Avengers: Age of Ultron is still a week away and already Marvel is looking forward, even beyond this summer's Ant-Man. 2016's Captain America: Civil War is going to see a convergence of past Avengers and brand new heroes, from Iron Man to Black Panther to Spider-Man, and apparently Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch. Rumors had Olsen reprising her role as the chaos magic-wielding character, and now she's confirmed it.
Olsen revealed the news (via CBM) of Scarlet Witch's return without going into further details, as expected. With Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Mackie, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, and more set to appear it's going to be a jam-packed film, which is why it's referred to as "Avengers 2.5" internally. At this point I think it's safe to assume Scarlet Witch will be an Avenger, or very close to it, by that point but what about her brother, Quicksilver?
The bigger question may be on the future of Captain America himself. With his contract running out Chris Evans has seemed anxious to move on to other things, including a directorial career and a possible break from acting. While he and Renner were talking with Digital Spy, Evans said his comments about taking a break were overblown and that he's open to sticking with Marvel...
"I gave an interview once where I said I was gonna try and focus a little more on directing, and that's true, it's what I'm excited about right now,"But acting is still... I love acting, in no way am I walking away from acting....With the shield, it's a matter of whether or not Marvel wants to keep knocking, but my contract is up after the last Avengers movies."
And yeah, there's also that whole thing about the sexist, sophomoric language Renner and Evans used in the interview while talking about Black Widow. Basically they were asked about Black Widow's seeming attraction to numerous Avengers, and the guys didn't respond in the most intelligent way. Actually they responded in a totally Rush Limbaugh sort of way. But unlike Limbaugh the guys have the good sense to apologize, issuing this statement to EW....
Evans: “Yesterday we were asked about the rumors that Black Widow wanted to be in a relationship with both Hawkeye and Captain America. We answered in a very juvenile and offensive way that rightfully angered some fans. I regret it and sincerely apologize.”
Renner: “I am sorry that this tasteless joke about a fictional character offended anyone. It was not meant to be serious in any way. Just poking fun during an exhausting and tedious press tour.”
Hmm...something tells me Renner isn't taking this too seriously.
All good then? Let's hope so.
