3) Hulk Smash (Through Plot Obstacles)
Bruce Banner is many things: wry, soulful, and an expert in any field the story deems necessary. As a man, and by extension, The Hulk, what he isn’t is outgoing or subtle. So it’s a little peculiar that in both films, the third act requires Banner to just show up somewhere, with minimal guidance or interference. In Avengers, he hops a motorbike and rides from the random warehouse he just crashed into while Hulking out, to the exact spot in Manhattan where the rest of the gang is holding a pre-battle huddle (maybe Tony checked in on Foursquare).
In Age of Ultron, Black Widow is being held captive in the heart of the mad machine’s production facility…until Banner, again, just kind of appears from out of nowhere to bust her out. No fuss, no muss. Black Widow is so surprised by his presence that you think it might be a dream sequence or something. Anyway, it’s not like this sort of shortcutting is ruinous to the film – that these movies make any sense at all is a minor miracle, and for all we know, a line or scene explaining the character geography in greater detail was left in the editing room. These movies are long enough as is, even if longer is always better according to some.
