Anghus Houvouras on the casting of Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch in The Avengers: Age of Ultron…
At the onset of 2013, if you’d asked me which comic book adaptation would be the most anticipated and be the in-development project that garnered the most attention, I would have answered The Avengers: Age of Ultron without hesitation.
It’s funny how 10 months can change things. After the record breaking box office of Avengers, the sequel became the De facto geek property for rampant speculation. Would it feature Thanos as teased in the post credits sequence? Which new Avengers would be added to the team? How prevalent would Robert Downey Jr. be in the movie now that he’s winding down his time in the Iron Man armor? It was all anyone could talk about, until Warner Bros. uttered three words…
“Batman vs. Superman”
I’ve never seen thunder stolen so quickly. After years of Marvel movies ruling the roost, one simple announcement forced a major paradigm shift. The Marvel announcements at Comic-Con seemed trivial in comparison. Even the announcement that the sequel would be called “Age of Ultron” did little to build any additional excitement. In a matter of hours, The Avengers: Age of Ultron quickly ceded it’s position as the most anticipated superhero blockbuster.
The subsequent months have been no better for the franchise. Even after making some cool announcements, like the excellent James Spader voicing Ultron, it barely registered a blip in an online geek community obsessed with DC’s foray into a multi-hero franchise. Casting rumors for Batman vs. Superman were approaching ludicrous levels as every website on the planet wanted to throw in their two cents on the subject. Avengers 2 was not only the second most talked about comic book movie. It was a distant second. The divide was widened even further with four more words…
“Ben Affleck is Batman”
The internet practically broken in half. The rage, the anger, the indignation. The countless videos and reactions. All the proverbial oxygen was being sucked up by Batman vs. Superman leaving Avengers 2 barely any to breathe. The Affleck casting announcement was the kind of epic cultural event that got everybody talking. If you didn’t already know about Batman vs. Superman, you sure as hell did now. And there sat the Avengers 2, going from ‘the new hotness’ to ‘busted up’ faster than a speeding bullet.
Elizabeth Olsen being cast as the Scarlet Witch might not be earth shattering, but its a very revealing choice that should bolster a lot of confidence in where Marvel is taking the franchise.
Elizabeth Olsen is an actress with impressive skills. If you haven’t seen Martha Marcy May Marlene, you need to. She’s capable of depth and desperation. It’s common sense, I suppose, but it’s great to see the continuing trend of putting real actors and actresses in spandex. Her casting reminds of me of when I heard that Mark Ruffalo had been cast as Bruce Banner and Jeremy Renner would be suiting up as Hawkeye. Marvel has made some unconventional choices, but the goal has always been to find talent to legitimize their franchises. Sure, they sometimes go with economical choices like Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans, but you can see the desire to put quality performers in every role. If Joss Whedon can tap into half her talent, she’s going to do just fine. Aaron Taylor-Johnson would also be a nice addition as Quicksilver. Another quality actor who has shown an impressive range.
These choices show that Marvel is committed to doing the characters justice and not just putting a name on a marquee. Let’s face it, very few people are going to line up for The Avengers: Age of Ultron because of Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. However, they are very right for the respective roles and bring a continuing level of credibility to the Age of Ultron.
To a certain degree, it feels like the Batman vs. Superman announcement may have done Marvel a favor, relieving a great deal of pressure from the follow up to the most successful comic book adaptation ever. With all eyes on the Man of Steel and the Caped Crusader, Whedon and company have been able to very quietly and without scrutiny assemble their new Avengers.
2015 is looking better and better.
Anghus Houvouras is a North Carolina based writer and filmmaker. His latest work, the novel My Career Suicide Note, is available from Amazon.
Originally published October 4, 2013. Updated December 13, 2019.
