It's no secret that that Walt Disney Pictures/Marvel Studios "Avengers: Age of Ultron," the sequel to 2012's $1.5 billion dollar mega-smash, is already the most anticipated film of 2015.
The official synopsis for the film has finally been released; it is rather interesting...and not just for the content alone. Both the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Quicksliver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) are referred to by their "real" names, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, rather than their super-heroic monikers, according to The Verge.
These characters are embroiled in a licensing rights kerfuffle between Fox and Disney, and both Wanda (albeit very young) and Pietro (played by Evan Peters) made an appearance in Fox's "X-Men: Days of Future Past," which was released this past summer. In Marvel comic canon, Wanda and Pietro are the mutant children of Magneto. They served him in the original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, but then reformed and were early recruits of the original Avengers.
In another departure from the canon, the "father" of Ultron, Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym, also known as Ant-Man, is not mentioned in this synopsis, and it seems to imply that Iron Man/Tony Stark creates Ultron by mistake. Disney/Marvel has a stand-alone "Ant-Man" film planned for a July 2015 release, and Michael Douglas will play an older Dr. Pym. It's anybody's guess if the two films will somehow attempt to explain this, or just let it stand as another break from canon.
The synopsis as is follows:
Marvel Studios presents "Avengers: Age of Ultron," the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth's Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.
Marvel's "Avengers: Age of Ultron" stars Robert Downey Jr., who returns as Iron Man, along with Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk. Together with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and with the additional support of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, the team must reassemble to defeat James Spader as Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell bent on human extinction. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen, and Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision.
"Avengers: Age of Ultron" is slated to hit the big screen on May 1, 2015.
