How ‘Age of Ultron’ Was The Pivotal Turning Point In The MCU… And How Nobody Noticed
The MCU is considered by fans to be the gold standard of live-action comic book media. However, it is often forgotten that the movie Avengers: Age of Ultron is solely responsible for the narrative we are enjoying in Phases 3 and 4 and also for the interconnectivity that has elevated the total story. It is regarded as the least popular Avengers movie but should be treated as the most important film in terms of overall plot development and the setting up of future character arcs.
Age of Ultron, at first, seems like your typical MCU film. The heroes show up, go through conflict and ultimately triumph in the end. Nothing out of the ordinary. In hindsight, this could not be further from the truth. Age of Ultron ultimately splits the heroes apart and, much like Wanda’s nightmares, exposes them to who they are at their core and forces them in directions they may not have wanted or chosen to go.
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The movie begins with the heroes taking down the remnants of Hydra and retrieving the scepter used in the attack on New York. Directly after, and unbeknownst to most of the team, Tony uses the scepter to help finish his pet security project ‘Ultron’. The intended “peace keeping” program turns on Tony almost immediately and threatens global destruction. The group struggles on multiple levels, but eventually comes together and defeats their enemy. Their victory is not without consequences however, including one hero falling in battle and the reshaping of the entire team.
At the time this all seemed inconsequential but the benefit of looking back reminds us that Age of Ultron is where everything changed. It’s the last time some of our favorite characters were happy and the first time the group is truly challenged and can’t recover. Natasha in this movie feels as if she has a home and a family and within a few years she will be on the run, alone. The Hulk has a similar beginning but by the end feels his reputation is so damaged he chooses to leave Earth. Thor’s habit of choosing to do everything by himself leads him off-world to meet his destiny in Ragnarok. Tony (realizing his selfishness nearly destroyed the world) leaves the team, setting him on a direct path of conflict with Captain America that plays out in the movie Civil War and Hawkeye just quits.
The film goes through all those character arcs but still has the time to introduce Wanda, Pietro, Vision, Hawkeye’s family, Ulysses Klaue, Wakanda, Sokovia, and the knowledge that someone in the background has been manipulating our heroes and searching for the Infinity Stones themselves. Age of Ultron may not be everyone’s favorite Avengers movie but it was essential in changing the MCU from a group of scattered stories to a cohesive universe that is still expanding today.
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Source(s): IMDb