30:00-35:00
The Iron Legion attack. The Avengers ultimately take them down.
As Ultron goes down, he sings a line of ‘there’s no strings on me’. It’s from Pinocchio, the song I’ve Got No Strings. Pinocchio, of course, is also owned by Disney.
The Avengers then play the “man was not meant to meddle” medley.
35:00-40:00
Cap refers to being different from SHIELD, a reference to the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). If you just watch the Avengers films, then maybe it would be a bit weird as last time you saw SHIELD they were good guys.
Back in Sokovia with the Twins. Aosta, Italy again. They are drawn to a church.
There was an extended version of this scene.
We hear the back story of the twins. Their parents were killed by Stark’s missiles.
40:00-45:00
Back at Avengers tower. Von Strucker has been killed.
Apparently a scene where Ultron kills Von Strucker was shot but left out of the final film. Von Strucker would also be responsible for sending Ultron to South Africa.
The Banksy at the crime scene refers to British street artist Banksy, and his work in graffiti.
The investigate Strucker’s files. Cap and Stark make reference to Wakanda. It’s the home of the Black Panther in the comics (and later the films) and the home to Vibranium.
Note the Captain America recruitment poster in the office.
And they head to the shipyards. The establishing shot is the Chittagong Ship Breaking Yard in Bangladesh, on the north coast of Chittagong.
Inside is The Printworks, a large music and arts space in 143, Clapham Road, London.
Working there is Ulysses Klaue. He’s played by Andy Serkis.
Klaue is from the comics, the real identity of Klaw. He is a being made of solid sound, and often battles the Fantastic Four, Black Panther and the Avengers. He was the son of a Nazi scientist and became a scientist himself. His portrayal here, as a South African arms dealer, is very different. He has a great costume in the comics that would be very impractical in live action.
He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. He first appeared in Fantastic Four #53 (August 1966).
Serkis shot to world wide fame with his motion capture roles in Lord Of The Rings, immediately becoming one of the most iconic roles in cinema. He has managed to hide himself in roles, sometimes without any CGI. Serkis plays a dual role here – he is also a consultant on the motion capture stuff.
He is faced with Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch. Then Ultron arrives.
Klaw’s henchman. He’s played by Bently Kalu.
They deal in vibranium. In the millions.
45:00-50:00
Ultron chops off Klaw’s arm. In the comics, he is missing his right arm, not the left.
Iron Man, Thor and Cap arrive. Hawkeye and Black Widow flank the sides.
And they fight.
Note Black Widow’s enhanced costume.
Scarlett Witch plays with Thor’s mind. Thor enters a new space. It’s a church – Church Of St Bartholomew The Great, Cloth Fair, West Smithfield, London.
Hawkeye takes out Scarlett Witch.
Black Widow’s sequence. The location is Tring Park School for the Performing Arts. Mansion Drive, Tring, Hertfordshire, UK.
It has taken four films for us to look at Black Widow’s past, and origin. Her origin in the comics are mysterious, but it seems clear that she was a trained Russian operative, who went through a special program called The Red Room. She defected and became an Avenger.
A woman next to her is Madame B. She is played by Julie Delpy.
Madame B was created for the film, and not part of the comics.
Delpy is a star of arthouse cinema and a director in her own right. She is known for films like Before Sunrise.
50:00-55:00
Then the ballroom with Cap. Its the Rivoli Ballroom, 350 Brockley Road, Brockley, South London.
Peggy Carter is there. She is played by Hayley Atwell.
This is Atwell’s 4th appearance in the MCU. We last saw her in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).
Thor sees Heimdall. He’s played by Idris Elba.
This Elba’s 3rd appearance in the MCU. We last saw him in Thor: The Dark World (2013).
Tom Hiddleston shot a Loki appearance in this dream sequence, that was ultimately cut. It was supposed to allude to his taking of the throne in Thor: The Dark World (2014).
In Thor’s vision, we get the briefest glimpse at the Infinity Gems.
The twins are outside. There is a shot of them at the shipyard, which is CGI magic.
Iron Man and Ultron take it outside. He blows him up, but to no avail.
Iron Man calls on Veronica. The name is a reference to Betty and Veronica from the Archie comics. Betty was Banner’s ex, played by Liv Tyler in The Incredible Hulk (2008).
Veronica is in fact the Hulkbuster Iron Man armour. It looks a lot like the version from the comics – a lot bigger and bulkier, and modular. It is never referred to as the Hulkbuster here. It debuted in Iron Man #304.
This is considered Iron Man Mark 44 in the MCU.
The Hulk heads towards town. It’s Johannesburg, South Africa.
Police are called in, and they drive in their point of view and encounter the Hulk. Exact location unknown.
The original idea was to make the Hulk grey. Hulk has been grey several pivotal times in the comics. There was even a pulled ad for a grey Funko Pop called Savage Hulk. It was decided it was too confusing and they changed him back to green.
Hulk rages as a cage drops around him. He’s on Von Brandis St, Johannesburg. The little courtyard is Fox St.
55:00-60:00
Iron Man mentions “Puny Banner”. Hulk regularly called his alter ego that in the comics.
The fight moves to Rissik Street, outside Johannesburg City Hall.
Then they smash through Brent Civic Centre. Not in Johannesburg, but Engineers Way, Wembley, Greater London.
Stark takes Hulk into a semi constructed building and brings it down. It’s actually a park behind city hall on Simmonds Street (we are looking west).
60:00-65:00
Quinjet takes us to a safe house. It’s Stratfield Saye House, Reading, Hampshire. All the buildings here were built for the film.
There to meet them is Laura. She’s played by Linda Cardellini.
A woman named Laura is married to Hawkeye in The Ultimates version of Marvel. Her short fate and characterisation is very different, and it’s probably only the name that is a nod. In the regular Marvel comics universe, there is no Laura.
Cardellini was part of the great cast for TV’s Freaks And Geeks, going on to ER and Bloodline.
The kids. The boy is Cooper Barton, played by Ben Sakamoto.
The daughter, Lila Barton, was played by twins Imogen and Isabella Poynton.
Later, Hawkeye and Laura chat. She totally supports his avenging.
Then the U-Gin Genetics Research Lab. It’s a place in Seoul called Sebichdungdungseom. It’s an arts and entertainment building.
The inside is the Sanofi factory. 2 Winstead Gardens, Dagenham, UK.
Cho is there, but so is Ultron.
65:00-70:00
Black Widow and Banner have their scene.
Cap and Stark have their scene too. A nice precursor to Captain America: Civil War (2016).