The Avengers is not a short film. Not that it ever feels particularly bloated, or overlong, or boring, but there's a lot Joss Whedon had to pack into one blockbuster. A cavalace of superheroes, villains, and setting things up for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn't come easily, nor quickly, and this the film probably has the most deleted scenes out of any the studio have put out so far. They also serve to highlight how far they plan things in advance, and how committed they are to their characters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NqGmIbI--A Take, for example, this deleted scene from The Avengers. It partially serves to give Steve Rogers some closure on the loose plot threads left over at the end of Captain America: The First Avenger, as he rifles through SHIELD documents and discovers the fates of his WWII-era Howling Commandos (and Peggy Carter, too). He also skims over the file for old sidekick Bucky Barnes, who isn't listed as deceased like the rest of the group - instead he's "Missing In Action", something which would come up later in the next Cap film...
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
