Avengers: Age of Ultron beginner’s guide: what you need to know

Get up to speed on Marvel’s superhero roster with our handy cheat-sheet
Marvel
Ben Travis23 April 2015

Marvel superhero team the Avengers are about to lead another onslaught on the worldwide box office with the arrival of Age of Ultron – the sequel to the third highest-grossing film of all time, Avengers Assemble.

The film is part of Marvel’s inter-connected Cinematic Universe, meaning many of the characters have appeared on-screen in various other films before. Don’t worry though – if you don’t know your Iron Man from your Captain America, use our handy guide to get up to speed.

Who are the Avengers?

OK, beginner’s stuff. The original Avengers team brought together in Avengers Assemble is as follows:

Iron Man

Real name:

Tony Stark
Played by: Robert Downey Jr
Powers: Stark is an inventor and weapons expert - he creates robotic suits that allow him to fly, take serious damage, and fire various weapons.

The Incredible Hulk

Real name:

Bruce Banner
Played by: Mark Ruffalo
Powers: Big. Green. Angry. Come on, you know the Hulk right?

Thor

Real name:

Thor (yes, really, he’s a Norse God)
Played by: Chris Hemsworth
Powers: He’s the Norse God of thunder, so expect plenty of lightning shows. He has a big, erm, magic hammer (fun fact: it’s called Mjolnir) that only he can pick up.

Captain America

Real name:

Steve Rogers
Played by: Chris Evans (no, not the BBC Radio 2 presenter)
Powers: Cap is a super-soldier from World War 2. He’s super strong, agile, and top-notch in hand-to-hand contact.

Black Widow

Real name:

Natasha Romanoff
Played by: Scarlett Johansson
Powers: Agent Romanoff has no supernatural powers, but she’s a deadly shot with a pistol. Don’t underestimate her.

Hawkeye

Real name:

Clint Barton
Played by: Jeremy Renner
Powers: Again, nothing technically supernatural, but his skills with a bow (and don’t forget the explosive arrows) aren’t to be trifled with.

Got it. What about Spider-Man and the X-Men, they’re Marvel right?

They are Marvel comic book characters, but Fox currently hold the film rights to X-Men. While Sony hold the Spider-Man rights, a new deal launched with Marvel Studios earlier this year will mean that Spidey will be joining the Avengers further down the line. Exciting!

Ok, and what’s an Ultron?

We don’t know Ultron yet – he’s new to this film. To give you a head-start here’s what we know so far. Ultron is a robot, created by Tony Stark (Iron Man). He has artificial intelligence, and is borne of a worldwide defence system designed by Stark to stop anything really bad happening (say, an alien invasion that destroys most of Manhattan – see Avengers Assemble for more details on that). Ultron comes to the conclusion that the main thing that stands in the way of the world peace is all the pesky humans, and sets out to destroy us all.

Why are the Avengers always fighting each other? Aren’t they supposed to be friends?

Yes, they’re friends really. But like any friends with unimaginable levels of super powers and egos to match, they clash sometimes. Especially when one of them accidentally creates a robot who’s trying to destroy the world.

Is this all connected to Guardians of the Galaxy?

Yes, last summer’s ultra-fun blockbuster is also in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but if you’ve seen it you’ll know it takes place way off in the far reaches of space. The Guardians might meet the Avengers one day, but it’s likely not to happen for a while.

Where can I watch all the other films to get up to speed?

Ah, the most important bit – the best way to get totally prepared for Age of Ultron is simply to watch all the other Marvel Cinematic Universe films. If you feel like taking that on, here’s the order you should watch them in:

Iron Man
The Incredible Hulk
Iron Man 2
Thor
Captain America: The First Avenger
Avengers Assemble
Iron Man 3
Thor: The Dark World
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians of the Galaxy

Got that? They’re all available on DVD, BluRay and digital formats, but if you’ve got a Netflix account you can catch Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger there too.

Congratulations – you’ve passed Avengers 101 and are now all set for Age of Ultron.

The Avengers

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