We're about a year away from The Avengers popping up in theaters across the world, and for the most part we know who's going to be involved. Joss Whedon is directing, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Chris Evans as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk, and Chris Hemsworth as Thor are the principle figures. One thing we haven't been able to figure out is who they'll be squaring off against. Whoever it is they gotta be pretty damn powerful to take on this crew.
Whether or no he's the main bad guy or not, it's been widely assumed that Tom Hiddleston would be reprising his role as the trickster god, Loki, in The Avengers. Some rumors have him just being the catalyst for the action, like stealing the Cosmic Cube(to be seen in Captain America: The First Avenger) and using it to bring in the alien race of the Skrulls to invade the planet, forcing The Avengers to unite for the first time. That scenario may still play out, but at the KAPOW Convention in London, Hiddleston reportedly "hinted strongly" that Loki would not make an appearance in The Avengers. The Daily Blam caught Tom's comments, but don't leave any quotes. I'd be curious to see what his exact wording on the statement was.
Other villains rumored for the film include the death obsessed Thanos, holder of the Infinity Gauntlet. There's the possibility of the Avengers getting mixed up in a galaxy wide battle between the warlike Kree and the shape-shifting Skrulls. And then there's The Hulk, who has also been rumored to be the bad guy, but that possibility seems to have the least chance at coming true. Shooting on The Avengers is currently underway in New York, so I'm betting we'll find out the answer soon enough.
I hope Marvel plays it smart and keeps the plot simple. There's no need for Loki to get involved. The Skrulls provide perfect foils for the powerhouse team, adding a share a mystery with their shape-shifting powers, as well having a decided numerical advantage that would necessitate teamwork to combat.
