To say the Avengers sequel has considerable responsibilities would be an understatement, and Whedon's epic has to achieve them all from the difficult position of critical and commercial success. How do you build on something as lauded as the Avengers after all? The answer for Whedon is a bigger threat, more internal fractures and more time exploring dynamics that could only be hinted at in the first movie. And the puppet master manipulating everything will be James Spader's Ultron, a foe more malignant than Loki, driven by something a lot less sympathetic than his family problems. That should make for a brilliantly exciting finale beyond the Avengers dealing with the own broken dynamic. The battle between the Avengers and Ultron's forces will also allow Joss Whedon to address the one missed step in his first movie: the imbalanced third act. Instead of being a tacked on set-piece, this time it looks like the battle will be the culmination of a very real escalating threat that will coincide with Ultron's powering up. That means a more satisfying conclusion, particularly as Ultron's drones will presumably be more than the Chitauri goons that were basically walking cannon fodder. Which movie scenes are you most looking forward to in 2015? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.
