Throughout April, we’re counting down to the release of Marvel’s Iron Man 3 with our picks for the Greatest Comic Book Movies of All Time; here’s #4….
The Avengers, 2012.
Directed by Joss Whedon.
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgard and Samuel L. Jackson.
It was a hugely ambitious plan on Marvel’s part; announcing a slate of big budget superhero movies, financed in house, and culminating with the studio bringing its roster of heroes together on screen. Having paved the way with Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel handed over the reigns to fanboy favourite Joss Whedon, who delivered one of the finest examples of pure blockbuster entertainment with last summer’s superhero ensemble The Avengers.
Featuring an all-star cast of Marvel veterans such as Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) alongside Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) and the show-stealing Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner / The Incredible Hulk), The Avengers sees Earth’s Mightiest Heroes assembling to combat the threat of Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his invading Chitauri army.
Considering the success of Marvel’s previous movies, The Avengers was always going to be big, but no one could have guessed just how big, as the film Hulk smashed the box office on its way to a global haul in excess of $1.5 billion – a record for a comic book movie, and almost $500 million more than its nearest rival, The Dark Knight Rises. A hit with fans and critics alike, The Avengers won a host of accolades this past awards season, including three MTV Movie Awards, as well as contesting the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at this year’s Oscars.
In the wake of The Avengers, Marvel is preparing to launch Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy all building towards The Avengers 2 in 2015. Writer-director Joss Whedon has also developed a small screen spin-off, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which will see the return of Clark Gregg’s Agent Phil Coulson, while Marvel’s upcoming animated series Avengers Assemble is also heavily inspired by the movie.
The Avengers is the fourth and final instalment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to feature in our countdown, with Thor coming in at #35, Captain America: The First Avenger at #33 and Iron Man at #6.
Keep up to date with our entire countdown here.
Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen – Available now via Amazon.co.uk
Originally published April 22, 2013. Updated November 30, 2022.
