The Avengers

Avengers Sinks Battleship at the Box Office

Avengers Coming to DVD and Blu-Ray on Sept. 25 Loaded with Extra Footage and Features

As it continues to dominate the box office, Disney just announced that The Avengers will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on Sept. 25. And remember when director Joss Whedon told fans to expect 30 minutes of deleted scenes with the movie's home video release? Well, all that bonus footage will be available on the movie's Blu-ray edition, which will feature bookending alternate opening and ending scenes featuring Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill. Other features on the four-disc combo pack include a gag reel, Assembling the Ultimate Team featurette, a Second Screen feature, and a commentary from Whedon himself. The DVD version is pretty slim on the bonus goodies, just including the commentary.

And there's rumors of a ten-disc set that would include all the Marvel movies (Iron Man 1 and 2, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, and Captain America). If that rumor comes true, better warm up that butt imprint on your couch.

Will Joss Whedon Return for The Avengers 2?

With The Avengers having already earned over a billion dollars at the box office, it seemed like a formality when Disney CEO Bob Iger formally announced that The Avengers 2 was in the works. Marvel President Kevin Feige followed that by telling Bloomberg that Marvel has five movies in development — three that have been announced as well as "two beyond that that we haven't announced yet, but we're working on."

With Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 already set for release in 2013, and Captain America 2 to follow in 2014, that would seem to be the three that Marvel has announced so far. Logic would dictate that Avengers 2 would be one of the unannounced projects, leading to the question: Will Avengers writer-director Joss Whedon return for the sequel? Whedon hasn't said one way or another in interviews, at times remarking that he "hasn't thought about [returning]" or mentioning the "extraordinary experience" he had with Marvel. Talking to The LA Times, Whedon admitted that he is "very torn" about a return.

The Avengers Smashes More Records in Its Second Weekend, Dark Shadows Disappoints

The Avengers: VFX Supervisor Explains Why Hulk Was a "Smash" This Time Around

The Hulk has always been a popular character. In publication more or less continuously since the early '60s, the "Jade Giant" has spawned several animated series, video games and, of course, the popular live-action TV movies and series starring Bill Bixby as David Banner (Bruce Banner in the comic books) & Lou Ferrigno as Banner's alter-ego that aired in the '70s and '80s. But, despite the enduring popularity of the character, the Hulk was not a hit with moviegoers — both 2003's The Hulk and 2008's The Incredible Hulk failed to impress at the box office — until his recent appearance in The Avengers. In fact, the Hulk's portrayal in the movie has been such a crowd-pleaser that Marvel is considering a third solo movie for the character.

What's the secret of the Hulk's success in The Avengers? If you've seen the movie, then you know that writer-director Joss Whedon was able to effectively portray the humorous side of a half-ton green man throwing a tantrum — something neither Ang Lee nor Louis Leterrier bothered to explore in The Hulk or The Incredible Hulk — in addition to the terrifying side of so much raw anger and power. But, there's more to it than that, says visual effects supervisor Jeff White. In addition to Whedon making good story choices concerning the Hulk, White said that Whedon's insistence that he be able "to see Mark Ruffalo in the design" of the Hulk, as well as other "good design decisions" such as size, body shape and color, contributed to the character being more believable and helped Hulk "fit in" with the rest of the Avengers.

The Avengers Director Joss Whedon Thanks His "Peeps"

Considering the exceedingly strong critical reception Marvel Studios' The Avengers has received, coupled with its incredible box office performance — "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" once again set a new record, earning $250 million in only six days, versus eight days for The Dark Knight — it's hard to believe that the man largely responsible for its success, Joss Whedon, both writer and director of the movie, could have ever felt like his career was "over" and that he had already said his "piece." But, that's exactly how Whedon has felt at times, recently discussing with GQ the disappointment he felt when his TV show Firefly was cancelled the same day that Warner Bros. rejected his pitch to relaunch the Batman franchise.

What got Whedon through his "dark years" to the place where he is now, virtually at the pinnacle of success as a writer and director in Hollywood? In a lengthy, heartfelt entry posted on his personal blog, Whedon credited his "three constants," his family, friends and collaborators. He also heaped praise on his loyal fans "peeps" for believing in him and for taking "guff" for loving his work.

New Featurette Focuses on the "Sound" of The Avengers; Reveals TV Hulk Lou Ferrigno's Role

Though Marvel Studios President of Production Kevin Feige recently said The Avengers is devoid of the little hidden references commonly known as "easter eggs" that have populated previous studio releases — "I find that they're distracting. Joss [Whedon, writer-director] finds that they're distracting. Frankly we want Avengers to work as its own movie, as a part one." — there is at least one hidden "cameo" to be found.

In a new featurette titled "The Sound of The Avengers, sound editor Christopher Boyes (King Kong, 2005) explains the effects behind everything from Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) hammer to Cap's (Chris Evans) shield to the Black Widow's (Scarlett Johansson) karate kicks. He also reveals that TV Hulk Lou Ferrigno contributed to the voice of the Hulk in The Avengers.

The Pentagon Does Not Approve of S.H.I.E.L.D. or The Avengers

Despite the fact that Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) and countless other all-too-human agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.(Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division) risked their lives to help Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.) and the rest of the costumed superheroes stop Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his otherworldly army in The Avengers, the real-life U.S. Defense Department has a problem with the fictional counterterrorism and intelligence agency.

Apparently, it's okay for a civilian to put on a homemade suit of armor and fly overseas to fight terrorists on their home turf — the Defense Department assisted Marvel Studios during the making of Iron Man — but a spy agency that operates on (and above) U.S. soil that doesn't answer to Washington is a big no-no. Phil Strub, the Defense Department's liaison to Hollywood, recently explained to Wired that the "unreality" of S.H.I.E.L.D. in The Avengers prompted the Pentagon to halt its cooperation with Marvel.

When Will There Be Avengers 2? Joss Whedon and Marvel's Kevin Feige Talk Sequel

It doesn't take a Hollywood insider to surmise that when a movie earns the biggest opening weekend ever, like The Avengers just did, a sequel is soon to follow. However, Marvel has already scheduled most of its upcoming slate, with both Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 opening in 2013 and Captain America 2 following in 2014.

Of course, the studio does have a May 16, 2014 release date already reserved for an as-yet-unannounced project, which could be filled by a myriad of projects Marvel has been developing, such as Ant-Man or Runaways. Better yet, perhaps that's where Marvel could release The Avengers 2. As Marvel president of production Kevin Feige recently told C.H.U.D. (via SlashFilm), a potential Avengers 2 won't arrive until "after" the solo sequels the studio has already planned.

The Avengers: Kevin Feige and Joss Whedon Give Up the Goods on the Mid-Credits Scene

We really hate to spoil the moviegoing experience for anyone, so if you haven't already seen The Avengers this is your cue to check out the latest Batman news or watch the new trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man instead. Still with us? Okay, strap in...

Like all of Marvel Studios' movies, there is a bonus scene at the very end of The Avengers, after the final credits have rolled away, which we recently learned was inspired by one of the better lines that Robert Downey Jr. improved. Unlike other Marvel movies, however, there are two bonus scenes at the end of The Avengers, the first of which takes place mid-credits and includes the reveal of a major Marvel Universe character not previously seen in any of the other movies. Though the character was hinted at in Thor, Marvel Studios President of Production Kevin Feige recently told /Film that the first bonus scene was all writer-director Joss Whedon's idea.