Avengers out on DVD

[EnterpriseSovereign]

I think SHIELD was under the impression it would kill him, but they didn't have the intel yet about him basically being indestructible.

It's not entirely clear what SHIELD knew about what effect it would have, the dialog addressing this is below:

Fury: "The cell was just in..."
Banner: "In case you needed to kill me but you can't- I know, I tried"

[Batman]

Yeah, I totally didn't comment on that earlier.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

After looking at it again, Thor and Hulk were said to be on "research level 4", after they burst up through the floor of that room. The fighter was ordered to "proceed to wishbone and engage hostile. Don't get too close"

The pilot obviously ignored the "don't get too close" part

[Ted C]

The first thing Thor does is Ram Hulk through a wall to get him away from Widow. It looked to me, from vague memory admittedly, like a Cargo hold.

It was a hangar, since there were planes stored in there.

[Ted C]

The pilot obviously ignored the "don't get too close" part

Or he just seriously underestimated minimum safe distance.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

The pilot obviously ignored the "don't get too close" part

Or he just seriously underestimated minimum safe distance.

Entirely possible given the look on his face when the Hulk leapt at him. The ejection sequence looked kinda weird though, I know it was interrupted by hulk grabbing the seat, I didn't expect his chute to open immediately though.

At least the blu-ray copy I mentioned arrived in the post this morning , so I'll be able to look at things in more detail. The whole engine turbine thing made me realise, surely the turbine would have to be balanced by removing a blade from the opposite side as well as the ruined one otherwise when it gets up to speed the imbalance would cause the whole thing to shake itself to pieces. Unless Iron Man simply did that off screen.

[Kojiro]

Entirely possible given the look on his face when the Hulk leapt at him.

Target angry! TARGET ANGRY!

Clearly the capabilities of the Hulk are not well known amongst SHIELD personnel. At least he'll have a story to tell.

At least the blu-ray copy I mentioned arrived in the post this morning

For some reason here in Aus, they sold it either as DVD, Blu-ray+DVD or 3D Blu-Ray and Digital Copy. Since I lack any 3D technology (not strictly true but damned if I'm watching it on my partners 23" monitor) but we have Blu-ray players I was forced to go for the Blu-ray+DVD option. I have found, to my incredible annoyance, that the Blu-Ray does not contain the special commentary- it's on the DVD. My friend who bought the DVD however claims it is not on her copy, nor are any of the deleted scenes or other extras. This kind of marketing really shits me. Even worse when I consider I kinda want to buy that ridiculous boxed set with all the movies.

On a barely related note, I got a late birthday present yesterday. It weights about 5kg and unwieldy as fuck but hey, at least I could pick it up

[EnterpriseSovereign]

For some reason here in Aus, they sold it either as DVD, Blu-ray+DVD or 3D Blu-Ray and Digital Copy. Since I lack any 3D technology (not strictly true but damned if I'm watching it on my partners 23" monitor) but we have Blu-ray players I was forced to go for the Blu-ray+DVD option. I have found, to my incredible annoyance, that the Blu-Ray does not contain the special commentary- it's on the DVD. My friend who bought the DVD however claims it is not on her copy, nor are any of the deleted scenes or other extras. This kind of marketing really shits me. Even worse when I consider I kinda want to buy that ridiculous boxed set with all the movies.

Yeah, I heard that about some versions only having the commentary on the DVD (even though personally I rarely listen to it, I draw the line at a death scene being altered)- whenever I get a film I always go for the triple play option wherever possible. Kinda funny that my Dad didn't realise that triple plays have two discs, and he's wondering why the title screen is only DVD-quality

The US import took a while, but given the estimate said it could have arrived any time between the end of last week and the middle of December, I'm not complaining I tested it to make sure it played here and it does, so I'll be watching it on the big screen some time on the weekend.

That hammer is really cool, have you swung it in a circle like Thor did, or is it fixed to the base? Cool that you could pick it up, not even the Hulk could do that!

[Kojiro]

Yeah, I heard that about some versions only having the commentary on the DVD (even though personally I rarely listen to it, I draw the line at a death scene being altered)- whenever I get a film I always go for the triple play option wherever possible. Kinda funny that my Dad didn't realise that triple plays have two discs, and he's wondering why the title screen is only DVD-quality

What really bugs me though is that I gave the DVD to a friend, thinking 'hey, I have the Blu-ray'. He's helpfully offered to give it back but it's still annoying. Was there not room on the Blu-ray? I know this is a first world problem but I resent having to watch the DVD to hear the commentary (or possibly just that I haven't been able to yet).

That hammer is really cool, have you swung it in a circle like Thor did, or is it fixed to the base? Cool that you could pick it up, not even the Hulk could do that!

I'm honestly too scared to do much with it. It's steel, and has a steel core in the handle, but I'm so terrified of breaking it (or whatever it may hit). I *may* have held it aloft and waited for magical lightning armour to attach itself to me but alas nothing happened. I'll wait for a storm and try again then

Edit: fixed tags.

[Havok]

You should at least mash a sibling or a friend with it once.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

I had a weird dream the other night where I was Thor, I'd reach out for the hammer but I couldn't figure out how to get it to fly into my hand. In the end, what I had to do was say the hammer's name and it did the trick

[Kojiro]

I had an idle thought, something that would perhaps have been an amusing interjection into the carrier scenes before the action (probably wouldn't have worked at all with pacing though).

I imagine Stark wandering through the helicarrier and just by chance happens to stumble across the location Thor has left Mjolnir (in my head it was for some reason a corridor). At first he just kinda passes it with a casual, backwards look and off camera out of shot. A moment later he reappears at the edge of the shot looking at the hammer, then steps toward it tentatively, looking around like he knows he's about to do something he doesn't want anyone watching for. He steps up to the hammer, slowly bends down and grasps the handle... and pulls. Naturally it doesn't budge an inch. Stark ceases his efforts and then suddenly grips it again and strains like his life depends on it. A few seconds of utterly useless pulling and he comes to the conclusion Mjolnir is heavier than anyone suspected. With a quizzical 'huh' he again exists off screen in the direction he was previously traveling. Insert another scene with Cap busting into the armoury or Thor talking to Fury or whatever. Some time passes and when that scene ends we cut back to the hallway with Mjolnir. We hear the faint whine of electric motors and dull clunk of metal on metal that gets louder as the MK6 (I think it was 6) Iron Man strolls into frame. The face plate raises and Stark does the same naughty look around as he approaches the hammer, bends down and again strains to lift it. By dumb luck Rogers happens to be walking past at that moment and catches him mid lift. He quickly releases it and tries to look nonchalant. Rogers, with a slightly bemused look on his face as he passes by stops, leans over quickly to pick up Mjolnir, inspect it briefly, then return it to where he found it. All the while watched by a confused Stark who, upon Rogers exiting the shot, immediately tries again lift Mjolnir, again getting nowhere. After a moment he shoots a slightly scared look down the hallway in the direction Rogers went.

It's probably funnier in my head but if we're sharing dreams...

[Tsyroc]

I had an idle thought, something that would perhaps have been an amusing interjection into the carrier scenes before the action (probably wouldn't have worked at all with pacing though).

I imagine Stark wandering through the helicarrier and just by chance happens to stumble across the location Thor has left Mjolnir (in my head it was for some reason a corridor). At first he just kinda passes it with a casual, backwards look and off camera out of shot. A moment later he reappears at the edge of the shot looking at the hammer, then steps toward it tentatively, looking around like he knows he's about to do something he doesn't want anyone watching for. He steps up to the hammer, slowly bends down and grasps the handle... and pulls. Naturally it doesn't budge an inch. Stark ceases his efforts and then suddenly grips it again and strains like his life depends on it. A few seconds of utterly useless pulling and he comes to the conclusion Mjolnir is heavier than anyone suspected. With a quizzical 'huh' he again exists off screen in the direction he was previously traveling. Insert another scene with Cap busting into the armoury or Thor talking to Fury or whatever. Some time passes and when that scene ends we cut back to the hallway with Mjolnir. We hear the faint whine of electric motors and dull clunk of metal on metal that gets louder as the MK6 (I think it was 6) Iron Man strolls into frame. The face plate raises and Stark does the same naughty look around as he approaches the hammer, bends down and again strains to lift it. By dumb luck Rogers happens to be walking past at that moment and catches him mid lift. He quickly releases it and tries to look nonchalant. Rogers, with a slightly bemused look on his face as he passes by stops, leans over quickly to pick up Mjolnir, inspect it briefly, then return it to where he found it. All the while watched by a confused Stark who, upon Rogers exiting the shot, immediately tries again lift Mjolnir, again getting nowhere. After a moment he shoots a slightly scared look down the hallway in the direction Rogers went.

It's probably funnier in my head but if we're sharing dreams...

Nope it's not just in your head. That would be a good bit. I think it would work just with the Stark stuff but it's even better with Cap being in there.

[Tsyroc]

For some reason here in Aus, they sold it either as DVD, Blu-ray+DVD or 3D Blu-Ray and Digital Copy. Since I lack any 3D technology (not strictly true but damned if I'm watching it on my partners 23" monitor) but we have Blu-ray players I was forced to go for the Blu-ray+DVD option. I have found, to my incredible annoyance, that the Blu-Ray does not contain the special commentary- it's on the DVD. My friend who bought the DVD however claims it is not on her copy, nor are any of the deleted scenes or other extras. This kind of marketing really shits me. Even worse when I consider I kinda want to buy that ridiculous boxed set with all the movies.

There's an iTunes app that works along with the Blu-Ray. There's a part that syncs with the movie as it's playing and it provides additional information as you go along. Some of it includes videos or articles that you can select. It's also possible to go through all of the stuff without the movie playing.

On a barely related note, I got a late birthday present yesterday. It weights about 5kg and unwieldy as fuck but hey, at least I could pick it up

Cool. I've been telling myself that I don't need any more Thor hammers but that one looks really good. I like the base for it. The prop/replica hammers I have came with stands. The newer version of the classic Mjolnir has a base that looks like rock but I have the earlier one that's wood with a plaque on it.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

I had an idle thought, something that would perhaps have been an amusing interjection into the carrier scenes before the action (probably wouldn't have worked at all with pacing though).

I imagine Stark wandering through the helicarrier and just by chance happens to stumble across the location Thor has left Mjolnir (in my head it was for some reason a corridor). At first he just kinda passes it with a casual, backwards look and off camera out of shot. A moment later he reappears at the edge of the shot looking at the hammer, then steps toward it tentatively, looking around like he knows he's about to do something he doesn't want anyone watching for. He steps up to the hammer, slowly bends down and grasps the handle... and pulls. Naturally it doesn't budge an inch. Stark ceases his efforts and then suddenly grips it again and strains like his life depends on it. A few seconds of utterly useless pulling and he comes to the conclusion Mjolnir is heavier than anyone suspected. With a quizzical 'huh' he again exists off screen in the direction he was previously traveling. Insert another scene with Cap busting into the armoury or Thor talking to Fury or whatever. Some time passes and when that scene ends we cut back to the hallway with Mjolnir. We hear the faint whine of electric motors and dull clunk of metal on metal that gets louder as the MK6 (I think it was 6) Iron Man strolls into frame. The face plate raises and Stark does the same naughty look around as he approaches the hammer, bends down and again strains to lift it. By dumb luck Rogers happens to be walking past at that moment and catches him mid lift. He quickly releases it and tries to look nonchalant. Rogers, with a slightly bemused look on his face as he passes by stops, leans over quickly to pick up Mjolnir, inspect it briefly, then return it to where he found it. All the while watched by a confused Stark who, upon Rogers exiting the shot, immediately tries again lift Mjolnir, again getting nowhere. After a moment he shoots a slightly scared look down the hallway in the direction Rogers went.

It's probably funnier in my head but if we're sharing dreams...

Nope it's not just in your head. That would be a good bit. I think it would work just with the Stark stuff but it's even better with Cap being in there.

That would be fun, only issue I'd have would be why Mjolnir would let Rogers pick it up but not Banner or Stark. I should look through the disk, see if maybe that's a deleted scene

[Tsyroc]

Nope it's not just in your head. That would be a good bit. I think it would work just with the Stark stuff but it's even better with Cap being in there.

That would be fun, only issue I'd have would be why Mjolnir would let Rogers pick it up but not Banner or Stark. I should look through the disk, see if maybe that's a deleted scene

Well, I meant that it wasn't funny just in his head. I thought it was pretty good too. I haven't seen any deleted scene like that on my disk, nor heard of one like it. I could even see Joss Whedon going for something like that. Maybe if he directs Avengers 2.

In the comics Cap was able to lift Mjolnir but it was later stated to likely be a one of situation. Much later, In the JLA vs. Avengers it's stated that part of Odin's enchantment allows for others, not necessarily your usual worthy types, to wield the hammer in extremely dire situations.

[Kojiro]

I don't know if movie Cap can lift it or not but given his origin story my money would be on yes. And it makes the scene funnier that way. Plus I have this wacky idea for a scene in the second Avengers movie where a badly wounded Thor hands off Mjolnir (and his power) to Cap as a sort of surprise counterattack. I can see the villain going 'Ha ha ha, I have bested Thor and Hulk, what could you possibly do to me now Avengers!? Ha ha ha- THUNK!' as Mjolnir slams into his head and he see a Mjolnir powered up Cap catch the returning hammer. Then an epic throw down happens which Cap of course carries the day, or at least holds the guy off until Hawkeye and Widow can pull off/plant and activate Stark's top secret super win plan.

[Ted C]

I had an idle thought, something that would perhaps have been an amusing interjection into the carrier scenes before the action (probably wouldn't have worked at all with pacing though).

I imagine Stark wandering through the helicarrier and just by chance happens to stumble across the location Thor has left Mjolnir (in my head it was for some reason a corridor). At first he just kinda passes it with a casual, backwards look and off camera out of shot. A moment later he reappears at the edge of the shot looking at the hammer, then steps toward it tentatively, looking around like he knows he's about to do something he doesn't want anyone watching for. He steps up to the hammer, slowly bends down and grasps the handle... and pulls. Naturally it doesn't budge an inch. Stark ceases his efforts and then suddenly grips it again and strains like his life depends on it. A few seconds of utterly useless pulling and he comes to the conclusion Mjolnir is heavier than anyone suspected. With a quizzical 'huh' he again exists off screen in the direction he was previously traveling. Insert another scene with Cap busting into the armoury or Thor talking to Fury or whatever. Some time passes and when that scene ends we cut back to the hallway with Mjolnir. We hear the faint whine of electric motors and dull clunk of metal on metal that gets louder as the MK6 (I think it was 6) Iron Man strolls into frame. The face plate raises and Stark does the same naughty look around as he approaches the hammer, bends down and again strains to lift it. By dumb luck Rogers happens to be walking past at that moment and catches him mid lift. He quickly releases it and tries to look nonchalant. Rogers, with a slightly bemused look on his face as he passes by stops, leans over quickly to pick up Mjolnir, inspect it briefly, then return it to where he found it. All the while watched by a confused Stark who, upon Rogers exiting the shot, immediately tries again lift Mjolnir, again getting nowhere. After a moment he shoots a slightly scared look down the hallway in the direction Rogers went.

It's probably funnier in my head but if we're sharing dreams...

Nope it's not just in your head. That would be a good bit. I think it would work just with the Stark stuff but it's even better with Cap being in there.

While amusing, I don't think a throw-away scene like this would do Cap lifting the hammer justice.

If they go that way, I expect it to happen in the middle of a giant brawl with Thanos. Tony's armor is in shreds, Hulk has been outsmarted into defeat, Widow and Hawkeye are barely holding their own against mooks, Cap has been trying to bash Thanos with no effect, and even Thor has just been knocked out by Thanos. Everything looks bad, and the hammer falls right next to Cap's hand. Thanos is about to step on Thor's neck when he gets a tap on the shoulder...

[EnterpriseSovereign]

A few things I've been meaning to mention but didn't get around to:

For all their intimidating presence, the Leviathans don't actually have any ranged weaponry, their method of attack being to bull-rush everything in their path. In effect, they are essentially very large Armoured Personnel Carriers.

On a related point, when the mothership was destroyed by the nuclear warhead (which seemed to have an impact trigger), was the rest of the enemy dropping dead directly because of the ship being destroyed, or because of the EMP that would have accompanied the detonation?

Also, looking at how things went as the battle wore on, it becomes clear that some of the good guys would have been able to continue far better than others:

Romanov would have been able to fight on for a limited length of time, she would have only been useful for as long as she'd been able to wield captured enemy weapons.

Barton was only able to contribute for as long as he had a supply of arrows, as soon as he exhausted them he was out of the fight and took no further part in the action, his double quiver could only hold maybe a couple dozen arrows.

Rogers was clearly showing signs of exhaustion, he could hold his own against the enemy soldiers for the most part until he was knocked down and was rescued by Thor (and considering he was easily beaten by Loki earlier) he probably would have needed time to recover.

Stark was largely uninjured, but the same couldn't be said of his Iron Man armour. Even though the damage was largely cosmetic until Thor ripped off the face piece, as well as from his power reserves being almost completely drained due to extended use of repulsors, just about all of the ammunition-based weapons the suit possessed had been expended by the end. In order for him to continue he would have needed to recharge and rearm himself.

Hulk was in far better shape- despite being pummelled into the ground by about twenty bikes the only actual damage he showed was a nosebleed, and he seemed to have largely recovered in time to catch Iron Man as he fell out of the sky.

Which leaves Thor- out of all of them he arguably could have fought on all day, when Rogers was getting overwhelmed he stepped in by tossing a car which crushed most of the attackers. Also, his lightning was also able to fry groups of enemies at a time, which coupled with the mobility his hammer provided made him the most able to fight on. At least, that's how I read it.

[Lord Relvenous]

Which leaves Thor- out of all of them he arguably could have fought on all day, when Rogers was getting overwhelmed he stepped in by tossing a car which crushed most of the attackers. Also, his lightning was also able to fry groups of enemies at a time, which coupled with the mobility his hammer provided made him the most able to fight on. At least, that's how I read it.

He was also suffering from a stab wound to the abdomen. Earlier in the thread, this was suggested as a reason he did not do multiple big lightning strikes during the fight.

[Kojiro]

I think, given Thor's regenerative capabilities, that stab wound wouldn't have been there long. In fact by the end of the battle he seems fine again, though granted it could just be adrenaline. Comic book Thor is supposed to heal rapidly and in Thor he certainly goes from near death to 'full health' when he regains Mjolnir, so there's some healing tech in there somewhere. Whether it's innate, part of his armour or Mjolnir I don't know but it's there.

[Lord Relvenous]

I think, given Thor's regenerative capabilities, that stab wound wouldn't have been there long. In fact by the end of the battle he seems fine again, though granted it could just be adrenaline. Comic book Thor is supposed to heal rapidly and in Thor he certainly goes from near death to 'full health' when he regains Mjolnir, so there's some healing tech in there somewhere. Whether it's innate, part of his armour or Mjolnir I don't know but it's there.

That could very well be influential. I wasn't aware of any specific healing ability for Thor, as I am not familiar with his comics. I will point out that I have watched both Thor and the Avengers and never got the impression that Healing was part of his powers list. Durability for sure, but not necessarily healing. That's not to say he doesn't have it, just that the Marvel movie-verse hasn't made much of it.

As for the almost-dead to 'full health' element, he went from an almost-dead mortal to a full-blown Asgardian, so I would say it's not necessarily comparable to healing a wound from a weapon of unknown origin wielded by a general peer in strength (yes, Loki is much weaker than Thor, but he's at least within his magnitude). However, I could very well be wrong in my understanding of what was done to Thor when he was exiled. It seemed to me that he was not only stripped of the powers Mjolnir gave him, but the innate abilities and strengths of the Asgardians in general, becoming human. His companions certainly seemed above human levels in terms of their abilities.

[Kojiro]

There's no doubt Asgardians are superior to humans. Thor even more so than most, though I'm sure some of that comes from Mjolnir and other 'magic' from Odin.

I don't think that weapon Loki used was anything truly spectacular- possibly made of the same stuff as Mjolnir but not enchanted or otherwise. Perhaps just one of Loki's throwing daggers- Thor certainly didn't seem to think much of it, discarding it instantly.

I'm not sure that Loki is in Thor's range to be honest. I think most of what let's them fight is Thor's desire for reconciliation with Loki. Loki is a frost giant in reality, and Loki at least thinks Thor could 'wipe them all out with your bare hands!'. Note when they start a fight in Thor while his companions run Thor sticks around and just smashes face, going on to one shot the monster chasing his friends. When he and Loki do fight, Loki gives Thor two blasts from Gungnir- the same weapon that turned Laufey into ash. Thor however floors Loki with a sort of AoE lightning storm.

What I wish we'd seen was Loki vs Stark. Admittedly Loki doesn't seem overly worried at the thought of facing Stark- he goes to Stark's base and waits for him after all. And we know full well that Thor would defeat Stark- possibly with his bare hands (jebus how strong do you have to be to crush Iron Man armour with your fingers???). The only person Loki seems even remotely reluctant about facing in Thor, and I think it's because he knows if Thor loses his temper or finally decides he's beyond redemption Loki is in a ton of trouble.

[The Romulan Republic]

Loki is quite overconfident.

And Stark was able to put up a good fight against Thor when they first met, so I think he could handle Loki.

[Batman]

It's been a while since I saw Avengers but if I remember correctly Thor was pretty much on top of that fight until he accidentally supercharged Tony's armour.