Of course spy fans know better than to think of Marvel's Avengers as
the real Avengers, but even if it doesn't have John Steed and Emma Peel, Marvel's Joss Whedon-directed sequel
Avengers: Age of Ultron still boasts some A-list superspies. Yesterday Marvel Studios (via
Imp Awards) released character posters for their star secret agents
Nick Fury and
Black Widow (played by Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlet Johansson respectively) from the new movie. Though he may not be an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore (or is he?) after the events of
Captain America: The Winter Soldier, I'm glad to see that Nick Fury is sporting his slick spy look again, with trademark eye patch back in place, instead of his sunglasses wearing homeless look from the end of that movie. In fact, Jackson looks cooler than ever on this poster! I'm not sure why Black Widow has decided to add
Tron-style neon blue trim to her leather Emmapeeler (doesn't seem very good for being stealthy), but I've never been one to complain about a beautiful lady spy in a catsuit... and maybe it's a deliberate nod to Emma? Marvel's
Avengers: Age of Ultron opens May 1.
For comparison, see these secret agents' previous character posters from the first Marvel
Avengers movie and
Captain America: The Winter Soldier here and
here, respectively.
See Black Widow's introductory character poster from
Iron Man 2 here.
Read my primer on Marvel's superspies
here.
Re: the "real" Avengers, in Marvel's Avengers #83 (ca. 1970), the superheroes show up at the annual Halloween party in Rutland, VT. Writer Roy Thomas and his wife Jeanne appear in the story as guests. He says, "It's the Avengers!" She says, "Which one is Mrs. Peel?"
ReplyDeleteIIRC, there was a Steed & Mrs. Peel comic book where, on the cover, he is reading a copy of Avengers #84. A slight anachronism, since Emma Peel had been replaced by Tara King before 1970.
Haha! I didn't know about that Roy Thomas gag in AVENGERS #83. That's good! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete