Help needed from fellow Avengers addicts!

[selenay]

historyterry has been reading my Clint/Coulson fic. Which is awesome except...he hasn’t watched the Avengers yet. Or any of the other films. (As an aside, I’m both awed and terrified by the idea that my fic is encouraging people to delve into this world *g*).

Next weekend he’s sitting down to watch the Avengers. Finally. Leaving aside my terror at the idea that he decide I’ve brought him in on false pretences, I need some help.

Can anyone point me to an easy précis of what he’s missed in the other films so he won’t be confused in the Avengers? Not massive long descriptions of the other films, just quick summaries of the elements that carry over?

Otherwise I’ll have to write one for him and I’m, uh, HORRIBLY BIASED. It will be all “Iron Man is unimportant, Iron Man 2 is unimportant, THOR HAS 3 MINUTES OF CLINT AND COULSON BEING AWESOME AND I FORGET WHAT ELSE MIGHT BE IMPORTANT THERE, Captain America is unimportant…wait, Tesseract, there’s that”. See? Not helpful.

So, you know, any links that anyone can send me that will be a quick read and leave him less confused by Loki and Tesseracts and stuff would be so wonderful.

Comments

[davidbrider.livejournal.com]

Well, I went into Avengers without having seen any of the previous films, and it made perfect sense to me. The other films are there ifbhe wants to fill in the backstory, but knowledge of what happens in them is unnecessary to enjoying and understanding The Avengers. IMHO.

[moonlettuce.livejournal.com]

Y'see, I disagree with this to a certain extent. I believe that Whedon wrote the movie well enough that you can understanding it without seeing the previous ones, but I also think you miss out on a lot of the undertones of the movie.

Bruce's comment about breaking Harlem, Tony's reaction to the comments in the lab about weapon making, the entirety of Loki's back story, knowing what Steve actually lost when he woke up.

I kind of view it that same way as I view people who saw Serenity before they ever watched Firefly. It's an amazing movie and I have no doubt that they enjoyed it, but I can't help but feel that they missed out on a lot by not knowing those characters before they started.

[moonlettuce.livejournal.com]

I see nothing wrong with your summary ::grin::

[emerald-embers.livejournal.com]

I don't know about a link, but I love all of the movies bar Iron Man 2 so here's a quick summary for each of them courtesy of my 1am understanding.

Iron Man: Tony Stark learns that selling bombs to the military then travelling to the country those bombs are to be used is a Really Bad Idea and ends up building a device that has the nifty ability to stop bomb-shrapnel stabbing him in the heart AND power a suit to blow up bad guys. Also everything he has ever loved turns out to pretty much hate him except JARVIS, a few robots, Pepper Potts The Most Badass Girlfriend To Badass Ever, and Rhodey. Agent Coulson sees all.

Iron Man 2: Tony Stark has daddy issues and reconciles about 0.3% of them. Agent Coulson sees all and Black Widow is not tempted by Tony Stark's fine ass, but maybe a little bit by Pepper's.

Thor: While being a little shit as per usual Loki discovers he's adopted, all those years spent feeling guilty about wanting Thor's fine, fine ass were wasted, and he manipulates Thor into being exiled to Earth to fall in love with Natalie Portman while taking over the throne of Asgard. Everything ends about as well as an episode of Game of Thrones in that Loki kills his biological father, is pretty much told that everything he has ever done is a terrible idea while he teeters suicidally over a gaping void, and Thor blames himself for everything despite actually having learned Real Life Lessons during his own journey. Also, Sif and the warriors three are adorable badass goofs. Agent Coulson sees all and Hawkeye is tempted by Thor's fine, fine ass.

Captain America: IN DAYS OF WORLD WAR 2 YORE Hugo Weaving makes Indiana Jones jokes while uncovering THE POWER OF THE TESSERACT which apparently should have meant something to Odin in Thor but was conveniently unmentioned. MEANWHILE: Steve Rogers was an adorable cutie made of Grand American Ideals and glass, then took a level in badass courtesy of Tony Stark's dad and a good guy German. After undergoing training with Tommy Lee Jones, the most badass Englishwoman ever apart from M unless you're talking about some really awesome AUs, and half the Band of Brothers cast, he then proceeded to kick Hugo Weaving's ass nine ways from whatever that expression is, and save America by crashing a plane into frozen water Because Of Reasons. Agent Coulson does not see all.

Hulk: Any of the previous Avenger movie characters who thought they had daddy issues LOL NO I THINK WE HAVE A WINNER HERE. Bruce Banner's father is an arsehole to end all other arseholes and because Bruce's life sucks his inability to fight back against his father properly as a child manifests in a raging green monster whenever he gets angry courtesy of Magical Phlebotinum (or gamma rays to be exact) and it is all terribly sad. Agent Coulson probably sees all.

[emerald-embers.livejournal.com]

I am painfully aware these are terrible summaries and you could probably write better ones with your hands caught in rusty bedsprings but I thought it was only fair I give this a try.

[riverfox.livejournal.com]

Hey. :)

Coulson and Clint were around for Thor, but they were mostly backstory, providing introduction of Hawkeye and just more "company" involvement from Coulson. I don't think anything could be gleaned that can't be assumed from The Avengers. :) When I saw Thor for the first time, I didn't pay much attention to Clint. ;) I was too busy drooling over Thor. Ahem. ;)

I don't think Terry will have a problem. Clint and Coulson had decent filler parts in The Avengers to let us know more about them. :)