Mad Scientist High

This is going to be an interesting summer, in that we get to see the endgame of two radically different master plans in the theaters. In one corner, we have The Dark Knight Rises, in which Christopher Nolan’s singular take on Batman is set to conclude, and for which all bets are off. Will Bane kill Batman? Will Gotham fall into chaos, despite the best efforts of its masked hero? Will Anne Hathaway maybe get to play the most interesting female character in Nolan’s films to date (which is to say, an actual character, rather than a plot mechanism)? In the other corner, we have The Avengers, the film to which Marvel’s been building since Iron Man first wobbled into the theaters, sobered up, and stormed the box office (at least, until The Dark Knight came out a few weeks later). Just like their Silver Age-d, printed forebearers, the Marvel films have been interconnected – to varying degrees – each one adding to the base on which The Avengers needs to launch from. The franchises have been carefully managed from the get-go, with stars and directors picked up on the cheap, allowed to be a part of the machine only if their vision was to be sublimated to that of the company’s. Will The Avengers be the grand arrival party legions of Joss Whedon fans have longed to see, or a by-the-numbers crossover affair that leaves its audience as numb as the annual superhero slugfests that overwhelm mainstream comic books and their readers? We don’t have long until we find out the answers to all these questions, at least.

Now, if I had to answer Newton’s question, I’d be able to do so with a swiftness that would shame me: The Avengers. We’ve had plenty of Batman, honestly. He’s been a constant pop culture presence for longer than I’ve been alive, and since I’m a guy who has declared Captain America his favorite superhero for as long as he can remember, I’d jump for The Avengers and its bandwagon immediately, if asked to make a choice. Chris Evans was a good cap; I’m looking forward to seeing him bounce off Thor and Iron Man. Plus, I really want to see Mark Ruffalo’s performance as Bruce Banner. I’ve thought he was a perfect choice for the part from the moment his casting was announced.

Honestly, though, after the Prometheus trailers, I might just junk both Dark Knight Rises and Avengers for Ridley Scott’s [sorta] return to the world of Alien. Those trailers are more compelling than most of the movies I’ve ever seen…