Marvel Movie News

San Diego Comic Con was the weekend before last, and there was a LOT of great information that came out of it. Whether you're interested in the movies that are being produced or the written comics, they had everything there. Even if you're there just for general geek/nerd news, there was plenty to satiate your geeky hunger.

Avengers 2: Age of Ultron

Joss Whedon finally told us what the next Avengers movie was going to be called and, I think, mostly what it's going to be about: Ultron. When I heard the news, I admit I peed a little. Thanks to the comic series Conquest, Ultron became of the coolest Marvel baddies around.

In summary, Ultron is an android created by Doctor Hank Pym. Some of you may know him as Ant Man (or giant man). Currently, they're making a movie about him, so pop culture will get to know him better soon. Like all comic characters, Ultron's backstory is not easy to decipher, but in one of the more recent shows - Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, which you should totally watch - He was created by Pym to be a security guard for a super-villain prison. Stuff happened, and he became a baddie. What makes him great is his ability to adapt. As long as Ultron has access to a computer, he can transfer his mind to a suitable storage device. This is significant because when you think you've finally defeated him, he'll come back with upgrades designed to destroy whatever flaw was exploited the last time he was defeated.

There are some awesome Ultron scenes.

For the next Avengers movie, Ant Man will not be present, which raises some interesting questions about where he comes from in this movieverse. The fan-favorite origin is that Tony Stark will create him. I can see how this could happen after the results of Iron Man 3. If any of you are interested, you can view an interview with Joss Whedon about Avengers 2 here.

Guardians of the Galaxy

The other news that really caught my eye was more news from another movie Marvel making: Guardians of the Galaxy. First of all, I want it known that the Guardians of the Galaxy is one of my favorite story lines in comics. Coming out of the Annihilation Wave in a very organic way, Dan Abnett was able to create an extremely fun team of superheroes. This group of individuals is such a mis-match of characters that it was a risk - but it really paid off. The character interactions are wonderful, and the comics have a ton of great humor mixed in with a cosmic story... and I likes me some space opera.

Most of the Guardians pictured here.

The guardians have a wonderful lineup of varied characters some I like, some I love. One of the best aspects of the comic is the relationship between the members of the guardians - it adds a layer that isn't in a lot of other comics. Plus, this one has a talking tree in it, who's best friends with a talking raccoon... so there you go. James Gunn directing this movie is an unknown for me, but if he can bring the same quirkiness of "Super" to this film, I think it'll be a great experience. 

Surprisingly, only 10 days after shooting some footage, they were able to show a fair amount of material to the audience. I'm particularly excited at the prospect of Chris Pratt playing Star Lord. What is supposed to be a funny character is being played by an extremely funny person. It should be pretty great. In addition, the movie features the physical and acting talents of Dave Bautista of WWE fame. Yes, I remember him from then... that dude is HUGE. I'm eager to see what he brings to the screen since, I believe, this is his first real venture into the movieverse.

Most excited? I admit, I'm most excited about Cosmo.

-Jack