“Avengers has always been this kind of hovering [thing],” says Robert Downey Jr. “Is it really possible? I just think that it was an incredibly ambitious notion, and looking back at Marvel and their fledgling years, they always had a vision of this.”
While the Iron Man star goes on to say that he’s tried to stay very true to the character he created in the earlier films, Thor‘s Chris Hemsworth is anxious to see his Asgardian alter-ego evolve in the new film.
“There’s a maturity to the character because of the journey he went on, certainly,” Hemsworth explains. “He was a petulant sort of kid at the beginning of Thor, and by the end of it hopefully you walk away thinking that he is matured and there was a grounded quality to him that wasn’t there before.. He’s [also] not quite the odd one out as much as he was in Thor. These guys … one of them wears an iron suit, one of them turns into a big, green monster. They all have these crazy personalities, and alter egos. They’re misfits, and that’s how they fit, in a funny way.”
Even though team members share some unusual similarities, don’t expect them to all become immediate friends.
“I’m on such the periphery,” says Jeremy Renner of Hawkeye, “By nature of being a sniper on top of a building, the behavior of a sniper is a loner. He gets a call and comes and does his thing.”
“Part of what makes her sexy is she takes no prisoners,” Johansson likewise explains about the Black Widow. “You wouldn’t grab her for a big old bear hug.“
While Hawkeye and the Black Widow may have a preference for isolation in their personalities, one member of the team has found himself suddenly and completely alone.
“Who does he have in the world?” asks Chris Evans of Captain Ameria. “Nobody. Rogers is kind of defined by his morals and values. In the ’40s there was much more of value on those things. Things are a little more impersonal these days.”
Rounding out the team is Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Bruce Banner, AKA the Incredible Hulk. Also a victim of loneliness, Banner has been dealing with his situation for a bit longer and the actor compares the Gamma-ray-fueled fits of rage to being an alcoholic.
“[Banner] starts like he’s sober in a weird way,” says Ruffalo. “He’s started a whole new life when we find him, and it’s cool…The rage is something that is like going on a binger – you wake up after a blackout and you did all this f–ed up s–t.”
Opening in 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D on May 4th, Marvel’s The Avengers is written and directed by Joss Whedon and also stars Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston and Stellan Skarsgard.
