The Avengers

***The Avengers***is a 2012 superhero team-up film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name, and a sequel to/crossover between *Iron Man*, *Ant-Man*, *Iron Man 2*, *Thor*, and *Captain America*. It was directed and written by Joss Whedon. It is the sixth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The film stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Paul Rudd, Evangelline Lilly, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Tom Hiddleston, Cobie Smulders, and Samuel L. Jackson. It was released on May 4, 2012 and grossed $1.519 billion on a $220 million budget. It ran 143 minutes and received critical acclaim.

## Plot

In Asgard, Loki is set free by a group of alien soldiers. They bring him to their master, the Other, who orders Loki to invade Earth with the Chitauri as his army. Loki accepts. On Earth, Nick Fury detects alien involvement, just as Deputy Director Maria Hill alerts him that the Cosmic Cube was activated. Fury rushes over to the base, and finds Hill among the few survivors. Hill tells him aliens used the cube to transport themselves to Earth, and then stole the cube and escaped. Fury goes to the United Nations, who give Fury authority to initate the Avengers Initiative. He recruits Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man, Steve Rogers, who is adjusting to life in 2012, and scientist couple Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, who can shrink to the size of an insect. Fury gives S.H.I.E.L.D. Dr. Bruce Banner authority to work with Pym and van Dyne in the science division, which he accepts. Meanwhile, Agent Clint Barton tracks Natasha Romanoff down to Budapest. After a quick fight, she escapes and leaves him her tracker, which she cut out of her arm.

Banner is working on a modified version of the Super Soldier serum that gave Rogers his abilites, while Stark, Rogers, Pym, and van Dyne work on finding the Chitauri and regaining the Cosmic Cube. When the Chitauri invade New York, Loki reveals himself as the commander. Stark, Rogers, Pym, and van Dyne defend the city, and Loki's brother, Thor, arrives and subdues Loki. Loki is taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody, while Thor leaves after Fury refuses to allow him to take Loki. When Banner completes his serum and injects it into himself, it turns him into a monsterous green beast. He attacks the group and nearly kills van Dyne until Thor returns and defeats Banner, who returns to his human form. Banner is put in a containment cell until he awakens. When he does, the team explains his situation to him and he calculates that he turns into the monster when his blood pressure gets too high. After a dispute amongst the team, Loki is decided to return to Asgard with Thor. However, during the transfer Loki escapes, turns Banner into the monster, and sets him free.

With Banner raging across town and the Chitauri's invasion continuing, Fury is forced to recruit more heroes. Superpowered twins Wanda, who has magical abilties, and Pietro Maximoff, who has superspeed, join the "Avengers", while Banner's green form is labeled the Hulk by the public. Barton also joins the team. The eight heroes split up to stop the invasion. Van Dyne manages to calm the Hulk down, though while transforming back into Banner, he falls off a building, and the team presumes he is dead. Thor tries to appeal to his brother's good side, though Loki transports Thor to Europe. Romanoff returns to help evacuate the Hydra base in New York, but Barton convinces her to help him save civilians. Fury learns that the United Nations are preparing to send a nuke to New York to stop the invasion from spreading. Loki prepares to open the wormhole across Los Angeles, Paris, London, and several other major cities, though Pietro and Rogers attempt to stop him. Wanda, Pym, van Dyne, and Stark fight the aliens, until Fury alerts Stark of the incoming nuke. Stark flies up to stop it and sends it through the wormhole, destroying the Chitauri ships. However, the remaining Chitauri continue to fight, due to Loki's command.

Banner is revealed to be alive and is found by Thor on his way back. Thor convinces Banner that he can control the Hulk, so he takes a risk by transforming again. Stark revives himself after nearly dying due to being in space too long and helps the fight. Pietro and Rogers nearly stop Loki, though it is revealed to be a copy of himself. The real Loki stabs Pietro, killing him, which causes Wanda to have an outburst that kills half the Chitauri. The Hulk finds Loki and beats him to a pulp, and with Thor finally stop him. The Avengers, all together, watch as the Chitauri all fall to the ground, dead. Barton is ordered to bring Romanoff in, though he lets her escape after she kisses him. The remaining Avengers go their separate ways after Pietro's funeral, with Thor taking Loki back to Asgard, though Fury states he is confident that when the time comes they will return together.

In a mid-credits scene, Pym, Stark, and Banner create the second, fully functional A.I. as a second defense system, naming it Ultron. In a post-credits scene, Banner tells Fury that he hopes he has the Hulk under complete control now and slaps on a watch to show him his blood pressure, with 280 as the limit. As Bruce enters a containment cell alone, he watches as his blood pressure hits 280, as his eyes open, green.

## Cast

* Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man
* Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America
* Chris Hemsworth as Thor
* Paul Rudd as Hank Pym/Ant-Man
* Evangelline Lilly as Janet van Dyne/Wasp
* Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk
* Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
* Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye
* Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
* Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver
* Tom Hiddleston as Loki
* Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill
* Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury