Scarlett Johansson

The Avengers (Assemble) has been out on Blu-Ray for over a week now. Now, I could at this point write something long and exciting (not) about the differences between the US version and the UK version: the fact the UK version has edits, doesn’t have one of the documentaries and doesn’t have director Joss Whedon’s commentary.

But let’s ignore that and concentrate on something important: the fact there’s – depending on your point of view – a lot of studly comic book superheroes and superheroines to admire or ogle. And given we’re occasionally given to lists round here, today’s question is suitably list based:

Who did you enjoy the most of all The Avengers? And which character’s movie would you like to see next?

Your list can, of course, be entirely sexual, there being a lot of man candy (Thor, Captain America, Tony Stark, Nick Fury, Bruce Banner and – no judgement – the Hulk) and of course Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Cobie Smulders (Agent Maria Hill), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts) and – no judgement – that waitress Captain America saved. There’s also Tom Hiddleston.

It can also be a list based on which characters you liked the best, which actors you liked the best, who you thought got the best dialogue, who had the best scenes and so on. So let us all know below or on your own blog the answer to that question – you can opt to tell us what the list is or just list them and let us guess.

As for which character you’d like to see next, that’s a slightly more difficult question. Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 are filming right now; Captain America 2: Winter Soldier is currently in discussions; and the Hulk won’t be back until The Avengers 2. There’s also been talk of a Black Widow spin-off movie, although nothing definite yet, and Joss Whedon is working on a SHIELD TV series, albeit with brand new characters.

But, whether it’s happening or not, which of the characters are you looking forward to seeing in their own franchise again next, and which would you like to see get a franchise if they don’t already have one.

Here’s my shortlist (it probably works for all possible permutations):

1. Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow)
2. = Chris Hemsworth (Thor)
   = Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man)

I did like Mark Ruffalo’s the Hulk. But he’s not on any list.

Incidentally, I should point out that comics-wise, Black Widow is currently the co-star of both Captain America and Black Widow, as well as Winter Soldier, so it’s not entirely out of the question that she’ll be back in Captain America 2: Winter Soldier.

For those that don’t know Black Widow’s comics back story, she’s as old as Captain America – he even saves her as a child from the Nazis in one comic – having been given the Russians’ version of the Super Soldier Serum, but was conditioned to be a spy and assassin by the Soviets’ ‘Red Room’, Hawkeye eventually breaking her conditioning (as hinted at in The Avengers). Here’s a little explanation of the character and her development in comics.