The Avengers

Marvel's The Avengers is a 2012 superhero film written and directed by Joss Whedon. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sixth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and brings together characters previously introduced in Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger. The principal team consists of Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Bruce Banner/the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). The story begins when Loki, Thor's adopted brother, arrives at the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility housing the Tesseract, a powerful cube-shaped energy source. Loki uses a scepter to control Hawkeye and physicist Erik Selvig, steals the Tesseract, and escapes. S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury responds by activating the “Avengers Initiative,” recruiting the separate heroes to confront Loki's threat. Their first attempts at cooperation are strained by personal conflicts, distrust of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Loki's deliberate manipulation. Loki intends to use the Tesseract to open a portal above New York City, allowing the Chitauri, an alien army allied with him, to invade Earth. After the team regroups following an attack on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier and the death of Agent Phil Coulson, the Avengers assemble in Manhattan. The Battle of New York forms the film's climax: Captain America directs the team on the ground, Black Widow and Hawkeye fight the invading forces, Thor battles Loki and helps contain the attack, Iron Man engages the Chitauri fleet, and Banner transforms into the Hulk. Black Widow closes the portal using Loki's scepter after Iron Man carries a nuclear missile through it toward the Chitauri command ship. The film was released in the United States on May 4, 2012. It became a major commercial success, grossing more than $1.5 billion worldwide and becoming the highest-grossing film of 2012. It was also the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film to reach $1 billion at the global box office. Its success established the Avengers as a central feature of the MCU's later “Phase Two” and “Phase Three” films. Alan Silvestri composed the score, including the Avengers theme that became associated with the team in subsequent MCU entries. The film introduced Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner, replacing Edward Norton, who had played the character in 2008's The Incredible Hulk. It also features a mid-credits scene in which the Other reports Loki's failure to Thanos, and a post-credits scene showing the exhausted Avengers silently eating shawarma after the battle.