Joss Whedon talks Avengers: Age of Ultron and the state of the genre

June 18th 2014, 1:50pm

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

With THE AVENGERS becoming the highest grossing comic book movie of all time, that only accelerated plans to bring more to the masses. And at the end of the day, perhaps more is too much. Now, I wasn’t THE AVENGERS’ biggest fan. Sure, it was fun, but the end of the film just felt like CG shit flying into other CG shit, and I’m happy to report that it seems Joss Whedon is all too aware of that. In a recent interview, he had a few things to point out about that aspect of comic book flicks.

In regards to mass destruction:

People have made it very clear that they are fed up with movies where entire cities are destroyed, and then we celebrate.

In regards to what’s considered one of the greatest comic book films:

Now, I watched THE DARK KNIGHT and I thought of that as riffing on the genre. That was a superhero movie as THE GODFATHER. But I just still want to see a superhero movie! We had just gotten the technology to make it awesome, and I wasn’t ready to be post-modern about it yet.

Speaking about the state of comic book films, and how that will affect AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON:

People come in with a certain amount of emotional baggage, so, whether we’re in our larvae stage or our decadent stage, I can’t really say, but I try to make my superhero movies as if there’s either never been one or there’s only ever been them. I work with the idea that it’s just a natural way for people to be, so that you still make a movie about people.

THE AVENGERS took a more comedic angle during most of its runtime and that worked in the film’s favor. Joss Whedon knew how to throw these characters together, and make it entertaining. I really hope he avoids the mass destruction angle and instead really digs into the drama of the characters. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER did a great job of that, and I hope that’ll carry over to what’s sure to break box-office numbers come next May.

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON will bring the humanity on May 1, 2015.

I’m really diggin’ Elizabeth Olsen in that outfit!