5 Ways In Which Avengers: Age Of Ultron Sets Up Phase 3

Ever since Samuel L. Jackson waltzed into Tony Stark's not-so-humble abode in the post-credits scene for Iron Man, the MCU has become synonymous with easter eggs as Marvel builds upon this most unprecedented shared universe. It's a trait that has only evolved in the years since Nick Fury first teased the Avengers Initiative back in 2008, and with no less than 11 feature films slated for release across the next four years, we can only expect the company to double down on its grand, interwoven narrative. Now, with Avengers: Age of Ultron hitting theaters across Europe and other PAL regions and Ant-Man set to conclude Marvel's Phase Two in July, the long-discussed transition to Phase Three - a transition that will introduce moviegoers to Doctor Strange, Black Panther and, crucially, Spider-Man among others - is almost upon us. What delightful teases has Marvel served up in Age of Ultron to seed this evolution? We already know that director Joss Whedon had planned to introduce Captain Marvel during the end sequence of the sequel, which exemplifies just how crammed full his follow-up really is, and without a post-credits sequence to call its own - there is a mid-credits sting, mind you - the vast majority of references are shoehorned into the Ultron's 142-minute running time. So, without further ado, Liam Dunn and Michael Briers of We Got This Covered's UK team were fortunate enough to see the hotly-anticipated film ahead of its release in the States on May 1. Here, they recount several things to watch out for in the film as Marvel has gone ahead and laid down many seeds for Phase 3 throughout. Please note though that there may be some minor spoilers. 1) Wakanda New York has and will continue to host Marvel HQ for the foreseeable future, with most of our beloved heroes fighting the good fight in and around the Big Apple. But with the introduction of even more characters throughout Age of Ultron, the geography expands to include the fictional nations of Sokovia in Eastern Europe (home of the Maximoff twins) and Wakanda in Africa. The latter will be familiar to Marvel Comics fans as being the kingdom ruled by T’Challa, aka Black Panther, set to get his own film in Phase 3 and portrayed by Chadwick Boseman. Eagle-eyed Marvelites will remember that Wakanda was in fact teased during Iron Man 2, when Nick Fury's global map pinpointed the locations of all superhero activity across the globe. Fast forward to 2015 and the location is almost taking center stage thanks to the aforementioned Black Panther standalone film. When Ultron is assembling his drone army, his power-mongering plan sees him travel to a South African shipyard headed up by arms dealer Ulysses Klaw -- more on him later -- in order to gather seemingly every ounce of vibranium under the sun. Throughout this scene, there are numerous nods to Wakanda, and establishing the African locale as a key location in an ensemble piece like Age of Ultron will ensure that the more casual moviegoers are familiar with the context of the area before Black Panther rolls around in 2018. 2) Ulysses Klaw Speaking of Black Panther, we get a brief appearance by a black market arms dealer played by Andy Serkis who is credited in the film as Ulysses Klaw -- guess all of that Internet speculation was right, after all. As we alluded to earlier, Klaw is less of a integral role and more of a supporting part, laying the groundwork for his inevitable appearance opposite Boseman in Marvel's Wakanda-set standalone feature. Could this be the origin story of the regular Black Panther nemesis? It's entirely possible. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, the devious arms dealer is found operating in Wakanda and dealing in Vibranium, the wondrous metal that not only comprises Captain America’s shield but is also a highly sought after commodity of which T’Challa’s kingdom has rich deposits. With this in mind, will Klaw be reintroduced in Black Panther toting a sonic emitter much like the comics? Time will tell. All we can be excited about for now is the fact that Andy Serkis' stint in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is far from over. 3) Asgard's Downfall Such is the mind-bending aura of Scarlet Witch that even the (self-confessed) mighty Thor subconsciously bends to her will. Before the Maximoff siblings change allegiance after getting a glimpse of Ultron's cataclysmic masterplan, Wanda hijacks the Avengers' neurons to conjure up their very worst nightmares. For Tony, it was a harrowing look into the future, one which sees the remainder of his team struck down due to his own failures. On the other hand, Thor's vision focuses on his home world of Asgard and how it is facing imminent demise. It's a hallucination channeled through Idris Elba's Heimdall, and one that essentially seeds the events of the Asgradian's third solo outing, Thor: Ragnarok. In Norse mythology, the moniker essentially translates to the end of all things -- an apocalyptic event instigated by one defining battle in the Nine Realms. Fan theories have pointed to the titular hero becoming consumed by power in the wake of Odin's death, thereby leading to the downfall of Asgard and its quirky inhabitants. This possible thread would also mean Thor's apparent death, too, though don't be too surprised if Marvel rework the finer details of the script to ensure the God of Thunder survives until Avengers: Infinity War - Part I in 2018. 4) Dr. Helen Cho Remember that mysterious character glimpsed during an early clip of Age of Ultron (seen above), where Earth's Mightiest Heroes were seen kicking back with a beer? Turns out that person in question was Dr. Helen Cho (played by Claudia Kim), a Korean geneticist and friend of the Avengers who gets caught up in their battle with Ultron. Though she succumbs to the aura of the Mind Gem much like Hawkeye in the first Avengers, it isn't long before Cho -- aided by the power of Scarlet Witch -- defies the malevolent AI and puts her expertise in biotechnology to good use. Interestingly, in the comics, she is the mother of Amadeus Cho, a young boy who becomes the sidekick/travelling companion of demi-god and sometimes member of the Avengers, Hercules. Will Amadeus (aka Mastermind Excello) be featuring at some point in Phase Three? Perhaps. Given Cho's supreme intelligence in the field and how she assists with The Vision, it's possible that both characters will be a part of Marvel's plan. In fact, given how Amadeus rises to power, could this mean that the studio will have him waiting in the wings as a gifted, mythological character to give the Mighty Thor a run for his money? Well, only time will tell. 5) Captain America: Civil War The big one. Given that Robert Downey Jr.'s appearance in Captain America: Civil War was made public shortly before the arrival of Age of Ultron, the fraught relationship between Cap and Iron Man took on extra meaning going into Joss Whedon's superhero sequel. It is, by some margin, the most intriguing groundwork being laid for Phase 3, considering the ramifications that the conflict will have on the Avengers roster and the MCU as a whole. It's also an event perfectly foreshadowed through Stark’s overall intention behind Ultron. At a crucial moment in the sequel, we see Tony's trailblazing ideology clash with Cap's pragmatism, and it's a division that has been long on the cards for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As a matter of fact, much like previous reports hinted, Age of Ultron closes with a wholly new line-up of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. SPOILERS With Hulk/Bruce Banner AWOL, Thor returning to Asgard one more, and Tony Stark driving into the sunset, Captain America leads the charge at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new-fangled HQ. We'll not go into details about the specifics of the new roster, though it's evident that Marvel is already dividing its heroes into two camps before the arrival of the Russo brothers' Civil War next year. END SPOILERS Tell us, what do you think of Avengers: Age of Ultron? Indeed, were you disappointed that Joss Whedon's opus didn't reference Ant-Man or Daredevil throughout the course of its bombastic running time? Let us know down in the comments below.