One of the highlights of 2014 in the world of geekdom, was getting the first glimpse of footage of The Avengers: Age of Ultron. The anticipation has been growing for the film that is the culmination of the second wave of Marvel films, following the release of the smash hit The Avengers. Among the many highlights shown in the trailer, Ultron, a disheveled Bruce Banner, and the Hulk facing off against Iron Man in an industrial-sized suit, caught the attention of fans and theorists everywhere. It seems that those iconic shots may be tied together closer than was previously thought.

In a recent interview, actor Mark Ruffalo gave a further peek behind the curtain of director Joss Whedon’s ambitious sequel. In The Avengers, we find Banner helping impoverished people in Calcutta as an attempt to stay off the radar. He is of course recruited by Black Widow for The Avengers Initiative and goes on to help save the world as a team member, while showing increased control over his dark side. He also forged a friendship with Tony Stark. Ruffalo explains what Banner is up to early on in the Age of Ultron.

“Banner’s been living in Stark Tower. They’ve been working side by side and Bruce has his own lab now. He’s doing work that augments Tony’s own, which could lead to an experiment going wrong…”

It has been widely assumed that Stark will be the Dr. Frankenstein behind the monstrous Ultron. After all, it is clear that he gains sentience and uses one of Stark’s inventions as a body, before remodeling himself.

 

If Banner had a hand in the creation of Ultron as well, does this somehow lead to the confrontation seen between the two in the trailer? It is just as likely that the Hulk is being manipulated by a third party, such as Scarlet Witch, however this could still give an extra layer of tension regardless. More importantly it could put the very human Banner and Stark at odds, which could be another fracture in the team, leading into Captain America: Civil War.

There have also been strong rumors that the relationship between Banner and Black Widow will be growing. This is what Ruffalo had to say on the two.

“His relationship with Natasha deepens. There’s something similar about the two of them. I see them as lost souls. They’re kindred in some ways.” 

Black Widow’s role and value in the Age of Ultron and the larger Marvel cinematic universe has been underplayed. She is a mortal in a world of superbeings and her main defining trait is that she is a really good spy. With that distinction, she hides a checkered past that is not all heroic. In fact, Black Widow was a cold blooded assassin and that knowledge was released to the world at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, like she was a part of the recent Sony hacking.

So much like Banner, she hides a dark side that she does not want the world to see. If and when the public sees the monster that they both can be, many will inevitably turn on them. It’s important to keep in mind the increasing political nature of the Marvel universe as it prepares to go to battle with itself in Civil War. Perhaps Widow’s past is addressed in Age of Ultron and Banner is the one member who can understand being persecuted by the public, which brings them closer together. 

There are a lot of exciting possibilities opening up for the upcoming Avengers sequel. With five months to go, we will be bringing you the latest on one of the most anticipated movies of 2015. 

The Avengers: Age of Ultron opens May 1st, 2015. 

Do you like the direction that they are taking the Hulk and Black Widow?  Let us know on the comment boards, , , and !

Source: Latino Review