The first trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron has been released online a week early following a leak. The preview of Disney and Marvel’s hero sequel was due to premiere in an ad break during next week’s episode of the Agents of S.H.I.E.LD. TV series.
In the trailer James Spader (The Blacklist) voices the sinister Ultron bent on world domination and the destruction of the human race – “I’m gonna show you something beautiful… Everyone screaming for mercy.”
We get to see the Hulkbuster suit in action (designed by Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark as an emergency measure if the big green man goes haywire). And there’s a first look at Eizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Quicksliver. We also catch a fleeting glance of motion capture pioneer Andy Serkis in an as yet unspecified role.
In the Marvel comics Ultron’s origin story saw him built by scientist Hank Pym (AKA Ant-Man). However, for his big screen outing Ultron, created as a force for protecting the world, is re-imagined as the brainchild of Tony Stark to be the ultimate drone, a way for Iron Man to abdicate his duties and offload them onto a fully mechanized protector but his creation turns bad.
The film’s synopsis has revealed: “When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping programme, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance.
“As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.
“Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron stars Robert Downey Jr, who returns as Iron Man, along with Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk.
“Together with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and with the additional support of Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, the team must reassemble to defeat James Spader as Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell bent on human extinction.
“Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen, and Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision.”
Director Joss Whedon’s Avengers Assemble made over £1 billion at the worldwide box office in 2012. Avengers: Age of Ultron will be released in cinemas April 24, 2015. Watch the trailer below.