Special Topics in

Film Studies: Joss

Whedon

Jon Favreau,
2008
Special Topics in Film Studies:
Joss Whedon

Louis Letterier,
2008
Special Topics in Film Studies:
Joss Whedon

Jon Favreau,
2010
Special Topics in Film Studies:
Joss Whedon

Joe Johnston,
2011
Special Topics in Film Studies:
Joss Whedon

Kenneth
Branagh, 2011
Special Topics in Film Studies:
Joss Whedon

Shane Black,
2013
Special Topics in Film Studies:
Joss Whedon

Alan Taylor,
2013
Special Topics in Film Studies:
Joss Whedon

Anthony and
Joe Russo,
2014
Special Topics in Film Studies:
Joss Whedon

Joss Whedon,
2012

Special Topics in
Film Studies: Joss
Whedon

Special Topics in
Film Studies: Joss
Whedon

Special Topics in
Film Studies: Joss
Whedon

Special Topics in
Film Studies: Joss
Whedon

Special Topics in
Film Studies: Joss
Whedon

Special Topics in
Film Studies: Joss
Whedon

Special Topics in
Film Studies: Joss
Whedon

13Marvels The Avengers

In which Whedon finally has the opportunity to make a blockbuster,
smashes box office records, and becomes a major filmmaker.

Thefactthatcreativeworkisdifficultandthereforespreadout
overmonthsandyearshasconsequencesfortheorganization
ofpurpose.Inordertomakegrandgoalsattainable,thecreator
mustinventandpursuesubgoals.Delays,tangents,andfalse
startsarealmostinevitable.Thecreativepersonmusttherefore
havesomeapproachtomanagingtheworksothatthese
inconclusivemovesbecomefruitfulandenriching,andatthe
sametimesothatasenseofdirectionismaintained.Without
suchasenseofdirection,thewould-becreatormayproducea
numberoffinestrokes,buttheywillnotaccumulatetowarda
greatwork.
HowardGruber,Inching(265)

Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss

Whedon

SoImwriting,Imediting,Imshooting.Icant
sleep.Imlike,great,itsjustlikerunningaTV
show.
JossWhedononfilmingThe Avengers
(quotedbyRogers198)

Readersofthisbooktothispointareunlikely
todisagreewithAdamRogersobservation(in
Wired)that,atthebeginningofthesecond
decadeofthe21stCentury,Itbegantoseem
asthoughWhedonsintellectualaspirations
theresultofafilm-major/unofficial-genderstudies-minoreducationatWesleyaninthe
paradigm-subvertingdaysofthepostmodern
mid-80sweregettinginthewayofsuccess
(194).ButthenWhedonsThe Avengers
becamethefrakkingthirdhighest-grossingfilm
ofalltime!How?
Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss
Whedon

New organs of perception come into being asaresultof

necessity,themysticalSufipoetJalaalalDinRumi(1207-1273)
onceobservedenigmatically.Therefore,increaseyournecessityso
thatyoumayincreaseyourperception.
InaninterviewforthesecondvolumeoftheofficialWatchers Guide
(2000),JossWhedon,thenarelativenewcomertoshowrunning
(Buffy hadjustcompleteditsfourthseason)andyettodirecthisfirst
movie(Serenity wasstillfiveyearsaway),wouldcommentonthe
educationalvalueofmakingtelevisionandthenwonderaloudabout
whatitmightbeliketomakemoviesinsteadofTV:

Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss

Whedon

Ithinkeverybodywhomakesmoviesshouldbeforcedtodo
television....Becauseyouhavetofinish.Youhavetogetit
done....[Y]ou'vegottodoitrightanddoitfast....SoTVisa
goodthing....Ultimately,youwanttomoveonfromthat.You
justwanttosay,Okay,nowIwanttodosomethingwhereI
havethetimetocreateeverythingthat'sintheframe.
Everything.Andthat'ssortofwhereI'mstartingtobe.I'm
gettingtothepointnowwhereI'mlike,Okay,I'vetoldalotof
stories.I'vechurneditout.IjustfeellikeIwanttostepbackand
dosomethingwhereIcan'tusetheexcuseofIonlyhada
week."(Holder,Mariotte,andHart323)
WithMarvels The Avengers, Whedonwouldhavethe
opportunityandthebudget($220,000,000,almostsixtimes
largerthanSerenitys$38,000,000)todosomethingwhereI
havethetimeto

Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss

Whedon

createeverythingthat'sintheframe.*And,ofcourse,hehadmuch
morethanaweek,but,asweshallsee,Marvels The Avengers
magnificentsuccessanexemplarycaseofthecumulativegreat
workGruberspokeof(seetheepigraphabove)stillowedmuchto
thenecessityunderwhichitwascreated.
WritinginWired beforeThe Avengers hadbeenreleased, Rogers
wouldrevealthelimitationsWhedonhadagreedtobeforetakingon
theassignmentinMarch2010.
*Theofficialcoffeetablebook,The Art of
MarvelsAvengersoffersadetailedand
exquisiteinsiderslookathowWhedon
andhisteamcreatedthefilmsmise-enscne,akaeverythingthat'sinthe
frame.

Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss

Whedon

Marvelwentforhisanglewithsomerestrictions.Whedon
wouldhavejust92daystoshoot,andthepostproduction
schedulewasgoingtobebrutallytight.Thecompanytoldhim
thevillainhadtobetheevilgodLoki,fromThor.Execssaidthe
moviehadtohaveabigfightamongtheAvengers.Theywanted
asetpieceinthemiddlethattoretheteamapartsomehow.And
therehadtobeanepicfinalbattle.
Whedon,stillatheartacompanyman,readilyacquiesced.I
waslike,great,youjustgavemeyourthreeacts,Whedon
wouldtellRogers.NowallIhavetodoisjustifygettingtothose
placesandbeyondthem(196,198).Jettisoningtheexisting
Avengers screenplay(ZakPennstillgetsawriterscredit),
Whedonquickly__________
*AccordingtoRogers,inMarch2010WhedonsatdownwithMarvel
executiveKevinFeigeintendingsimplytogivehistakeonthescript.
WhatWhedonheardhimselfsayingaboutitsurprisedevenhim.Idont
thinkyouhaveanything,hesaid.Youneedtopretendthisdraftnever
happened(196).
Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss
Whedon

overcame,thankstothenecessitieshewasboundby,the
sortofwritersblockthathadprecludedwritingaWonder
Womanscript.
WhedonremainedundeterredevenasMarvelnixedearly
draftsofthescript.AccordingtoRogers,Whedonfoughtfor
retainingBlackWidow(ScarlettJohansson)asacentral
characterwhenthestudiorecommendedshebeeliminated,
insistingthatwithouthertheHelicarrierwasgoingtofeellike
agaycruise(198).
Priortoandduringshooting,virtuallyeveryjournalisticpiece
onthehighlyanticipatedmovieaskedthesamequestion:
howcouldMarvelStudiostakesuchahugerisk,puttinga
tentpolefilmtheculminationofIron Man andIron Man II
(JonFavreau,2008,2010),The Incredible Hulk(Louis
Letterier,2008),Thor(KennethBranagh,2011),andCaptain
America(JoeJohnston,2011)andpredecessortoIron Man
III (ShaneBlack,2013),Thor: The Dark World(AlanTaylor,
2013),andCaptain America:The Winter Soldier (Anthony
andJoeRusso,2014)inthehandsofanunproven
director?

Special Topics in
Film Studies: Joss
Whedon

Itwouldnotbethefirsttime,ofcourse,asRogerswould
note,thatasuperheromoviewasputinthehandsofa
relativeunknown:ChristopherNolan(Batman Begins,
The Dark Knight, The Dark Night Rises;BryanSinger(XMen [2000], X-2 [2003]); andSamRaimi(Spider-Man 1
[2002], 2 [2004], and 3 [2007]wereart-house,quirky,
andsmall-scalebeforetakingontheircomicbook
epics(196).(BranaghandFavreaulikewisecometo
mind.*)Besides,Whedonbroughtothercredentialstothe
directorschair,asthisbookhasendeavoredtoshow:his
unimpeachableprowessasacultauteurJeffBercovici
wouldobservewithdeliciousironythatWhedonhasthe
kindofcredibilitythatonlycomesfromrepeatedfailure
(Avengers DirectorJossWhedon);hiscard-carrying
statusasaMarvelGeekandcomicbookauthor(of
Astonishing X-Men);hisextensiveexperienceasa
televisioncreator.

______________________
*Anulteriormotivealsocomestomind,asRogersnotes(196):
Marvelhasareputationforfrugalityandtendstohirelowerpriceddirectingtalent.
Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss
Whedon

Aspre-eminenttelevisioncriticMaureenRyan,whohadlearned
howtowatchWhedononthesmallscreen,conclusively
demonstrates,whatmadeMarvels The Avengers atitanicsuccess
haditsorigininWhedonsworkinTV:thefilmitselfisacelebration
ofeverythingweeverlovedaboutWhedon'ssmall-screenwork.The
thingsthathedidreallywellinBuffy the Vampire Slayer,Angel,
Dollhouse,FireflyandDoctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blogarethe
thingshedidverywellinThe Avengers.Whedonslong-term
followers,Ryanreminds,
knowthatheexcelsatcreatingmismatchedgroupsthathaltingly
formad-hocfamiliesfracturedfamilieswithlotsofinternal
tensions,ofcourse.Mostshows(andmovies)haveenough
troublecreatingjustoneortwocompellingcharacters,butin
Whedon'swork,thereareusuallyahalfdozencharacters,each
withhisorherownbaggageandagenda.Thewaysinwhicheach

Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss

Whedon

personworksouttheirpersonalissuesandcomesinto
conflictwith,orassistsin,themissionofthegroupasa
wholewell,thosekindsofrich,knottydynamicsdrove
thebestepisodesandarcsintheWhedoncanon.
Amazingly,giventhedrasticallytruncatedstorytime
availabletoafilmmaker,Whedonfoundawaytodistill
hisprovennarrativeschemaforexhibitionatthe
multiplex.
Enhanced,forthosewhosawthem,bythe
expectationsestablishedforeachofthesuperheroes
bythemoviesbackstorypredecessors,nottomention
theassemblyinstructionslayeddownthroughthe
recurringrolesofS.H.I.E.L.D.AgentCoulson,Nick
Fury,andTonyStark,especiallyinthosemini-episodeclosingcreditsequences,Marvels The Avengers had
anadvantagenotavailableto,say,John Carter
(AndrewStanton,2012)orBattleship (PeterBerg,
2012),andWhedonhimselfhadahandinestablishing
multi-filmcontinuity(includinganuncredited
Special
Topics in Film Studies: Joss
Whedon

revisionoftheCaptain America script*),butwhatWhedon

asbothwriteranddirectoraccomplishedinMarvels The
Avengers wasunprecedentedinstillanotherway:
The Avengers,forallitsexultantclobberingtime,actually
deepenedmostofthecharactersinimportantand
excitingways.That'swhereWhedon'sotherareaof
expertisecameintoplay:Hemakesusrelatetothe
speciallychosenandthesuperpoweredbecausehe
showsthemexperiencingself-doubt,self-loathingand
fear.

______________
*AsWhedontoldOHehir(Interview),unlikehisearlier
challengeasawriteranddirector,Serenity, afilmthatpresented
asupremechallengebecauseoftherequirementtotarget[a
relativelysmall]fanbasewhilenecessarilyestablishingthe
charactersforalargeraudience,hisMarvelmoviecamewitha
preexistingboost:withAvengers,particularlyIronManright
now,becauseofthemovies,CaptainAmerica,too,andtheHulk
becauseoftheTVshow,everyonesgottheirownjuice.
Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss
Whedon

Yes,thesemenandwomenareexaltedandspecial,butthey're
vulnerabletoo.That'swhatmakesuslovethem,andWhedon
hasalwaysunderstoodthat.(Ryan)
AsWhedonhimselfwouldtellAndrewOHehir,The Avengers is
kindofanold-fashionedmovie.Itsnotacavalcadeof
sensation.Theresatonofstuffinitandwereallyputthem
throughthewringer,butattheendoftheday,itsahumanstory
thatIfeelpeoplecanrelatetoonalotoflevels.

Though not as impressive as theREALLYfine[meal],with

trufflesandshitenablingboxofficereceipts,theresponseof
thecriticstoMarvels The Avengers wasforthemostpart
positive.OnNPRsFresh Air,forexample,high-browcriticDavid
Edelstein,whileadmittinghesometimesfind[s]alotof
Whedon'sbanterself-consciouslysmart-alecky,voucheshis
loveforhowhecanspoof
Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss
Whedon

hissubjectswithoutrobbingthemofstatureandidentifies,withall
thebrillianceofatrueWhedonaficionado,thattheheartofThe
Avengersclearlyisn'tthepredictable,whiz-bangcomputergeneratedbattlesbetweengoodandevil,butscenesinwhichour
superheroeshangout,sparwithwordsaswellasweapons,and
weighthemeritsofindividualismvs.teamwork.It'snotunlike
HowardHawks'iconicgunfighterstakingoneanother'smeasurein
Rio Bravo.Prepareyourself,earthlings,Edelsteinwarned
(correctly):Forthenextfewweeks,we'llallbelivinginthe
Whedonverse.
Ofcourse,noteveryonelovedMarvels The Avengers. Thesnarky
WalterChaw,writingfortheFilmFreakCentralwebsite,andRene
Rodriguez,theMiami Heraldsfilmcritic,forexample,bothsavaged
thefilm,andtheircaustictakesarerevealingaboutWhedonsplace
incontemporaryculture.

Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss

Whedon

ForChaw,The Avengers isbothcompletelyinoffensiveand

agreeablystupidandWhedonsdefinitiveartisticstatement:
It'sagiant,loud,sloppykissplantedrightontheforeheadofa
fanboycontingentthatwillsomehowfindjealousdorksolidarity
inthelargestproductexcretedthisyearbyaHollywood
machinerythat'stheplaygroundnowofWhedonsandApatows
andFarrellys,whereitusedtobethedomainofJohnFordsand
SamPeckinpahsandVonSternbergs.Notafull-grownman
amongthem,they'redrunkonpowerandnerdcred,making
referencestotheirreferencesandamazedthatsomeonelike
ScarlettJohanssonreturnstheircalls....
Thisis,ofcourse,moread homineminsultthancritical
discernment,andChawdoesnotletup,insisting,all-knowingly,
thatthefilmfinally,hasnoinnerlifethere'snothingtoexplore
here,except
Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss
Whedon

maybethewaysthatmenexpresstheirinsecuritiesintheavatars
theycreate...,andprivy,inawaytheauthorofthesepages
wouldenvyifithadanybasisinreality,toWhedonsmentalstate:
[W]henever[The Avengers] threatenstobeaboutsomething
likewhenBryanSingerorChrisNolandirectasuperheromovie
Whedon reveals he lacks the confidencetobemuchmore
thantheoperatoroftheworld'smostexpensiveamusement
parkride.(italicsmine)
PredictablyChawwouldpraisetheambitiousnessofNolans
The Dark Knight Rises twomonthsafterThe Avengers.

Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss

Whedon

LikeChaw,RodriguezclaimsspecialaccesstoThe Avengers
directorscreativeprocess,abletodiscernthatWhedon,who
seemsto have gotten in over his head,strugglestokeepthis
unwieldymoviespinning.Heissopreoccupiedwiththesheer
physicalityofthethingthathedoesn'thavetimetostepbackand
considerthelargerpicture.Hedrownsinthedetails(myitalics).
The Avengers, Rodriguezconcludesdoesntadduptoanything.
Thisisalong,talky,clunkymovie....FromWhedon,youexpected
morethanspectacle....
ItdifficulttounderstandhowRodriguez,oneofMichaelBaysmost
causticdetractors,missedThe Avengers extras.Takenotethatthe
educated-by-televisionMaureenRyanwasnotsooblivious,nor
wereCharlieJaneAnders("SeveralReasonsWhyAvengersKicks
Ass[ThatYouHaventAlreadyHeard]"fori09)andotherswho

Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss

Whedon

cataloguedthemanypleasuresMarvels The Avengers offers.Iwill

limitmyselfheretoidentifyingonlyafewsignaturemomentsthat
contributetoWhedonscreativeportrait.
IntheWhedonSpringof2012,justbeforethereleaseofbothThe
Cabin in the Woods andMarvels The Avengers, thet-shirtabove
(Figure11)wentonsaleontheinternet.JustafterAvengers hitthe
theatres,Blastrpostedaslideshow:Tara,Wesleyand13other
JossWhedondeathsthatbrokeourhearts.Includedontheirlate
lamentedlist,ofcoursewasthemostrecentlydeceased,
S.H.I.E.L.D.AgentPhilCoulson,CaptainAmericatradingcard

Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss

Whedon

collector,whostooduptoagod,accusinghimoflackingconviction,
whosedeathatthehandsofJossWhedonLokibroughtthe
Avengers together,givingthem(withanassistfromNickFury)
somethingtoavenge.

Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss

Whedon

OntheHelicarrier,justafterLokihasbeen
capturedandimprisoned(andTonyStarktakes
notethatoneofthecrewisplayingGalagaonhis
computer),theassembledAvengersspeculate
aboutthesignificanceoftheirenemysmagical
staff.WhenCaptainAmericaobservesthatit
bearsacertainresemblancetoaHydraweapon,
NickFuryrespondsthat,whateveritsorigin,itwas
capableoftransformingbothHawkeyeandDr.
SelvigintoLokispersonalflyingmonkeys."The
referenceislostontheoften-too-literaland
unearthlyThor,butCaptainAmericaisquite
delightedthathegetstheallusiontoThe Wizard
of Oz (VictorFleming,1939),amotionpicturehe
evidentlysawbackbeforeAmericaenteredthe
war(backwhenhewasstilljustSteveRogers).

Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss

Whedon

IthasbeenpartoftheargumentofthisbookthatWhedonisafilm
studiesauteur,drawingonhisencyclopedicknowledgeoffilm
historyandgenretobothwriteanddirect.Marvels The Avengers is
aprimeexample.Weknowfromavarietyofinterviewsthata
rewatchofBlack Hawk Down (RidleyScott,2001)hadmadehim
wanttodoawarfilmandRobertAldrichsThe Dirty Dozen (1967)
hadprovidedakindoftemplateforThe Avengers.* Aswas
establisihedearlier,WhedonsmentorJeanineBasingerhaswritten
adefinitiveanatomyofthegenre:The World War II Combat Film
(1986).
_____________
*EnsleyGuffeysdiscerningpieceonThe Avengers intheforthcomingThe
Joss Whedon Reader offersavaluablereadingofthefilmasawarmovie.

Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss

Whedon

Marvels The Avengers likewiseoffersnumerous

examplesofwhatmightbecalledthepopular
culturesublime(PCS),momentssoselfconsciouslyredolentwithiconiccharacters,
charactertraits,symbols,technology,weaponry
thattheresponseoftheknowingviewer/fan
becomesakindofimaginaltranscendence.Could
anyfilmmakerotherthanWhedonhavegivenus
thesublimityoftheentiresequenceinwhichThor
abductsLokifromtheS.H.I.E.L.D.jetandthen
doesbattleontheground,firstwithIronMan(who
getsapowerboostfromtheNorsegodslightning)
andthenCaptainAmerica.Itisimpossibleto
conceiveamorePCSmomentthanThors
hammerslammingdown,icontoicon,onthe
Captainsshield.

Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss

Whedon

WritingfortheCHUDwebsite,JoshuaMillerwouldconfessto
anotherPCSmoment.
Myadult-nesswaspowerlessto
HulkinThe Avengers.Whenhe
wasonscreenmydecades
strippedawayandIwaslefta10year-oldboy,droolingwithpure,
guiltless,innocentjoy.Itwasalmost
areligiousexperience.WhenCap
takeschargeoftheAvengers
duringthefinalbattle,barking
orderstoourotherheroes,then
turnstoaseethingHulkandsays,
Hulk...smashIliterally teared
upfromhappiness!*
_____________
*Onmydeathbed,Millerwouldgoontosay,Iverywellmaylookbackonmylifes
brightestmomentsandhavetodecideifthebirthofmyfirstchildshouldbeaboveor
belowwatchingHulkgocompletelyapeshitinThe Avengers.
Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss
Whedon

EventhefilmsharshestcriticsagreedthatThe Avengers Incredible

HulkfarsurpassedallpreviousTV/movieincarnationsoftheother
guyasBruceBannerdeemshiminthefilm.Mixingactionand
humorhaslongbeenaWhedoniansignature,andtheHulkbrings
boththePCSandthefunnyinequalmeasure.Hisbelow-decks
chaseofBlackWidow,histhunderoussmackdownwithThor,his
punch-outofaLeviathan,hisskyscraper-scrapingsaveofIronMan
afterhisfreefallfromthevortexareunforgettable;butsotooarehis
comicmoments:beingtold(asBanner)afterplummetingfromthe
skythat,intheopinionofasecurityguard(playedbycultactor
HarryDeanStanton),hehasacondition;hisjust-for-the-hell-of-it
deckingofThor;hishilarious,cartoonishpummelingofthe-full-ofhubrisLoki(Punygod!)ascenethatatascreeningIattended
receivedthelongestsustainedlaughterIhaveeverexperiencedina
movietheatre.

Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss

Whedon

If all the above stand as quintessentiallyWhedonesque,itstillmust

besaidthatThe Avengersincreasedperceptionistheresultof
Whedonsrestraint,hisacceptanceofnecessity.Inoverhishead?:
nothingcouldbefartherfromthetruth.Whedonknewpreciselywhat
hewasdoing.Whenthefirsteditofthemoviecameinatoverthree
hours,whatendeduponthecuttingroomfloorwascore
Whedonstuff(asRogersreported):
Thedarkeraspectsofthedysfunctionalteamdynamic:out.A
quietscenewithCaptainAmericatryingtoabsorbthecraziness
ofmodern-dayNewYork:out.Andsoon....Youdonthaveto
saywhatyouretryingtosay.Youcanjustdoit,andthenpeople
willfeelit,Whedonsays.ThemoreIhonethisandjustfocus
ontheAvengersastheyrelatetooneanother,thebetterit
works.Thats painful,butitsareality.(199;italicsmine)

Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss

Whedon

Painful...PainiswhereIhangmyhat,WhedonhadtoldJim
KozakwithMarvelsX-Men inmind(JWC 102),butinmaking
Marvels The Avengers hehadinternalizedthepainandthe
necessityandspunthemintogold.
ItshouldnotsurpriseusthatWhedonwasslowtosignonforthe
inevitableAvengers sequel.Youknow,Imverytorn,Whedon
wouldtelltheLos Angeles Times justbeforetheAvengers debut.
Itsanenormousamountofworktelling what is ultimately
somebody elses story,eventhoughIfeellikeIdidgettoputmyself
intoit.Butatthesametime,Ihaveabunchofideas,andtheyall
seemreallycool(Avengers:JossWhedontalkssequel).Ashe
spoke,shootingforMuch Ado about Nothing wasalreadycomplete.
AtComicConinJuly2012,Whedonwouldremainundecided.Less
thanamonthlater,however,camethenewsthatWhedonhad

Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss

Whedon

agreedtonotonlyhelm
Avengers 2, withitsalreadyestablished-in-the-closingcredits-of-the-first-filmBigBad
Thanos,butalsodevelopMarvel
propertiesfortelevision(Kit),
includingthenowin-development
S.H.I.E.L.D. seriesfeaturing
(somehow)thelatePhilCoulson.

Special Topics in Film Studies: Joss

Whedon