2. The Incredible Hulk (2008)
The Score: 2.5 StarsThe Avenger's Role: A minor but notable cameo for Downey Jr's Tony Stark, this one. With the Hulk having rampaged through the streets of Manhattan and causing a great deal of grief for General Ross in his grudge match with the Abomination, we find Ross cooped out in an unnamed alcoholic brothel a time later. Enter Stark, striding into the bar clad in a not-too-shabby formal suit, and commenting on Ross' fine choice of lurking place. Tony notes that he's heard of the general's problem, and after Ross quips that " should talk", Stark claims that Ross "should listen". "What if I told you we were putting a team together?" Tony's ominous words would have resonated with just about every unsuspecting Avengers fan in the audience, but things were only about to get more ambiguous and exciting, as Ross asked the question on everyone's lips at the time- "Who's 'we'?"...
The Review: The Incredible Hulk is perhaps the one true notable misstep in the instalments of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far. For all its narrative scope and impressive special effects, this reboot after the poor Eric Bana 2003 effort was still lacking in that same revelatory magic that made the other instalments in the series such a joy to watch. Still, Robert Downey Jr's cameo came as an unexpected surprise, even if it did cause a few niggling continuity arguments later on in the game!