Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

While developing and executing Phase two;  Marvel witnessed the success of phase one , The television division  coined the phrase it’s all connected and  began to slowly expand its stable of properties for the small screen.  Age of Ultron would be the last tent pole project from Joss Whedon, as the stage is now being set for the infinity Saga. The Age of Ultron would mark the end of the first iteration of the rise of the superhero, as Marvel Studios looked into launching its next phase.
There was a  book published called it's all connected, showcasing seasons 1 & 2 of both Agent Carter and Agents of Shield with a who's who in breaking down of characters complete with photos and images. The book works as an illustrated deep dive into the characters and their history, weaponology,  blueprints of vehicles and episode breakdowns. While its reviewing the televised history of characters it does bring in some relations with the cinematic universe.  Its posed as a companion piece to compliment both television series as you view them.

There are a few minor questions that are answered off screen to explain a few set ups not provided in the movie. For the comic book fan who went into the comic book store at the time, there was an Age of Ultron movie prequel book that gave a little more detail on the Maximoff siblings and how Hydra gained Chitari weapons, the leviathan, and Loki’s Sceptor during the fall of Shield.  For the loyal viewer of Marvel’s Agents of Shield, episode 19 titled ‘The Dirty Half Dozen’, gave us the name of former Nazi officer/Hydra leader Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, the show provides the location of his base of operations in Sokovia, and that Loki’s Scepter currently resides there.  The final moments of the episode leaned into that a lot of funding, time and secret meetings went into preparing an operation called Theta protocol.  Theta protocol was a facility led by appointed Director Phil Coulson to repair Helicarrier No. 64 so that in case of grave emergency it can be recommissioned.

The film, bypasses those connective build ups by implying the Avengers united shortly after the events of the fall of Shield, and have been invading discovered Hydra compounds looking for the scepter together. There are a couple holes in that logic, the final lines given by Maria Hill and Nick Fury in the 2012 Avengers movie are of when we will need the team again; the implication is set to be at another near extinction-level event.  Every film that followed the original Avengers movie would call for another Avenger to enter the movie to assist; when the President was kidnapped Captain America with the inclusion of War Machine would be utilized in Iron Man 3.  Hawkeye, War Machine and maybe Stark could have appeared at the fall of Shield or when Captain America was wanted for treason. When Malekith and the Dark Elves invaded and nearly destroyed London, and with Thor back on Earth. That Alien invasion would have brought the Avengers minus the Hulk to Aid the people of London, England.The communication the team had with Thor back on Earth would have taken place after Dark World Events while he visits Jane Foster. The quality of visiting Jane was slightly dismissed in a conversation at a party 3 days after they retrieved the scepter from Von Strucker’s stronghold, but necessary to explain the absence of characters in the logistics of the story telling. The invasion of a human stronghold is not recognize as a level event requiring the Hulk, Thor and the Avengers to invade, but with Shield gone it’s a covert operation led by Captain America and funded by Tony Stark, with Maria Hill acting as Security on behalf of Stark while stationed at Avenger’s tower.

  

Joss Whedon has gone on record in interviews that though happy to be given the opportunity of writing and directing and seeing his vision of Ultron, and bringing forth the infinity saga. It was exhausting for a person to do back to back epic tent pole blockbuster movies. Age of Ultron had the cast and crew travel to different parts of the world to film the movie, with the scope and the textures of filming a grander movie than its predecessor. Whedon’s upscale would be the needed blueprint to prepare not just the audience but Marvel Studios to tell the story of the Infinity Saga.  With Downey Jr. contract up for negotiation, and infusing new and old characters in the Avenger’s line up, the film reflected the change which took place periodically in the comics.  Marvel was positioning themselves and an accepting audience of change ups in the status quo.   Clint Barton’s desire to retire and be a family man and raise his 3 children that would include archery to his only daughter Kate.

The Hulk would not return for a couple of more years until an off world story fulfilling Thor’s vision of Ragnork and the infinity gems would come to pass; as prescribed with the Norns of Fate foretelling in Thor’s pool of water sequence. The revised Avengers team was the base of characters to star in Captain America: Civil War. While Scarlet Witch gave the team living nightmares, it sets up Tony’s Starks motivation behind the Iron Legion, his panic attack worm hole experience that led to his desire to create Ultron and ultimately Vision, and the movie introduces a small back story to Black Widows origins and finding a family with the Avengers was scratched upon the surface, before being explored in her solo Black Widow movie.

Daredevil and season one of all of the Marvel Netflix stable of series would have existed during this time by way of chronology in storylines, Tandy & Tyrone of Cloak and Dagger may have not met yet but have just entered the first years of High school, while Peter Parker was just becoming a friendly neighborhood Spiderman as the death of Uncle Ben would transpired at around this time.  On Television, Agent Carter Season Two had debuted over the winter and would set up connective stories to unfold in Marvel’s Agents of Shield including Agent Sousa.  Daniel Sousa, who would be a founding member of Shield, also became its final member as the series would reach its final mission. With Whedon no longer involved with the cinematic universe, communication and notes between the film and television division did not take place with the exception of Hayley Atwell and the Peggy Carter character. The agents of shield no longer had a crossover in story with the MCU and the Cameos to cinematic world would also stop.