NYCC 2011: Avenge and Assemble!

(Photo courtesy of Sarah Pfeffer)

Comic Con: The Avengers

Saturday, October 15^th, 2011: Day two of our New York Comic Con experience. Sarah and I, along with our friend, Ronnie, decided to wait in line for both The Walking Dead panel and The Avengers panel. We arrived at the designated waiting area at 3:30pm, almost two hours before The Walking Dead and three hours before The Avengers, to the sight of at least 15 hundred people in line already. Not exactly the small gathering we were hoping to see. We briskly made our way down the walkway that led to the end of the line, making sure no one could pass us.

5:15pm: The Walking Dead panel had already begun; we, on the other hand, were still waiting in line. Time continued to pass us by as the first panel we had come to see was ending and the next panel would begin soon. With exhaustion setting in from a long weekend, shin splints circulating, and no water to quench our thirst, the doors began to open for The Avengers. Slowly but surely, security began to let miniscule groups of five to ten people in at a time. It was already 6:50pm, twenty minutes after the panel was supposed to begin. The three of us were mere inches away; we could almost feel the presence of the actors nearby. Please let us in, please let us in, we all thought. The security guard finally waved us through the doors, what seemed like the last group of ten people to make it. YES! Unfortunately, we all had to separate, as the seating was scarce by the time we made it into the IGN Theater. My eyes scanned the packed 3,000 seat room. This was it and we hadn’t missed a thing.

The host, Chris Hardwick (host of the Nerdist Podcast), introduced the cast and crew one by one to extensive applause. “CEO of Marvel Studios: Kevin Feige… Agent Phil Coulson: Clark Gregg! Maria Hill: Cobie Smulders! Loki: Tom Hiddleston! Captain America: Chris Evans! This would not be a Comic Con if we didn’t have multiple surprises for you, so let me welcome to the stage…Mark Ruffalo: The Incredible Hulk!”

Here is a list of the important information released:

 

• Kevin Feige stated that at San Diego Comic Con in 2006 was the first mention of an Avengers movie.
• Chris Evans said that he realizes everyone always states how actors get along well during the filming of movies but that “We really got along so ridiculously well.” He talked about how it was nice to be able to shoot the scenes that weren’t in costume, but that since there were others filming in this movie that were in costume as well, it was “nice to share the misery.”
• Tom Hiddleston gave a shout out to both Joss Whedon and Kevin Feige for liking him enough to “add me to The Avengers.”
• Cobie Smulders relayed the fact that “This is my first Con,” to massive applause. She stated that it was “really fun” being apart of the intricate details that came with the costumes and the story. Smulders also mentioned that being on set with so many great actors was “extremely intimidating,” and that working with Joss was very exciting.
• Clark Gregg said that, “I never thought the journey would take me to Iron Man 2, Thor, and The Avengers.” He then proceeded to sing his version of the Avengers theme song.
• Mark Ruffalo mentioned the “Hulks” of the past and how he drew on their performances but also “Ruffalized” it. He said that he and Edward Norton are friends and that they joke that, “this is my generation’s Hamlet; We’re all gonna get a chance at the part.” Footage was then shown of a scene between Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson). In my humble opinion, this was the scene that I needed to see in order to be completely sold on Ruffalo’s portrayal of Banner, and I was in no way disappointed.
• Kevin Feige commented that in the past, the Hulk performances were completely CGI; however, the Hulk in The Avengers is Mark’s performance.
• Tom Hiddleston turned out to be a fan favorite; and by fan favorite, I mean that basically every question from the crowd was directed towards him.
• Clark Gregg went on to talk about one of the only nights that the entire cast was in town for filming and some after-hours socializing. He said that he received the best text message that he had ever gotten in his life from Chris Evans, saying: “Assemble.”
• Kevin Feige stated that there will be an extra scene after the credits.

 

Overall, this panel was fantastic. It was well worth the four hour wait. The actors had me laughing throughout the whole event and the new information and scenes, while limited, were worthwhile. At the bottom of this article, I have posted a link for the entire panel (minus the new footage, sadly). It is a little over 40 minutes long, but if you have the time and are at all interested, check it out. Otherwise, I have also posted a short video of Clark Gregg singing his version of The Avengers theme song (it is hilarious).

More ComicCon News to come…