6 Reasons That The Avengers: Age Of Ultron Trailer Has Us Very Excited

Sorry, ABC - blame Hydra. Last night, the first trailer for next May's Avengers: Age of Ultron leaked online, just hours after it had been announced that the preview would air during an upcoming episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Always one to roll with the punches, Marvel decided to simply release an official trailer - and poster! - without trying to quiet the collective screams of delight that immediately consumed the interwebs. And what a trailer... Over in the We Got This Covered bunker, it's been essentially playing on loop - and yet, the chilling, squeal-inducing sounds of James Spader's Ultron singing I've Got No Strings On Me have lost none of their impact. It's a stunning, thrilling and supremely intriguing teaser for what is increasingly looking like one of Marvel's biggest and best films yet. Although the geeks in all of us simply want to lapse into a satisfied coma after watching that trailer, the enthused journalists in us are going to win out today. So, here are six reasons why the new trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron is completely packed with awesomeness, and has us eagerly counting down the days until the blockbuster lands on May 1st next year. 1) A Darker Tone The biggest takeaway from this trailer is that director Joss Whedon seems to have taken some of the criticisms of his first Avengers movie to heart - immediately, this is a much darker, scarier world than we've ever seen from Marvel. The trailer paints the levels of destruction Ultron wreaks as practically apocalyptic, with his sleek robot army overwhelming any defenses and laying waste to city streets. Where are the Avengers? Captain America's broken shield doesn't bode well for the team. For the first time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there's a real sense of looming disaster here. There's absolutely none of Whedon's trademark humor in the trailer (though I wouldn't be surprised if he has sprinkled a little in even amidst all the chaos), and the consequences of Tony Stark creating Ultron look positively dire. Though the chance that we'll see main Avengers perish during Ultron's war against humanity seems slim now, really no one outside of Iron Man, Thor and Captain America (all of whom are set for upcoming titles) is safe. And though he's full supervillain in this first look, we've heard that there's a grim, emotional undercurrent to his rise from Iron Man side-project to sentient super-robot. 2) Ultron Looks Incredible And Terrifying Speaking of the titular 'bot, holy crap - he looks absolutely amazing. Simultaneously a clear Stark creation and a disturbingly humanoid creature, Ultron looks every bit the intimidating supervillain he promises to become. The glowing red eyes, the smooth metallic body, the halting mechanical voice - everything works about Whedon's vision of the character. Spader, too, seems to have Ultron's mannerisms and patterns of movement down perfectly. As he narrates the trailer with a voice that's part menacing purr, part unfeeling authority, one gets a strong impression that he's both one bad, bad dude and an extraordinarily distinctive villain. The Dark Knight proved that you can't wrong with a memorable baddie, and Whedon and Spader certainly seem to have adhered to that train of thought with Ultron, who is both brilliant and utterly insane. The rest of the trailer footage indicates that he certainly has the bite to back up his bark, summoning an entire army of Ultrons to do his bidding and send the Avengers packing. And that malevolent and wry Pinnochio quote at the end? Chills, people, chills. 3) The Hulkbuster Vs. Hulk Smackdown Want to get comic book fans excited for Avengers: Age of Ultron? Just yell this one word in a crowded room at any convention: HULKBUSTER! Yeah, that oughta do it. For those unfamiliar, the Hulkbuster is a special suit of armor developed by Tony Stark for one simple reason: to fight the Hulk. In the comics, the ultra-strong suit can handle 175 tons and has sensors fine-tuned to detect gamma radiation. Oh, and it's really cool looking. The exciting notion of seeing the Hulkbuster fight the Hulk aside, the inclusion of the fan-favorite suit of armor comes with a major consequence to the characters in the film. While we don't know why Tony dons the suit and battles the Hulk (some theories point toward Scarlet Witch controlling the giant green rage monster), the fact that he has to do it shows that the events of the film will get extremely personal this time around, and will begin to affect the relationship that Earth's Mightiest Heroes have with one another. I'm sure that Bruce Banner is disappointed and upset that Tony even built the Hulkbuster armor in the first place, and I'm sure that its mere existence will throw a wrench into the "Science Bros." dynamic that the two struck in The Avengers. Oh, who am I kidding. I just want to see Tony and the Hulk duke it out! 4) Introducing... Quicksilver And Scarlet Witch Days of Future what? Age of Ultron finds Marvel striking back with its own take on speedster Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), in addition to his twin sister, the telepathically gifted Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). Though those two names may be unfamiliar to less ardent comic book fans, rest assured that you'll know both of them very well by the end of Age of Ultron. By the looks of things, the twins (who we know start off being held by minor villain Baron Von Strucker) end up fighting on Ultron's behalf but come around from the dark side in time for the film's grand finale. That arc in of itself is cause for excitement. Days of Future Past's Quicksilver was a quippy, happy-go-lucky kid, but all Marvel fans should know that the Quicksilver of the comics was never so lighthearted. Taylor-Johnson's grungier look is much more in keeping with tradition, and it's been revealed that both twins are Eastern European refugees from a war-torn nation - in other words, much of Age of Ultron's darkness will originate from these two traumatized, deeply disturbed individuals. Olsen, with her evocative eyes and slight frame, also seems like a perfect choice to play the Scarlet Witch. We get only a brief glimpse at her tremendous powers in this trailer, but expect there to be plenty of reality-warping mayhem on display in Age of Ultron. And any foray into the more magical side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe ahead of Doctor Strange is more than welcome. 5) Andy Serkis Has A Role In what on the surface looks like a blink-or-you'll-miss-it cameo is a glimpse at the mysterious character that motion-capture legend Andy Serkis is playing. You might not recognize him in his human form, but he can be seen at the 1:32 mark, sporting a beard. We knew that Serkis was a part of the film, having been offered a role following the motion-capture lessons he gave Mark Ruffalo, but still have no confirmation on which role he's stepping into. Fans have already begun speculating though and have dug up quite a bit of evidence to suggest that he's actually playing Ulysses Klaw, a foe to African Marvel hero Black Panther. We've heard rumors that Black Panther would have a cameo in the film, and know that part of it will take place in his home nation of Wakanda. Serkis is the spitting image of Klaw in the brief moment he's on screen, and his appearance could be a great way to set up a future Black Panther movie, which we have been dying to see for quite some time now. Even if he's not playing Klaw, Serkis is a fantastic actor and has gathered a ton of fan goodwill for his roles in films like The Lord of the Rings, King Kong and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, so his part here, big or small, is bound to be a treat. 6) Black Widow's Background Will Be Explored Of all the MCU characters, Black Widow remains one of the most mysterious, despite Age of Ultron serving as the assassin's fourth big-screen appearance. We've heard from director Joss Whedon that she would get more of the limelight this time around, and the trailer seems to point toward us finally figuring out a bit about her origin story. In the comics, Natasha Romanova was orphaned as a child and quickly caught the attention of Soviet Intelligence and eventually joined the Black Widow Program, which trained a team of elite female sleeper agents. While in the program, she studied as a ballerina to hide her true occupation. Mixed into the destruction and superhero antics of the Age of Ultron trailer is a shot of ballerinas and what looks like some shots of Hawkeye in Russia. Will the Avengers head East at some point, and learn more about Natasha along the way? We sure hope so.