10 Things You Won't See In Avengers: Age Of Ultron

The non-death of Coulson was welcomed in some circles and derided in others as evidence that Marvel don’t have it in them to kill off a significant character and have them stay dead. Thor: The Dark World’s sting in the tale with Loki didn’t help matters, even if the recycling of major players is very much in keeping with comic book lore.

Marvel’s gamble in trying to establish an extended cinematic universe was bold, original and ultimately a masterstroke, although it may yet prove deleterious to the medium in general as rival studios seek to emulate their business model. Nevertheless, there are drawbacks to confirming a whopping slate of future releases years in advance, not least that having to confirm the survival of major players seriously undermines the legitimacy of whatever perils they face in the here and now.

Nowhere is this more pertinent than Age Of Ultron, what with Thor and Captain America’s next solo movies already announced and the latter’s Civil War outing also including Iron Man, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Falcon and probably a few more superheroes to boot. Which leaves just a handful of characters that could conceivably be in any real jeopardy and, while hardly ruinous, it’s far from an ideal situation.