The Avengers is a culmination of events from five other movies: Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger. In those films, we are introduced to six heroes that will soon make up the Avengers team: Tony Stark as Iron Man, Bruce Banner as the Hulk, Natasha Romanioff as Black Widow, Thor God of Thunder, Clint Barton as Hawkeye, and Steve Rogers as Captain America.
Off in space, an alien reports to his boss (an unnamed Titan) that Loki, brother of Thor, is ready to go to battle on Earth with the Chitauri to become Earth’s ruler and follow the Titan’s command. The audience is then taken to an underground bunker where the Tesseract (Space Stone) powers up and surges out radiation. Dr. Selvig, who we also previously met in Thor, tried turning it off but it kept turning back on. Hawkeye points out that it is likely being controlled on the other side of space. Loki appears through a portal and turns Dr. Selvig and Hawkeye into his minions using his scepter and escapes with the Tesseract, destroying the bunker in the process.
After this event, Nick Fury decides to assemble the Avengers for the first time to prevent what he knows is coming: a global catastrophe. Most of the team has never met before (other than Black Widow and Stark) and there are a lot of personalities that are suddenly forced to mix together. Stark thinks he is better than everyone else; Bruce Banner is a nice guy, but he turns into the Hulk when he loses control and ends up destroying everything in his path. Steve Rogers is a war hero that was frozen in ice for 70 years and has stayed away from everything and everyone since he woke up. Natasha Rominoff is a Russian assassin recently turned into a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and has an usual, unknown upbringing. Clint Barton is currently being mind-controlled by Loki, but we will see him become a member of the team – he has a bond with Romanoff, but it is unclear how this began. Thor has seen many things in his 1500 years of life and comes from a different planet, where he is considered a god.
Rogers, Romanoff, Banner, Coulson, and Fury meet on a helicarrier in order to find out where Loki is and the tesseract through Banner’s work. Loki shows up at a party in Germany and is met by Captain America, Black Widow, and Iron Man. Rogers told Loki that he disagreed with a man who was trying to take over the world, and that the other man did not like that – a nice nod back to his interaction with Red Skull back in The First Avenger.
Captain America is fighting for the freedom of mankind without any alternative motive.
Loki surrenders to Iron Man and Captain America, and they head back to the helicarrier with Black Widow in a jet. While they are in flight, Thor shows up and takes Loki. Iron Man jumps out of the plane with no plan but to fight, much to Rogers’ annoyance.
Iron Man thinks of himself as the only one who can solve the issue of dealing with Loki and saving the world.
Thor tries to convince Loki to give up the Tesseract and go home. Iron Man interrupts and starts a fight with Thor, which Captain America then has to break up. They all head to the helicarrier and put Loki in a holding cell (which we later learn was originally made for the Hulk). Iron Man and Thor are already at odds with each other, and Captain America is trying to lead a group that does not work well together while also learning to understand what has happened in the world. Stark gets along with Banner; however, he butts heads with Rogers about who is in charge of the team. Captain America searches the helicarrier and finds weapons made from the cube. Thor tells the history of Loki coming to Earth.
Thor came to Earth to stop his brother from harming and enslaving people.
Romanoff talks to Loki and reveals a little bit about herself; she tells Loki that she wants a clean slate by helping S.H.I.E.L.D.. In response to her interview tactics, Loki reveals that he is trying to release the Hulk in order to cause havoc on the ship. They all meet in a lab together, where Loki’s staff holding the Mind Stone is located, and start fighting with each other. Banner ends up grabbing Loki’s staff in anger, grabbing the attention of the rest of the Avengers. While they are trying to sort out their conflict, Hawkeye comes with a group of brainwashed soldiers to the helicarrier, blows up one turbine, and scrabbles their electric systems on the helicarrier to where they start falling from the sky. Thor and the Hulk are fighting, so are Black Widow and Hawkeye (although that is a result of Loki’s spell).
The newly formed team is falling apart and having a hard time staying together.
While trying to get the helicarrier running, Agent Coulson is killed by Loki. Thor and Hulk can’t be found and Hawkeye and Black Widow are injured. Stark and Rogers are down emotionally at the loss of Coulson and Fury discusses what he hoped the Avengers Initiative would have been.
At points in our lives, we may not be connecting and getting along well with others, especially our co-workers, and that is the time to reflect on the reason or purpose we are going something. This will help us regroup and start moving on a more positive path.
Black Widow knocked out Hawkeye in order to stop the mind control. When Barton wakes up Natasha talks with him and makes amends. They decide they want to join in the fight against Loki. Rogers and Stark talk, make amends, and learn where Loki put the Tesseract to put the space portal for the Chitauri to come through to wage war on Earth. The Tesseract and portal machine are both at Stark Tower. Stark heads there first and tells Loki that all the Avengers are poised to face off and fight with both him and his army. Stark says “You’re missing the point. There’s no throne. There is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes, and maybe it’s too much for us, but it’s all on you. Because if we can’t protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we’ll avenge it.”
Iron Man changed his thoughts and actions and now wants to do everything he can to save the world.
The portal opens, and the Chitauri army comes through. The team puts aside their past disputes and bands together — Stark puts on his Mark 7 Iron Man suit, and Thor shows up to stop his brother. Captain America, Hawkeye, and Black Widow are shot down while assisting Thor in fighting Loki. They land on the ground, and Captain America starts making plans with local law enforcement to combat the Chitauri army. Banner shows up and turns into the Hulk to help the team. The Avengers start working together and listening to Captain America’s plan in order to contain the Chitauri.
Like the Avengers, with renewed purpose and the determination to do what we can to work as a team, many things can be accomplished.
The team is able to work together to contain the Chitauri. A group called the council, S.H.I.E.L.D’s oversight, decides to blow up Manhattan with a nuclear bomb to stop the invasion. A nuke is sent to Manhattan, but Iron Man changes its trajectory and forces it to instead go through the space hole and blow up the Chitauri main spaceship. Black Widow closes the space portal using Loki’s spear with the help of Dr. Selvig. Iron Man falls to Earth, and the Hulk catches and saves him. Together, they capture Loki and save the world.
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Photo Credit (ALL): Marvel Studios
