Tying The Pieces Together

As the months continue to tick by, the loose ends for "The Avengers" - planned to be released May 4, 2012 - are starting to get tied up. With "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk" already connected through their after-credits scenes, and casting for all other movies already begun, the release for "The Avengers" only seems a little while away.

With "Iron Man" launching first, on May 2 of last year, the series got off to a great start. The movie got great reviews from critics, and the box office numbers speak for themselves. But what really made the movie popular with fans was the post-credits scene, in which Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson) talks to Iron Man about "the Avengers Initiative".

"The Incredible Hulk" launched with simliar success, finding fans in the fact that it was an "upgrade" over the previous, poorly recieved Hulk movie. Actor Robert Downey Jr., who played Tony Stark, made an appearance in another post-credits scene. He briefly spoke to General Ross, once again mentioning "the Avengers Initiative".

However, despite getting off to such a good start, this new series has a lot to go before the release of "The Avengers". Another three main characters - Ant-Man, Captain America, and Thor - all have to be introduced, and "Iron Man 2" is already in the works, with a planned release in 2010.

This sequel to "Iron Man", which will take place before "The Avengers", will feature Colonel Rhodes getting to play War Machine, and Tony Stark's alcoholism finally getting explored. With Mickey Rourke set to play Whiplash, and Scarlett Johansson playing Black Widow (presumably for "The Avengers" as well), this movie is well on it's way to launch.

Next up in the series is "Ant-Man", set to release sometime next year. Unfortunately, despite the upcoming release date, very little is known about this movie. Not a single character has been cast, and while this might not be a big deal with some other movies, coupled with many fan's unenthusiastic attitude to the movie, could do some serious damage

to it's popularity upon it's release.

"Thor", set to release May 20, 2011, has a little more excitement behind it. Although currently surrounded by rumors, many fans are excited at the chance 0f seeing Thor on the big screen. One of the biggest reasons this movie has garnered much popularity among fans is the excitement - while "Ant-Man" might not seem very "action-y", a movie involving Thor, the Norse god of thunder, must be intense.

On July 22, 2011, fans will finally be treated to "The First Avenger: Captain America" - the last movie in the series that introduces a new hero. Very little is known, obviously, but that hasn't stopped rumors from swirling.

And when all this is over, we can wait for May 4, 2012, where "The Avengers" will finally be released. Not much is known about this movie, but seeing the great work that Marvel has done with the first two movies in the series, we can expect it to be just as epic as we can imagine.