THE AVENGERS (2012): Ending Explained, THE AVENGERS 2 Plot Details

The Avengers Ending Explained, The Avengers 2 Plot Details. The explanation of the ending to The Avengers (2012) gives plot details for The Avengers 2. The explantation of the ending to The Avengers is a simple one for the movie directed by Joss Whedon and starring Scarlett Johansson, Clark Gregg, Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Lou Ferrigno, Jenny Agutter, Gwyneth Paltrow,Paul Bettany, Alicia Sixtos, Frank Powers, Darren Kendrick, and Joseph M. Abbott.

It can explained in one word: Thanos. We previously reviewed The Avengers here: The Avengers (2012) Film Review.

The mysterious person that turns and smiles after the line is given: “…is to court death itself.” is the Marvel villain Thanos.

Thanos

I should say super villain because of all of the powers Thanos possesses.

Thanos’ powers include:

enormous superhuman strength, stamina, and particularly durability; is able to absorb and project vast quantities of cosmic energy; is virtually ageless and immortal; does not need food, drink, or oxygen; and is capable of certain telekinesis, as well as telepathy and matter manipulation. The advanced technology within his transportation chairs includes force field projection, time travel, movement through alternate universes, space flight, and teleportation over interstellar distances. Thanos is an accomplished hand-to-hand combatant, having been trained in the art of war on Titan.

Thanos possesses superhuman intellect (he considers his mind his greatest weapon) and has knowledge of Celestial and other alien technology. Thanos is a genius in virtually all known fields of advanced science and has created technology far exceeding contemporary Earth science. He is also a master strategist and sometimes utilizes a space vessel called Sanctuary II as a base of operations.

All things considered, “[i]t’s a scene, or rather, a moment that plays strictly to the comic geeks in the audience.”

More information on Thanos:

Thanos is a mutant member of the race of superhumans known as the Titanian Eternals. The character possesses abilities common to the Eternals, but in some cases far beyond any other known member of his race; acquired through a combination of his mutant Eternal heritage, bionic amplification, mysticism, and the entity Death.

Why did Thanos turn and smile when death was mentioned?

he [was] born “misshapen and monstrous”, especially when compared to rest of his race of pretty people. From there, Thanos has one consuming passion that runs almost pretty much through his entire story:

He is obsessed with Death. So when the Chitauri leader says that to fight The Avengers would be “courting death itself,” it gives Thanos a smiley face.

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Comics being comics, death isn’t only a concept; it’s a literal being. From the Marvel Wiki:

Growing in power and infamy as he traveled the universe, Thanos once met Death itself, as it appeared to him embodied in a female form. Thanos was infatuated with the being, and endeavored to make himself worthy in order to earn her love in return. With an army under his command, he nearly destroyed his former home of Titan, declaring himself its ruler. He then sought out the powerful Cosmic Cube [known as the “Tesseract” in the movies], and a number of Earth’s heroes assembled to confront him.

This *could be* The Avengers 2 plot point and the string that will connect Thanos to all the Marvel films that have dealt with the Cosmic Cube. Since Marvel okayed the inclusion of Thanos at the end of The Avengers, it must have been broached that he would appear or be a influence in The Avengers 2 (though they did not know at that time that there would be a second film. It may have been Marvel planning ahead or just letting Joss Whedon include something cool).

And then there is Thanos’ famous gauntlet

In addition to his Death fixation, Thanos is also known for being the wielder of the Infinity Gauntlet…the Gauntlet is in Odin’s vault [the Thor connection and by extension, an Avengers connection as well].

Mistress Death believed that there was a cosmic imbalance in the universe – that there were more living than there were dead. As a result, Death resurrects her loyal servant Thanos, who is appointed the task of killing off half of the population of the universe. Not only is Thanos’ power augmented by Death, he is granted access to the Infinity Well, where he realizes the power of the Infinity Gems. After much plotting and scheming, Thanos wrestles the gems from their owners and gains mastery over Power, Mind, Space, Reality, Time, and the Soul.

Looking ahead to The Avengers 2, Thanos’ Death-obsession and the Infinity Gauntlet are the two things you should currently keep in mind because Marvel put them on the table.

Infinity Gauntlet Odin’s Vault

They currently did but what is the point of having someone as powerful as Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers 2? Anything bad Thanos does to The Avengers through the Infinity Gauntlet will most-likely be reversed by the time the credits roll. That is the cynic in me, sorry, but it doesn’t make it any less true.

Joss Whedon could do something very cool through the Infinity Gauntlet: [spoiler], from memory, Captain America is one of the last superheros standing when Thanos gets done with them. The others had been dispatched in very, very creative ways through the gauntlet. [end spoiler] Whedon could bring back Strategic Scientific Reserve Officer Peggy Carter (Steve Rogers love interest in Captain America: The First Avenger) through Thanos and the Gauntlet to entice Captain America to stop fighting. Whedon wanted to bring back Peggy in The Avengers but didn’t because of pacing issues.

Whedon also suggests that more women might be added to the next The Avengers film, my Peggy Carter speculation notwithstanding.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Joss Whedon suggested that The Avengers was a little heavy on the testosterone and the sequel could use some more female superheroes.

[Whedon said] Studios will tell you: A woman cannot headline an action movie. After The Hunger Games they might stop telling you that a little bit. Whatever you think of the movie, it’s done a great service. And after The Avengers, I think it’s changing.

…who could join the team? Several of the more famous Marvel ladies – Invisible Woman, all the X-Ladies – are at other studios. She-Hulk could probably work, Wasp is the safe bet as an Ant-Man movie is in development and EW’s article surmises Scarlet Witch, Moondragon, Hellcat, or Mantis (a decent bet too being one of the Guardians of the Galaxy).

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Source: Wikipedia, Collider, Slashfilm, Latino Review