2. The Avengers: Age Of Ultron The Death Of An Avenger
This really is a death-centric article, isn't it? I apologise for that, but honestly, it's to be expected. It's a tried and tested method in movie franchises that once you've built a world, you spend the second installment trying to tear it down. Throwing a death-sized log on the dramatic bonfire can really raise the stakes come sequel time, and nothing shows seriousness like making a main character bite the bullet. Dark Knight Batman and Iron Man have shown this enforced darkness trait to be alive and well in superhero-dom, so who's to say that the most successful flick in the genre won't follow in their footsteps? After all, Avengers helmer Joss Whedon has refused to rule out to rule out a character cull, and he's not exactly got a gleaming track record of keeping his entire cast alive come curtain close. Buffy and Firefly fans can attest to that, so who's to say Marvel fans won't follow suit? If it is to happen, the smart money at this point appears to be on Hawkeye, as Whedon's made it clear he wants to give the ace archer more screentime after condemning him to the sidelines as Loki's puppet in the original. Couple this with the facts that Clint Barton is a mid-ranking superhero in the cinematic universe (let's face it, he's no Iron Man) and Jeremy Renner is in demand at the moment, and we might see Barton loose his last arrow come 2015. Hell, if nothing else, it'll provide plenty of dramatic fuel for Scarlett Johannson's Black Widow. Again though, everything's up in the air at the moment and Whedon could just be playing to the gallery (we're all so easy to bait, after all), but watch this space.