post-AVENGERS crazy talk 2

Again with my post-movie rambling, this time after a second screening, so, again - *SPOILER ALERT!!!*

When Cap comes back from the helicarrier warehouse where the Ark of the Covenant is stored, the "Phase 2" weapons he throws on the lab table have the Hydra insignia. Did *not* notice that before. A nice touch, as it makes his righteous outrage extra righteous.

I tried but could NOT make out what was on screen that dismayed Banner so much. But "GAMMA" was definitely prominently featured. So, maybe his detection algorithm picked up on Loki's spear radiating in the gamma spectrum? OR, maybe Hawkeye's arrow had some kind of gamma emitter in its arrowhead payload? Or a dirty gamma bomb? and THAT's what was detected?

* 120507. After a bit of discussion with Joe, I think I've got it figured out. Joe and I realized that if the detector was successful in aggregating gamma spectrometer readings blah-blah-blah, it would reveal that the Tesseract was in or near NYC, its destination: Stark Tower. It would have *nothing* to say about an attack on the carrier or an imminent explosion. That's just brilliant/horrible timing of an attack designed to cripple SHIELD and recover Loki.

The important points that emerge from or refer back to Banner learning the Cube's whereabouts:

1. Banner knows that the Tesseract is in or bound for NYC, and probably Stark Tower, given that he knows about the Arc Reactor.

2. No one else knows this fact when the attack on the carrier happens, and Banner never has the chance to relay the info (he Hulks out before he can). Stark (and Cap) talk out the logic of it later, tho.

3. Stark tells Cap and the others to let him know when Banner arrives because he's realized that Banner would have seen the NYC/Stark Tower location on the detector. It *does* sound perfectly logical that Banner would roll into Manhattan after having seen a news report about the attack, realizing that the Hulk could actually help, and then owning it and finding it in himself to "suit up." But, his having learned the location from the detector does give him a good and smarter head start from that warehouse in Jersey or wherever he landed.

Maybe.

After Hulk smacks Widow into that machinery and Thor saves her from a killing blow, we definitely do not see her until Fury radios the APB about Hawkeye being on his way to the flight deck or wherever, presumably to escape. It strikes me that the important thing could be that it's the mention of Clint Barton that snaps her out of her post-Hulk-stress-disorder. Still, I would've liked a bit of reinforcement of the notion that she hasn't left that spot/position for all that time. But then... why? Did she go up against the Hulk before? A similar overpowering outmatching opponent?

Gotta say, on second screening, Natasha gets almost as much time and focus as the other guys put together. Not a bad thing, really.

Something I forgot to mention in my previous ramble, something that is sort of a flip side or complement to the "Liberty Bell" move. What to call it, tho...? "Lightning Rod?" "Jump Start?"

In that same Black Forest battle, Thor does his God of Lightning thing vs. Iron Man, not knowing that Stark's armor is built to store and use such energy, allowing him to blast it right back at him. Pretty sweet move, and something that would be fun to see in a battle where Iron Man's repulsors, or maybe even speed, is of more value than Thor's lightning for some reason.

Also, also, forgot to say how much I *love* another actual combo that was used in the battle for Manhattan: Iron Man blasts a few Chitauri while Cap beats a couple down when Cap braces himself with his shield facing Iron Man and Iron Man blasts his shield, causing the beams to bounce back at targets that are behind him. Too frickin fun! =)

Coulson squeezed a couple of tears out of me again. Dammit.

I didn't make the connection the first time, but when Thor and Loki are up on that German mountaintop going on about their brotherly love ("He's adopted."), two black birds wing their way thru the scene. Didn't realize the significance on first viewing (altho it did flash me over to CABIN IN THE WOODS, nothing conspicuous is done without a reason, a plan, remember?) but this time, they registered as Muninn and Huginn, Odin's ravens. So Odin's keeping an eye on his boys, but I wonder if they appeared in any other scenes in the film. Maybe they slipped thru the Tesseract portal to Chitauri/Thanos space? Odin sent them to check out the Burning Galaxy, right? And Surtur and Malekith dispatched them with extreme prejudice, slashing at them all the way to Bifrost, turned away by Heimdall.

Maybe Odin wants to keep an eye on the humans, realizing that Fury and SHIELD's Tesseract weapons development was a logical next step in Midgard-Asgardian "relations" after Thor's throwdown w Loki and the Destroyer in the first THOR movie.

Or perhaps they're checking up on other Asgardian droppings, left behind on Midgard when the Norse gods decided to go laissez faire with their meddling in human civilization... 

I want to say that the ravens can pierce the veils between worlds/dimensions on their own, but maybe the Marvel movie universe rules don't allow that. Makes sense that they would have hitched a ride with Thor when Odin conjured up the "dark energy" whatzit required to beam him to Midgard.

I didn't realize the first time that when Loki spear-skypes with the Chitauri that when the alien starts to lecture him he's referring to Thanos in a very sideways way. Stuff like, "He who gave you the power to defeat all who stand against you" or some such, y'know? He's talking about the Big Purple Guy.

Is this a fair assessment, SAT-question style?

     Thor : Hawkeye :: Thanos : Thor

They're gonna hafta write in or uncover some vulnerability or generally downgrade Thanos's power levels *or* introduce some Power Cosmic-ally charged Avengers ally or allies. Quasar? Captain Marvel? I *did* notice that Project Pegasus had their name on the Dark Energy Research Lab where SHIELD was conducting Tesseract development. Maybe they've already got some aliens there? Sympatico or as captives? Roswell, anyone? Hrmm... Asgard's Bifrost connection on this end was in New Mexico, wasn't it...?

Maybe the Chitauri tech that's fallen all over NYC can be reverse engineered? Or maybe it allows Omni-Wave communication with other aliens who have faced Thanos or the Chitauri already...?

Too bad they blew Galactus and the Silver Surfer on the FF movies already...

Maybe other Heralds are game, tho?

The Infinity Gauntlet would be a lot of fun as several quests spread out over multiple hero films, but we've already seen all(?) the gems on the gauntlet in THOR, right? I'd rather not have every cosmic threat that assembles the Avengers to come from Odin's storage unit, y'know? It's kind of too convenient, donchathink?

Hrmm... Maybe Thanos has some Earthling disciples or emissaries? I mean, he's the ultimate Goth, right? He could easily turn some demotivated nihilistic Earthicans into worshipers, provided he could communicate or broadcast to them across the galaxy.

The Tesseract is an Asgardian artifact, isn't it? Thor says that its use is a signal to other worlds that Earth and humanity are ready for a "higher form of war." A pretty awesome statement. I'd mixed-uppedly thought that the Tesseract was a creation of the Red Skull and Hydra in CAPTAIN AMERICA, but that was a mis-remembering, right? Cuz what must've happened was that the Red Skull tracked down the already created (but inert?) Tesseract hidden in that Norse temple or whatever it was.

But I like the idea that humans created it. And that Out There in the Cosmos are beings who can detect Tesseract development and energy, and see this energy as a sign of a world's or race's advancement, but not so much in a positive light. Only a few civilizations survived the creation of a Tesseract and these few have taken it upon themselves to judge and either guide or destroy the civilizations that develop them in the future, justified by the idea that even one misused/misdirected Tesseract threatens whole stars systems and perhaps galaxies.

Kinda like PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE and Solaranite or whatever it was called.

But but, it seems that the Tesseract was not created by humans. It might not have been created by Asgardians, either, but it was definitely under their protection (but carelessly left behind on Midgard once the Gods retreated to Asgard?). So, is there one and only one Tesseract? Thanos and the Chitauri track it and manipulate any race that finds it into opening a portal, enabling them to invade and conquer and sacrifice that race to Death?

Hrmmm...

Oh! The Tesseract is already *known* to be a portal creator at the beginning of this movie. Solweig's research since Thor might have revealed that I suppose. Hawkeye explains so matter-of-factly, "This thing is a door to the other side of the galaxy, right? Doors open from both sides." So, it's a power source and a gateway. Also, according to Solweig's tripping self, it has "behavior," perhaps a will. That was the origin of the Shaper of Worlds, right? He's an evolved cosmic cube...?

Oh, I *would* like to see Asgard plagued by a Tesseract-fueled Red Skull. If he could subdue Asgard, maybe during the Odinsleep (too convenient?), then he could launch an attack on Midgard and attempt to establish a Fourth Reich. Wheee!~

Something I look forward to seeing in a future Cap, Thor, or Avengers flick: Captain America lifting Thor's hammer. "Whosoever be worthy..." or whatever, right? I can't remember when it happens, but I recall that Cap manages such a feat in Marvel's comic book universe as well as in the Ultimate universe. Superman was able to do it once in JLA/AVENGERS. Beta Ray Bill has done it repeatedly. Anyhow, I think it would be a great moment to stage in front of Odin and/or other Asgardians, to demonstrate the worthiness of humans/Midgardians.

Maybe more after screening number three, yet to be scheduled... =)

Keep on keepin on~