Hot Toys would most likely be producing 1/6 scale "The Avengers" figures and that will break the bank for many collectors. Let's hope it'll be worth it. There have been some quality issues with Hot Toys releases lately :(

In the meantime, while waiting for the figures to show up, I could not resist taking pictures of these ToyBiz Famous Covers 9-inch figures who are part of the new Avengers line-up :) The Avengers 2012 film is based upon the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. It is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which crosses over several Marvel superhero films including Iron Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011) and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011).


The picture taken is inspired by a picture of the assembled avengers appearing on a magazine cover (see picture below). Labeled "Earth's Mightiest Heroes", the Avengers in Marvel Comics originally consisted of Iron Man (Tony Stark), Ant-Man (Dr. Henry Pym), Wasp (Janet Van Dyne), Thor and the Hulk (Bruce Banner). The original Captain America was discovered by the team in issue #4, trapped in ice, and he joined the group when they revived him. The team, famous for its battle cry of "Avengers Assemble!", has featured humans, mutants, robots, gods, aliens, supernatural beings and even former villains. The rotating roster has become a hallmark of the team, although one theme remains consistent: the Avengers fight "the foes no single superhero can withstand."

The Avengers film is written and directed by Joss Whedon and features an ensemble cast, which includes Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson. In The Avengers, Nick Fury, director of the peacekeeping organization S.H.I.E.L.D., recruits Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and Captain America to save the world from destruction.

Click on the picture for a bigger and better view :)

The cast – Tony Stark / Iron Man: A billionaire industrialist who seeks to pacify the world with a mechanical suit of armor of his own invention. Iron Man was the first of the Avengers to hit the big screen back in 2008 and its success led Marvel Studios to announce their big push for the ultimate superhero movie! Robert Downey, Jr. is Tony Stark / Iron Man in the movies.

Dr. Bruce Banner / Hulk: A genius scientist who, because of exposure to gamma radiation, transforms into a monster when enraged or excited. The Incredible Hulk movie also came out in 2008 and was directed by Louis Leterrier and starred Edward Norton as Dr. Bruce Banner. It was the second film to be released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was not a sequel to the 2003 film Hulk, but rather a reboot that established a new back-story where Banner became the Hulk as an unwitting pawn in a military scheme to reinvigorate the supersoldier program through gamma radiation. The role has since gone to Mark Ruffalo.

Natasha Romanoff: A highly trained spy working for the international peacekeeping organization, S.H.I.E.L.D. In Iron Man 2 (released in 2010), we were introduced to the only female member of the Avengers, Natasha Romanoff (played by the lovely Scarlett Johansson), an undercover spy for S.H.I.E.L.D. posing as Stark's assistant. In cinematic canon, Iron Man 2 takes place six months after Iron Man, and directly before The Incredible Hulk and Thor. In the comics, Natasha Romanoff is more famously known as Black Widow. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the Black Widow appeared frequently as both an Avengers member and a freelance agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Thor: The Norse god of thunder. The 2011 film Thor gave us an insight of who Thor was and how he was exiled from his homeland of Asgard to Earth. While here, he built a relationship with scientist Jane Foster but had to return to Asgard to stop his brother Loki, who intended to become the new king of Asgard. Loki returns to wreak havoc in The Avengers. Chris Hemsworth plays Thor.

Clint Barton: A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and master archer known in the comics as "Hawkeye". Clint appeared only very briefly in "Thor (2011)" but looks to play a much bigger role in The Avengers. He's the only other human besides Natasha. In the film, he's portrayed by Jeremy Renner.

Last but certainly not least, there's Steve Rogers / Captain America: a World War II veteran who was enhanced to the peak of human physicality by an experimental serum. Captain America: The First Avenger was the last Marvel Studios film to be released (2011) - It is the fifth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe - and with its release, paved the way for The Avengers to debut in 2012.

So we'll finally see an assembled Avengers team next year :) Can't wait. You know it's just going to be AWESOME!!!